Am I a small business? SBA size standard checker
Enter your NAICS code and your 5-year average receipts or employee count to see whether you qualify as small for federal set-asides — using the SBA’s own basis from 13 CFR 121.201.
Pick your primary federal NAICS code, or choose “Other” to enter your own size standard.
Confirm the current figure at sba.gov/size-standards.
SBA averages your annual receipts (total income + cost of goods sold) over your last 5 completed fiscal years.
Estimate only — not an official SBA determination. Affiliation rules (13 CFR 121.103) can pull a parent company, subsidiaries or close business relationships into your totals, which changes the result. Confirm the current size standard for your exact NAICS code at sba.gov/size-standards.
How the SBA size standard works
In federal contracting, “small business” isn’t one number — it’s defined per industry. The SBA assigns every NAICS code a size standard: a maximum 5-year average of annual receipts for most service and construction industries, or a maximum employee headcount for most manufacturing and wholesale. The standard attached to a solicitation’s NAICS code is what decides who can bid as small.
Two things trip firms up. First, the 5-year averaging — a single big year won’t push you over if your average stays under. Second, affiliation: the SBA adds the receipts or employees of companies you control (or that control you) to your own, so your eligibility depends on your whole corporate family, not just one entity.
What to do with your result
If you qualify as small, your fastest path into federal work is small-business and socioeconomic set-asides — see which programs you may be eligible for with the set-aside eligibility checker, then learn how each one works in the set-aside guides. If you’re over the standard, you compete full-and-open — where teaming, past performance and a sharp proposal matter most.
Either way, the next step is finding the right opportunities and writing to win them. Look up the agencies that buy under your code with the NAICS lookup, then see how GovCon matches you to live solicitations and drafts compliant proposals.
Frequently asked questions
How does SBA decide if my business is small?+
Every NAICS code has a size standard set by the SBA in 13 CFR 121.201 — either a maximum 5-year average of annual receipts (for most service and construction industries) or a maximum number of employees (for most manufacturing and wholesale). If your business — combined with any affiliates — is at or below the standard for the solicitation’s NAICS code, you qualify as small for that opportunity.
What counts as "receipts"?+
Receipts means total income plus cost of goods sold, as reported to the IRS, generally excluding net capital gains/losses, taxes collected for a third party, and amounts collected on behalf of another. SBA averages your annual receipts over your five most recently completed fiscal years (the 5-year lookback set by the 2018 Runway Extension Act).
Do affiliates count?+
Yes — and this is where many firms get it wrong. Under SBA affiliation rules (13 CFR 121.103), the receipts or employees of a parent, subsidiaries, and businesses you control (or that control you) are added to yours. A small standalone company can be "other-than-small" once affiliation is applied, so confirm your structure before you self-certify.
Is this an official SBA determination?+
No. This tool is an estimate to help you self-assess quickly. The size standards table is updated periodically for inflation, and your exact code may have an exception or a different basis. Always confirm the current standard for your NAICS code at sba.gov/size-standards, and remember that self-certification carries legal responsibility.
Why does the size standard matter for set-asides?+
Small-business set-asides — and socioeconomic set-asides like 8(a), WOSB/EDWOSB, SDVOSB and HUBZone — are only open to firms that are "small" under the size standard for that solicitation’s NAICS code. If you’re over the standard, you compete full-and-open. Knowing where you sit tells you which lane you can bid in.
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