SBA Surety Bond Forms & Eligibility

Last verified: September 28, 2026 (PT)

This page is an education-first overview for brokers, underwriters, and contractors who work with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Surety Bond Guarantee (SBG) program. It maps the main SBA forms used in bonding, points to official sources for citizenship and eligibility policy, and flags pending legislation that would change program ceilings if enacted.

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On this page

1. SBA Forms 900 and 901 (participation agreements)
2. The 990 / 994 form family
3. Citizenship & eligibility policy notes
4. S.2232 — Senate-passed; not yet law
5. Quick reference: where to get official forms
6. Sources

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SBA Forms 900 and 901 (participation agreements)

What they are

In an April 13, 2026 Federal Register notice seeking OMB approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act, SBA described two new forms under OMB Control Number 3245-0007 (“Surety Bond Guarantee Assistance”):

Per the notice, these forms outline authorities granted by SBA and the requirements of program participation. The only data collected on the forms themselves are the name, title, signature, and date of the individual signing on behalf of the business. SBA’s stated goals include streamlining future application procedures and ensuring every participating surety certifies understanding of participation requirements by program type.

Source: Federal Register notice 2026-07113 (published April 13, 2026; comment window through May 13, 2026).

Status as of research date (important)

Where to get official versions

• Monitor SBA’s document search and partner pages for published Forms 900 and 901 once OMB clearance completes.
• Partner / agent workflow context (existing Prior Approval vs Preferred paths): Operate as a surety partner or agent and Become an SBA surety partner.
• For the authoritative description of the new forms and related revisions, use the Federal Register OMB notice (April 13, 2026).

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The 990 / 994 form family

These are the core forms historically used for SBG assistance applications, agreements, underwriting review, work-in-process schedules, and claims. They fall under the same OMB control number (3245-0007).

Purpose map (current published forms)

Typical Prior Approval package (as summarized on SBA’s partner page): small business submits Forms 994, 994B, and 991 (if work has started); the surety/agent also submits Form 990 (plus financials and bond docs) via E-App. Quick Bond (contracts up to $500,000, with exclusions) is described on the partner page as Forms 990 and 994 plus bond/contract docs for final guarantees; SBA also publishes a separate Form 990A (Quick Bond Guarantee Application and Agreement) — confirm with your E-App workflow which package your surety uses. Preferred sureties use Form 994 (and 991 if work started) and log bonds in CAFS; claims use Form 994H.

Source: SBA — Operate as a surety partner or agent (accessed September 28, 2026).

Proposed updates in the April 2026 OMB notice (process history)

Highlights from the notice (paraphrased for orientation only — verify against the notice and future published forms):

• Form 990: Quick Bond question on whether the project includes hazardous materials, asbestos, or timber sales over SBA’s allowed amount; new “SBA Bonding Line Request” subsection (moved from Form 994B Part III); certification / Terms & Conditions alignment with Form 900; “SBA Approval Number” field.
• Form 991: Instruction and field language clarifications (fields 4, 5, 6, 10) — notice states these do not change the information collected.
• Form 994: Dual-obligee / second-obligee address fields; country added to addresses; economic-status fields for owners (ninety-percent guarantee / economically disadvantaged status verification); citizenship-related updates including removal of certain legal-permanent-resident fields to align with policy / Executive Order 14159; other clarifications.
• Form 994B: Clarifications on lookback / “total backlog”; Part III removed (bonding-line request moved to Form 990); certification language aligned with Form 900.
• Form 994F: No revisions intended in this notice.
• Form 994H: Add “SBA Claim Approval Number”; certification language aligned with Forms 900 and 901; access instructions updated.

Source: Federal Register notice 2026-07113 (April 13, 2026).

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Citizenship & eligibility policy notes

Citizenship and related eligibility rules for SBG participation are legally sensitive and have been updated multiple times via SBA policy and procedural notices. This page does not paraphrase the operative citizenship tests or ownership rules.

What to read (official)

Broader contractor eligibility, size, and contract/bond eligibility continue to be governed by 13 CFR Part 115, the current SOP, and SBA’s published SBG program materials. Confirm size and affiliation rules through SBA’s partner guidance and E-App tools before submission.

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S.2232 — Senate-passed; not yet law

Legislative status (verified)

Source: Congress.gov — S.2232 all info; engrossed text via GovInfo BILLS-119s2232es.

What the Senate-passed text would change if enacted

From the engrossed Senate text (paraphrased for industry orientation; always read the bill text):

1. Statutory per-contract figure: Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 by striking “$6,500,000” and inserting “$18,000,000” in the relevant guarantee-limit provision — subject to the temporary reduction rule below.
   - Context for practitioners: SBA’s currently published operational program limits (inflation-adjusted implementation) are commonly stated as up to $9 million generally and up to $14 million on federal contracts with contracting-officer certification (SBA FY25 SBG announcement; 2024 statutory-increase announcement). The bill’s strike/insert language tracks the older statutory $6.5M figure — not the $9M/$14M operational numbers. Again: $18M is not live.
2. Temporary 33% reduction mechanism: In any fiscal year in which the Administrator submits a formal request (including budget justification) for supplemental funds under the bill’s revolving-fund provision, the amount in the raised ceiling would be reduced by 33 percent until the earlier of (i) 12 months after that request, or (ii) 150 days after funds are provided (or the Administrator notifies Congress they are no longer required) and the Administrator attests that fee collections are sufficient to maintain a deficit-neutral revolving fund — after which the limit would revert to the full amount designated in the statute.
3. Other program-administration items in the engrossed text include a cap (not more than 2 percent of the revolving fund on the first day of the fiscal year) for certain SBA management/admin costs, supplemental-funding notice requirements to the House and Senate small-business committees, an annual SBA report on program activity and fund health, and a one-time GAO report on approval processes.

None of the above is operative until the bill becomes law (identical passage by both chambers and presidential signature, or equivalent).

Optional industry context (sidebar only)

Trade / industry commentary is not a substitute for statute or SBA rules:

• NASBP Government Relations agenda
• Baldwin — Surety industry mid-year insights

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Quick reference: where to get official forms

1. Search SBA documents for the form number: sba.gov/documents
2. Partner workflows and E-App: Surety bond partners and agents
3. Program SOP: SOP 50 45 4
4. OMB collection / proposed form set description: FR 2026-07113
5. Legislation tracker: Congress.gov S.2232

Email for OSG assistance (per SBA partner page): SuretyBonds@sba.gov

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Sources

Dated links used for this draft. Prefer the primary source over this summary.

1. Federal Register — Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements Under OMB Review, 91 FR 18963, Document 2026-07113 (published April 13, 2026; comments due May 13, 2026). Forms 900/901 creation; proposed updates to 990, 991, 994, 994B, 994H.
   https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/13/2026-07113/reporting-and-recordkeeping-requirements-under-omb-review

2. SBA Policy Notice 5000-877134 — Surety Bond Guarantee Program: Update to SOP 50 45 4 – Citizenship Requirements and Rescission of Policy Notice 5000-866697 (effective April 1, 2026; page last updated March 6, 2026).
   https://www.sba.gov/document/policy-notice-5000-877134-surety-bond-guarantee-program-update-sop-50-45-4-citizenship-requirements-rescission-policy-notice

3. SBA Procedural Notice 5000-877355 — Update to SOP 50 45 4 – Surety Bond Guarantee Program Citizenship Requirements (effective April 1, 2026).
   https://www.sba.gov/document/procedural-notice-5000-877355-update-sop-50-45-4-surety-bond-guarantee-program-citizenship-requirements

4. Congress.gov — S.2232, 119th Congress, Expanding the Surety Bond Program Act of 2025 (all info; Senate passed April 29, 2026; House held at desk May 4, 2026). Not enacted.
   https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2232/all-info

5. GovInfo — S.2232 Engrossed-in-Senate text (passed Senate April 29, 2026).
   https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119s2232es/xhtml/BILLS-119s2232es.html

6. SBA — Operate as a surety partner or agent (forms workflow; Prior Approval / Preferred / Quick Bond / claims). Accessed September 28, 2026.
   https://www.sba.gov/partners/surety-bond-partners-agents/operate-surety-partner-or-agent

7. SBA form pages (accessed September 28, 2026):
   - Form 990: https://www.sba.gov/document/sba-form-990-surety-bond-guarantee-agreement
   - Form 991: https://www.sba.gov/document/sba-form-991-surety-bond-guarantee-agreement-addendum
   - Form 994: https://www.sba.gov/document/sba-form-994-application-surety-bond-guarantee-assistance
   - Form 994B: https://www.sba.gov/document/sba-form-994b-surety-bond-guarantee-underwriting-review
   - Form 994F: https://www.sba.gov/document/sba-form-994f-schedule-work-process
   - Form 994H: https://www.sba.gov/document/sba-form-994h-surety-bond-guarantee-program-default-report-claim-reimbursement-report-recoveries
   - Form 990A: https://www.sba.gov/document/sba-form-990a-quick-bond-guarantee-application-agreement

8. SBA — Current operational SBG contract limits context: FY25 program results article (January 13, 2026) and February 26, 2024 statutory-increase announcement.
   https://www.sba.gov/article/2026/01/13/growth-demand-manufacturing-drives-record-surety-bond-guarantees-fy25
   https://www.sba.gov/article/2024/02/26/sba-announces-statutory-increases-surety-bond-guarantee-program

9. SBA — SOP 50 45 4, The Surety Bond Guarantee Program.
   https://www.sba.gov/document/sop-50-45-4-surety-bond-guarantee-program

10. Optional industry sidebar only:
    https://www.nasbp.org/advocacy/government-relations/nasbp-government-relations-agenda/
    https://baldwin.com/insights/surety-industry-report/

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Global Guarantors Learn hub — educational content. Not an offer of bonding, insurance, or legal advice. Always verify forms, fees, and eligibility at official SBA sources before submission.