What Spread Over Prime Should You Expect on an SBA 7(a) Loan?
National spread benchmarks by loan size, based on 896,000+ real SBA 7(a) loans. See P10, P50, and P90 spreads and how size affects your rate.
Overview
SBA 7(a) loans are priced as Prime Rate plus a lender spread. The SBA caps the maximum spread, but most lenders price well below the cap. What spread should you actually expect?
We analyzed nearly 900,000 real SBA 7(a) loan approvals to build the most complete picture of actual lending terms. The data shows a clear pattern: loan size is the single biggest factor in your spread.
Spread is the premium over Prime Rate. It is one component of total cost, not the full picture. Fees, terms, and prepayment penalties also matter. See our methodology for details.
Spread Benchmarks by Loan Size
P10 = the rate the best-priced 10% of lenders offer. P50 = the typical (median) rate. P90 = what the highest-priced lenders charge.
| Loan Size↑ | Deals | Lenders | P10 (Best) | P50 (Median) | P90 (High) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0-$150K | 477,956 | 2,505 | P + 1.50% | P + 2.75% | P + 4.75% |
| $150K-$350K | 163,235 | 2,473 | P + 1.00% | P + 2.50% | P + 3.00% |
| $350K-$500K | 60,803 | 1,835 | P + 1.00% | P + 2.25% | P + 2.75% |
| $500K-$1M | 90,119 | 1,916 | P + 0.95% | P + 2.25% | P + 2.75% |
| $1M-$2M | 62,545 | 1,622 | P + 0.75% | P + 2.00% | P + 2.75% |
| $2M-$5M | 41,736 | 1,287 | P + 0.50% | P + 1.97% | P + 2.75% |
See which lenders offer better pricing
LenderHawk shows real spreads from 2,500+ lenders, based on real SBA lending data.
Search Lenders →National Spread Distribution
How spreads are distributed across all SBA 7(a) lender segments.
What This Means for Borrowers
If you're borrowing under $150K, expect a spread of roughly P+2.75% to P+4.75%. For loans over $1M, the typical spread drops to P+2.00% to P+2.75%.
The gap between P10 and P90 in each size band is your negotiation window. If a lender quotes you a spread near the P90 for your loan size, you have room to shop around.
Use LenderHawk to find lenders whose typical spread falls in the P10-P50 range for your loan size.
Find Lenders with Lower Spreads
See which lenders consistently offer below-median pricing in your market.
Search Lenders →Data & Methodology
Source: real SBA lending data, publicly available from sba.gov. Over 1,000,000+ loan approvals analyzed.
Spread methodology: Spread over Prime Rate, calculated from loan approval data. Deal-count-weighted averages are used for lender rankings. This is one component of total cost — fees, terms, and prepayment penalties also matter.
Minimum threshold: Lenders must have at least 10 qualifying deals to appear in named rankings.
Limitations: Data reflects loan approvals, not final terms. Some loans may have been modified after approval. Spread estimates are based on available fields and may not capture all fee structures.
See our full methodology for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average SBA 7(a) interest rate?
The median SBA 7(a) spread over Prime is approximately P+2.75%, but it varies significantly by loan size. Smaller loans (under $150K) typically see spreads of P+2.75% to P+4.75%, while larger loans ($1M+) are often priced at P+2.00% to P+2.75%.
What is the maximum SBA 7(a) rate?
The SBA caps variable-rate spreads at 3.0% over Prime for loans above $350K, 4.5% for $250K-$350K, 6.0% for $50K-$250K, and 6.5% for loans under $50K. Most lenders price well below these caps.
How is SBA 7(a) spread calculated?
Spread is the premium a lender charges over the base rate (Prime Rate for variable-rate loans). An SBA 7(a) loan at "Prime + 2.75%" means the interest rate is the current Prime Rate (6.75% as of early 2026) plus 2.75%, for an all-in rate of 9.50%.