How to fill out SBA Form 1919

While SBA Form 1919 can appear long and complicated, it’s easiest to go through it step by step. Understanding what they’re asking of you can help you fill it out thoroughly and accurately. If you’ve already gathered the information and documents that will provide answers to all the questions, as well as additional information, you’ll start off on the right foot. 

Step 1. Fill in your business identifying information for Section I

Section I of SBA Form 1919 establishes some information about the small business applying for the SBA loan. 

Before you start filling out the numbered questions, you’ll enter your business’s contact and identifying information. This includes:

• The business’s legal name as it appears on your business license or registration. 
• Whether the business is an eligible passive company (EPC) or operating company (OC). If you sell goods or services, your business is probably an OC. If you trust or lease real estate to an operating company, you’re probably an EPC. It’s a good idea to double check with your accountant to make sure.Any other names of the business, such as DBAs or tradenames.
• Registered business address or the address of the project (if different from the business address).
• The business’s tax ID (which can be the EIN).
• The business phone number.
• The name of the primary contact and their email address.

Next, you’ll provide some information about the loan and why you’re applying for it. This includes: 

• How much you’re requesting to borrow.
• The number of employees currently employed by the business, including owners.
• The number of jobs you’ll create if you get the loan, including owners. If you don’t know the exact number, it’s okay to provide your best estimate. You don’t need to include contractors or freelancers in this number. 
• How many employees you’ll keep employed if you get the loan that you wouldn’t be able to if you don’t get the loan. Once again, there’s no need to include freelancers or contractors. 
• The purpose of the loan. For an SBA 7(a) loan, this may include getting working capital, buying real estate, getting equipment or purchasing inventory.

Finally, you’ll enter information about partners or business owners, including their full legal names, titles, how much stake they own in the business (percentage) and their addresses. You can attach extra sheets to this section if you need to. 

Step 2. Complete questions in Section I (questions 1 – 16)

The rest of Section I includes questions you’ll need to answer. Questions 1-11 are yes or no questions about the business and its affiliates. These questions allow the SBA to understand how the business operates, some of the business’s history and the business’s eligibility for an SBA loan based on basic SBA requirements. It also helps establish who will be filling out SBA Form 1919 for the business, such as which co-applicants are involved or if there is a paid third party helping you fill out the form. 

If you answer “yes”, you’ll have to provide more documentation or information, as specified in the question. Answering yes to some of the questions may disqualify you from receiving an SBA loan, such as question 11 regarding whether the business operates in an industry considered to be a “vice activity”, such as pornography, gambling, cannabis sales or loan packaging. 

Questions 12-16 are true or false questions regarding the appearance of a conflict of interest with the SBA, including whether or not your business is owned by anyone who currently works for the SBA or has in the past year, members of the federal government, government employees, or members or employees of a small business advisory council. Any question in this section that you answer as “false” may not necessarily disqualify you from the loan, but it may require that your SBA lender will have to process the loan differently. This could mean that the loan takes longer or that you have to provide more information, so it’s important to be aware of that when applying. 

Step 3. Review Section I: sign and date

Make sure you’ve answered all the questions in Section I and provided any additional information that may have been triggered by your answer. You should also read over the representations and certifications, as they’re legally binding. If everything is correct and all the right information is attached, you can sign and date the section. 

Step 4. Fill in your principal identifying information for Section II

In Section II, you’ll fill out the personal information for all the owners or principals for your business. Each individual is responsible for filling out their own version of Section II. 

Any of the following types of employees should be prepared to fill out information for Section II:

• Officers
• Partners
• Directors
• Trustors
• Managing members
• Anyone hired to manage operations on a day-to-day basis

In the top section, each individual (or entity) will provide their legal name, Social Security Number or EIN, birthday, where they were born, home address, phone number and percentage of ownership. They’ll also have the opportunity to answer data questions about their veteran status, gender, race or ethnicity, but this section is fully voluntary. 

Step 5. Complete questions in Section II (questions 17 – 26)

The rest of Section II is a series of yes-or-no questions, much like in Section I. In this instance, the questions pertain to individual personal history, such as criminal history, delinquency in obligations, citizenship, business ownership history and others.

As in Section I, if you answer “yes” to any of the questions, you’ll have to provide further information. If you answer “yes” to Question 17 regarding your current criminal history, the loan request is automatically declined. 

Step 6. Review Section II: sign and date

Once again, you’ll be asked to review the section to make sure it’s correct and that you’ve attached all the necessary additional information. Read through the representations, authorizations and certifications to make sure you understand them. When everything is in order and correct, you can sign and date the section. 

Step 7. Complete your business entity information for Section III

In Section III, you’ll be asked to provide identifying information about your business entity again. This includes the business’s physical address, EIN or tax ID and every owner’s individual contact information. 

Step 8. Answer questions in Section III (questions 27 – 31)

There are just five questions in Section III dealing with your business entity’s eligibility for an SBA loan. These are point-blank questions about whether your business is barred from participating in federal funding, what other business affiliates your business has (such as DBAs), if your business has ever filed for bankruptcy, if your business has any other legal actions pending and if your business has any other federal loans. On the last question, you’ll need to answer whether or not you’re behind on payments on those federal loans as well. 

Again, if you answer “yes” to these questions, you may be asked to provide further documentation or information. 

Step 9. Review Section III: sign and date

As with the other sections, you should review the information you supplied and make sure it’s correct and complete. You should also review the certifications and make sure you agree. Check that you’ve attached all necessary documents or information, and then sign and date. 

Step 10. Submit the completed SBA Form 1919 with your overall loan application

Once you’ve completed SBA Form 1919, you’ll print it out to sign and date each section. You’ll submit your completed SBA Form 1919 along with any other SBA forms and documents, including your application, to your lender. From there, they’ll review your documents and application and determine whether or not your loan is approved. 

It’s a good idea to get a second set of eyes on the form before you submit it. As with any loan document, having your business accountant or loan adviser review your application can help ensure it’s correct.

Also, be prepared to answer any questions that your lender or the SBA may have about your loan, especially if you answered “yes” or “false” to any of the questions throughout SBA Form 1919.