1. Find your NAICS code
2. Check your size
Count your affiliates too: SBA adds the receipts or employees of companies that control you or that you control. This is a guide, not an official SBA determination.
How SBA size standards work
Every NAICS code has a size standard: the largest a company can be and still count as a small business for federal contracts under that code. Most are set by average annual receipts (revenue) over the last five completed fiscal years; others, mostly manufacturing and wholesale, by average number of employees over the last 24 months.
Your size is checked against the NAICS code of each solicitation, not just your primary code. You can be small for one contract and not for another.
Why it matters
- Small-business set-asides are only open to firms under the size standard for that code.
- Certifications like WOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone and 8(a) also require you to be small.
- You represent your size in SAM.gov for each NAICS code you list; it has to be accurate.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I'm a small business for government contracts?
Find the NAICS code on the solicitation, look up SBA's size standard for it, and compare your average annual receipts (last 5 fiscal years) or average employees (last 24 months), including affiliates.
What is a size standard?
The maximum average revenue or number of employees a company can have and still be considered small under a specific NAICS code.
Source: SBA size standards, 13 CFR 121.201 (official eCFR), refreshed periodically.