SBA Surety Bond Fees Change November 30, 2026: What Small Contractors Should Check

Direct sources. Clear status. Practical public information.

What is new: The U.S. Small Business Administration published a notice changing fees in its Prior Approval (Plan A) Surety Bond Guarantee Program. The change applies to SBA surety bond guarantees approved on or after November 30, 2026, except for projects under NAICS Codes 31, 32, and 33—manufacturing.

Practical next step: If your business may need an SBA-guaranteed bid, payment, or performance bond, confirm the program type, project NAICS classification, premium, and effective fee with the participating surety before relying on a bid or bonding estimate. Read the official Federal Register notice and the current SBA program instructions.

What changes under the notice

For the Prior Approval program, the SBA’s surety fee increases from 20% to 26% of the bond premium. The contractor, or Principal, fee increases from $6.00 to $7.29 per $1,000 of the contract amount.

The notice says the fee change applies to guaranteed bonds other than a bid bond. Projects under NAICS Codes 31, 32, and 33—manufacturing—retain the prior Prior Approval rates: a 20% surety fee and a $6.00 Principal fee per $1,000 of contract amount.

What does not change in the notice

For the Preferred Surety Bond Program, the notice keeps the surety fee at 20% of the bond premium and the Principal fee at $6.00 per $1,000 of contract amount. The notice describes the SBA guarantee as an agreement between SBA and a participating surety under which SBA assumes a stated share of the surety’s loss if a contractor defaults. It does not guarantee that a business will receive a bond or a contract.

A practical contractor checklist

1. Identify the program. Confirm whether the quote is under Prior Approval (Plan A) or Preferred Surety.
2. Check the approval date. The notice uses the date the SBA guarantee is approved, not merely the date a business first asks for a quote.
3. Check the project classification. Confirm whether the project falls under NAICS 31, 32, or 33 and retain the basis for that classification.
4. Separate bid-bond treatment. The notice’s fee change applies to guaranteed bonds other than a bid bond; ask the surety to state the treatment in writing.
5. Recalculate the full cost. Review premium, SBA fee, surety charges, contract timing, collateral or personal-obligation terms, and other delivery costs together.
6. Protect private information. Keep financial, tax, identity, banking, and contract records inside the official or authorized secure process—not in public comments or unsolicited messages.

NABA’s role

New American Business Association is sharing this as a source-linked small-business education tool for owners who may encounter federal contracting and bonding systems. NABA is not SBA, a surety, a lender, a broker, or a contracting officer. A fee notice does not determine a business’s size status, bonding capacity, contract eligibility, approval, or award.

Visit NABA’s public small-business information site for practical, source-linked education. Before acting, confirm the current SBA instructions and the exact terms offered by the participating surety.

This dated article is general educational information. Verify the current Federal Register notice, SBA program rules, surety quote, contract terms, NAICS classification, and your own facts before acting. It is not legal, tax, accounting, financial, procurement, insurance, or professional advice.

Public-information notice: This Pulse is a dated, source-linked research summary for general educational use. It reports what the cited sources state or what the identified public record shows as of the date reviewed. Citation does not mean endorsement, partnership, certification, or independent confirmation of every third-party assertion. This is not individualized legal, medical, tax, accounting, investment, insurance, cybersecurity, licensing, regulatory, procurement, employment, real-estate, or other professional advice. Rules, facts, availability, and eligibility can change. Verify the controlling source, jurisdiction, effective date, and your own facts, and consult the responsible agency or a qualified professional before a consequential decision. External links are provided for attribution and may change. Use this information and any reader-controlled checklist at your own discretion and risk.