United States
Updated: August 3rd, 2023
Running a small business is tough, especially when working capital is low and expenses are high. Whether you’re suffering from lost revenue or any other crisis, there’s a solution to get you back on your feet: an SBA 7(a) loan.
An SBA (7a) loan is the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) most popular loan, and it’s not hard to see why. These government-backed term loans provide you with a large cash sum with low interest rates, manageable payment terms, and flexible spending. The only significant downside to an SBA 7(a) loan is the intensive paperwork and processing—but since we can help streamline that for you, this loan really is a win-win.
If you’re planning on getting a loan, you might be wondering how that influx of capital will affect your tax commitments. When it comes to IRS obligations, there are a few subtle nuances to your SBA loans. Below, we’ll cover all the nitty-gritty tax details around the question: “are business loans tax deductible?” Doing so will help you pay exactly what you owe and collect what you’re due, too.
First, the good news is that most loans won’t substantially impact the taxes you owe. Receiving a lump sum of cash in the form of a loan is different than earning revenue for your business. So, you won’t be taxed for the principal amount.
Your interest payments, however, are a tad different. With term loans, your interest payments are tax-deductible. This means you can write off your interest payments as business expenses and lower your overall tax burden.
Fortunately for you, SBA 7(a) loans are term loans (the only difference is they’re guaranteed by the SBA).This means you can deduct your interest payments. Most term loans are structured so that you pay higher interest at the beginning of the repayment schedule and lower towards the end. This means you can claim larger business loan interest tax deductions when you start your loan payments, and this helps offset your new debt.
To answer the question of “are business loan payments tax deductible?” you first need to meet a few IRS qualifications:
You’ll also need to make sure you don’t use your funds inappropriately:
Other than that, your SBA 7(a) business loan interest should be eligible for a tax deduction .
Taking on small business debt always has some inherent risk. But, business loan tax deductions make borrowing a little less scary. Plus, it’s a huge benefit that you can deduct more at the beginning of your repayment schedule to help ease yourself into the new debt.
If you’re looking for an affordable solution to your working capital needs, consider getting an SBA 7(a) loan. Our loan specialists can help answer any additional questions around “are business loans tax deductible?” Plus, you can score a 10-year loan with amounts ranging from $20k to $5 million. Learn more about our SBA 7(a) loans, or go ahead and start your application now.
Jesse Sumrak is a Content Marketer at Twilio SendGrid focused on writing killer content. He's created and managed content for startups, growth-stage companies, small businesses and publicly-traded businesses. Jesse has spent almost a decade writing about small business and entrepreneurship topics, having built and sold his own post-apocalyptic fitness bootstrapped startup. Jesse studied Public Relations at Brigham Young University.
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