Certifying Body
U.S. Small Business Administration
Cost
Free
Processing
90-180 days
Renewal
Annual recertification
Organization overview
What SBA is and what it does.
Federal agency that administers the 8(a) Business Development Program and HUBZone certification for government contracting.
Certifications issued
What SBA certifies you for.
Each certification below has its own guide with eligibility rules, application steps, fees, processing time, and the corporate or government buyers that recognize it.
Eligibility rules
Who can apply for SBA certification.
- Ownership
- 51% owned and operated
Corporate buyers
Companies that source from SBA-certified suppliers.
Corporate supplier diversity programs that recognize SBA certification on their supplier registration portals. Once your certification is approved, you can register directly with any of these companies as a verified diverse supplier.
Other issuing bodies
Adjacent certifying organizations.
VA CVE
Department of Veterans Affairs Center …
Federal Agency
Disability:IN
Disability:IN
National Organization
NGLCC
National LGBT Chamber of Commerce
National Organization
NMSDC
National Minority Supplier Development Council
National Organization
NVBDC
National Veteran Business Development Council
National Organization
Before you apply
Confirm you qualify for SBA before you start the application.
SBA certification takes weeks to process and a rejection adds weeks to the queue. The quiz cross-checks your ownership, location, revenue, and structure against SBA's eligibility rules and every other certification you might qualify for, so you can sequence applications instead of repeating the same paperwork.