Are You Eligible? Canadian Government Small Business Loan Qualifications – SBL Financing Is The Funding You’re Looking For !

It's actually not that complicated. The Government Small business loan financing program makes funding for your new or established Canadian company accessible and on terms that even larger more established firms simply can’t often achieve.

Funding under the SBL program obviously has a long term gain for Canada as the 7000+ firms that use the program every year create jobs, pay taxes, etc.

Clients sitting down with us only want to know one thing. Are they eligible?! Eligibility for small business loan financing therefore allows them to reap the financial benefits of the program.

So, eligibility. Its a simple case of knowing how the loan guaranty program works , what options are available from a structure viewpoint, and what exactly does the program finance ?

Great questions. Let’s get some answers going! The government small business loan financing option was developed for businesses just like yours. You can either be a start up, or an established firm already in business, with the one caveat being that your revenues must be under 5 Million dollars annually.

Because you may not be eligible for financing at a Canadian chartered bank doesn’t mean you aren’t qualified to receive the SBL loan. That’s because the government guarantee on the loan, by its nature, allows the bank to now provide you with the financing you need for your business.

So when actually are you eligible ?The answer is ' all the time' as the program has been in place for years and allows you to obtain financing for real estate, equipment and capital assets, including software, and even leasehold improvements to your business facility . Many restaurants and franchises use the program for the initial funding of their transaction.

So whets with the guarantee? As we referenced it’s the federal government that guarantees the funding to your chartered bank or other financial institution that participates in the program. That’s one of the big misconceptions, because the same bank that couldn’t provide you with ' traditional' financing because you were a start up, didn’t have enough collateral, etc is the entity that both provides and administers the loan. Talk about irony.

Restrictions on the use of loan proceeds is actually one of the continually misunderstood aspects of the government small business loan. You cannot use the loan for working capital or things such as inventory ; it must be used for our three aforementioned categories - real estate, assets, including software, and leaseholds.

The general terms of the program are as follows, a very limited personal guarantee, 5-7 year term amortizations, and rates at approximately 3% over the Canadian prime rate of interest. By the way that’s a fabulous rate for a start up, wouldn’t you agree, if in fact you are utilizing the program for a new business? It’s also important that the owners of the business have a decent personal credit history, as validated by their personal credit score at the credit bureau.
How can you quickly determine your eligibility without wasting time, monies and resources? Its simple, speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can quickly steer you through eligibility and yes, approval!