SBA FY2027 fees: check the notice behind your quote

The SBA's information notice for fiscal year 2027 identifies the 7(a) lender annual service fee, upfront guaranty fee, and authorized exceptions. Its stated effective date is October 1, 2026. That makes the applicable fiscal-year notice a necessary reference for a borrower evaluating a current proposal. This briefing does not reproduce the fee tables or determine an individual transaction's eligibility for an exception.

Older articles may accurately describe a prior period while giving the wrong impression about today's proposal. An announcement for fiscal year 2026 should not be carried forward automatically. Ask the lender which notice governs the specific loan and how the relevant date is determined.

Request a written fee worksheet. It should distinguish government-related charges, charges retained by the lender, third-party costs, and amounts paid outside closing. Ask which costs are financed and which reduce net proceeds or require separate cash. Two proposals can show the same stated principal while leaving the business with different cash at closing.

If an exception is claimed, ask the lender to identify its basis and the documentation required. Do not infer qualification from a broad industry label on a marketing page. Keep the lender's explanation with the applicable notice and the transaction's closing estimate.

The SBA payment calculator accepts fees entered by the reader rather than assuming a current government fee schedule. Enter the actual written quote and compare paying eligible fees upfront with adding them to the modeled balance. The example uses a fixed nominal rate and equal monthly payments. It does not predict future variable-rate changes or replace the final agreement.

Include the cash retained after closing in the decision. Financing a fee may preserve cash today while increasing the modeled principal and total interest. Paying upfront may reduce modeled interest but leave less operating liquidity. Compare those tradeoffs with a monthly cash forecast and a reserve policy. The relevant answer depends on the complete proposal and the business, not a single advertised fee percentage.