Education-first map of SBA Surety Bond Guarantee forms, eligibility policy links, and pending legislation — always verify at official sources.
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.
Verify at source / not legal advice. Form versions, SOP language, and eligibility rules change. Always download the current official form or notice from sba.gov (or Congress.gov for legislation) before relying on field names, instructions, or policy. This page is general information for industry education — not legal, underwriting, or compliance advice. When in doubt, confirm with SBA’s Office of Surety Guarantees and your own counsel or compliance team.
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”):
| Form | Title (as stated in the notice) | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| SBA Form 900 | Prior Approval Surety Bond Surety Participation Agreement | Surety companies / agencies seeking to participate in the Prior Approval side of the SBG program |
| SBA Form 901 | Preferred Surety Bond Surety Participation Agreement | Surety companies / agencies seeking to participate in the Preferred side of the SBG program |
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).
Dated callout — Pending verification (as of September 28, 2026):
Forms 900 and 901 are described in the OMB / Federal Register notice above as new / proposed additions to the information collection. As of this research date, standalone published Form 900 and Form 901 document pages were not located in SBA’s public forms catalog the way Forms 990, 991, 994, 994B, 994F, and 994H are. Treat 900/901 as proposed / under OMB review unless and until your firm confirms the final, in-use PDFs (or E-App equivalents) on sba.gov or via OSG. Do not assume they have replaced existing partner-agreement practices until SBA publishes them for operational use.
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).
| Form | Common title | Primary user | Purpose (plain English) | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 990 | Surety Bond Guarantee Agreement | Surety / agent | Agreement / request for SBA’s guarantee on a bond | sba.gov Form 990 |
| 991 | Surety Bond Guarantee Agreement — Addendum | Small business (via agent) | Required when work on the project has already begun | sba.gov Form 991 |
| 994 | Application for Surety Bond Guarantee Assistance | Small business applicant | Contractor eligibility / certification application for SBG assistance | sba.gov Form 994 |
| 994B | Surety Bond Guarantee Underwriting Review | Surety / agent | Underwriting review package (paper copy not required if E-App is used) | sba.gov Form 994B |
| 994F | Schedule of Work in Process | Small business | Lists current work / backlog for the applicant | sba.gov Form 994F |
| 994H | Default Report, Claim for Reimbursement, and Report of Recoveries | Surety | Default status, claims for SBA reimbursement, and recoveries | sba.gov Form 994H |
| 990A | Quick Bond Guarantee Application and Agreement | Surety / agent + small business | Combined Quick Bond application and agreement (published form; effective Sep 13, 2022) | sba.gov Form 990A |
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).
Dated callout — Proposed / under review vs in use:
The April 13, 2026 Federal Register notice describes intended revisions to several existing forms. The public comment window ran through May 13, 2026. As of September 28, 2026, the published sba.gov form pages for 990, 991, 994B, 994F, and 994H still show older effective dates (commonly November 22, 2022); Form 994 shows effective July 31, 2024. Until SBA posts updated PDFs / E-App fields that match the notice, treat the items below as proposed revisions described in the OMB notice, not as confirmed live field language.
Highlights from the notice (paraphrased for orientation only — verify against the notice and future published forms):
Source: Federal Register notice 2026-07113 (April 13, 2026).
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.
| Document | What it is | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Policy Notice 5000-877134 | Effective April 1, 2026. Revises SOP 50 45 4 guidance related to businesses owned by non-U.S. citizens; rescinds Policy Notice 5000-866697. | SBA Policy Notice 5000-877134 |
| Procedural Notice 5000-877355 | Incorporates Policy Notice 5000-877134 citizenship changes into SOP 50 45 4 (effective April 1, 2026). | SBA Procedural Notice 5000-877355 |
| SOP 50 45 4 | Surety Bond Guarantee Program standard operating procedure (Prior Approval). Always use the current SOP plus any superseding notices. | SOP 50 45 4 |
Guardrail: Download the PDF of Policy Notice 5000-877134 (and any later superseding notice) and apply the language as written. Do not rely on secondary summaries — including this page — for eligibility determinations. Form 994 field changes described in the April 2026 OMB notice are designed to support citizenship / economic-status compliance; those field updates remain subject to the “proposed vs published” caveat above.
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.
S.2232 (119th Congress), the “Expanding the Surety Bond Program Act of 2025,” is Senate-passed / awaiting House action — it is not current law.
Do not treat the proposed $18 million figure as a live SBG contract ceiling. Current operational limits remain those published by SBA until Congress enacts a change and SBA implements it.
| Milestone | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced (Senate) | July 9, 2025 | Referred to Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship |
| Reported with substitute amendment | July 30, 2025 | Calendar No. 135 |
| Passed Senate (with amendment, unanimous consent) | April 29, 2026 | Engrossed |
| Received in House / held at the desk | May 4, 2026 | Awaiting House action |
| Enacted / signed | — | Not law as of September 28, 2026 |
Source: Congress.gov — S.2232 all info; engrossed text via GovInfo BILLS-119s2232es.
From the engrossed Senate text (paraphrased for industry orientation; always read the bill text):
None of the above is operative until the bill becomes law (identical passage by both chambers and presidential signature, or equivalent).
Trade / industry commentary is not a substitute for statute or SBA rules:
Email for OSG assistance (per SBA partner page): [email protected]
Dated links used for this draft. Prefer the primary source over this summary.
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
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
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
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
GovInfo — S.2232 Engrossed-in-Senate text (passed Senate April 29, 2026).
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119s2232es/xhtml/BILLS-119s2232es.html
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
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
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
SBA — SOP 50 45 4, The Surety Bond Guarantee Program.
https://www.sba.gov/document/sop-50-45-4-surety-bond-guarantee-program
Optional industry sidebar only:
https://www.nasbp.org/advocacy/government-relations/nasbp-government-relations-agenda/
https://baldwin.com/insights/surety-industry-report/
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.
