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SBA size standard checker

Are you a small business for federal contracts? Enter your average receipts or employees, then add the NAICS codes you bid under. You'll see SBA's size standard for each code and whether you fit under it.

Free, no sign-up. Don't know your codes? Find them with the NAICS code lookup or NAICS codes by business type.

▶ Watch: Am I a Small Business? SBA Size Standards by NAICS Code (20 sec)

    From SBA's table of size standards, effective March 17, 2023 (13 CFR 121.201). SBA proposed new size standards in August 2026, and they aren't final yet. This is an estimate: SBA makes the official call if your size is ever challenged. Check with SBA's size standards tool or a free APEX Accelerator.

    How SBA measures size

    • Average annual receipts for most service and construction codes: your total income (gross receipts on your tax returns), averaged over your last five completed fiscal years.
    • Average employees for most manufacturing and wholesale codes: everyone on the payroll, full-time, part-time and temporary, averaged per pay period over the last 24 months.
    • Affiliates count. Add the receipts or employees of any business under common ownership or control.

    Why it matters

    Small business set-aside contracts are open only to firms that are small under the solicitation's NAICS code. The same size rules decide eligibility for most SBA programs, like 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB and SDVOSB. See set-aside contracts explained and the certification eligibility check.

    Frequently asked questions

    How do I know if my business is small?

    Find the NAICS code for the work a contract is for, then compare your size with SBA's size standard for that code. Most standards use average annual receipts over your last five completed fiscal years; others use average employees over the last 24 months. If you're at or under the standard, you're small for contracts under that code.

    Can I be small under one NAICS code and not another?

    Yes. Each code has its own standard, so a business can be small for janitorial contracts and too big for engineering ones. What counts is the NAICS code on each solicitation, not your primary code.

    Do I count my affiliates?

    Yes. SBA adds the receipts or employees of every affiliate, meaning businesses under common ownership or control, to your own. A small company owned by a large one usually isn't small.

    Where does SAM.gov get my size?

    From the receipts and employee counts you enter in your SAM.gov registration. SAM.gov compares them with each of your NAICS codes and marks you small or not small under each. Keep those numbers current when you renew.

    Is this an official SBA determination?

    No. It's an estimate from SBA's published table of size standards. SBA makes the official call if your size is ever protested. For help with a borderline case, ask a free APEX Accelerator counselor.

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