Movers took 226 SBA 7(a) loans from October 2023 to June 2026, about $92 million from 75 lenders, at a median of $150,000 and a median rate of 10.5%, against $150,300 and 10.25% nationally. What sets the industry apart is franchising: 25.2% of loans went to franchised movers, and 18.1% to start-ups. Purchases of moving companies were larger, at a median of $734,100. Lenders look at the fleet, the summer peak and the winter trough, claims and insurance history, operating authority, and for franchisees and van-line agents, the agreement that brings in the work.
| Measure | Used Household and Office Goods Moving | All industries |
|---|---|---|
| SBA 7(a) loans approved | 226 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $150,000 | $150,300 |
| Middle half of loans | $63,700 – $350,000 | $50,000 – $500,000 |
| Loans of $1 million or more | 8.8% | 12.9% |
| Median rate at approval | 10.5% | 10.25% |
| Middle half of rates | 9.75% – 11.25% | 9.3% – 11.25% |
| Acquisitions (change of ownership) | 24 (10.6%) | 16,849 (10.4%) |
| Median acquisition loan | $734,100 | $693,000 |
| Lenders that made these loans | 75 | 1,648 |
| SBA 504 loans (real estate, equipment) | 23 | 16,714 |
Approvals FY2024 – FY2026 to date (1 Oct 2023 – 30 Jun 2026), cancelled loans excluded. Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan records, as of June 30, 2026.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved
- 226 from 75 lenders (Oct 2023 – Jun 2026)
- Median loan
- $150,000 (national $150,300)
- Median rate at approval
- 10.5% (national 10.25%)
- Franchises
- 25.2% of loans
- Acquisitions
- 24 loans (10.6%), median $734,100
- Median jobs supported
- 7 per loan
What SBA lenders approved for movers
Used household and office goods moving (NAICS 484210) covers local and long-distance movers of household goods, office and commercial relocations, and the storage that often comes with them. Between October 2023 and June 2026 the industry took 226 SBA 7(a) loans worth $91,758,400 from 75 lenders. The median loan was $150,000, the middle half ran from $63,700 to $350,000, and the 90th percentile was $962,650. Twenty loans, 8.8%, reached $1 million.
The median loan supported seven jobs, a high figure for loans of this size, because moving is labor: crews, drivers, estimators and dispatch. That labor is seasonal and physical, which shows up in workers' compensation costs and turnover, and lenders read both.
| Figure | Moving companies | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Median loan | $150,000 | Level with the national $150,300 |
| Middle half of loans | $63,700 to $350,000 | Trucks, working capital and franchise start-ups |
| Median rate at approval | 10.5% (middle half 9.75% to 11.25%) | A quarter point over the national 10.25% |
| Fixed-rate share | 9.7% | Nine in ten loans float |
| SBA Express | 33.6% of loans | Smaller fleet and working capital needs |
| Franchises | 25.2% of loans | One loan in four goes to a franchised mover |
| Start-ups | 18.1% of loans | Many of them new franchise territories |
| Acquisitions | 24 loans (10.6%), median $734,100 at 9.7% | In line with the national 10.4%, at much larger sizes |
| SBA 504 | 23 projects, median $698,000 | Warehouses and storage buildings |
Franchises and new territories
A quarter of SBA loans to movers went to franchisees. Moving franchise systems sell a territory, a brand, a booking and lead system and training, and a new franchisee needs trucks, a small facility and working capital to carry crews through the first season. That explains much of the 18.1% start-up share. SBA requires an equity injection of at least 10% of total project costs for a start-up.
A lender financing a franchise start-up reads the franchise system as much as the borrower: how that brand's units perform, how long new territories take to reach break-even, what the franchise agreement requires in fees and vehicle standards, and whether the franchisor can terminate. The borrower's own experience counts too; someone who has run crews or dispatch for a mover is a stronger file than an investor buying a territory. See franchise resale financing and buyer experience requirements.
Many independent long-distance movers work instead as agents of a van line, booking and hauling interstate moves under the van line's authority and sharing the revenue. The agency agreement plays the same role as a franchise agreement in underwriting: it brings in the work, and the lender wants to know how easily it ends.
Trucks, claims and authority
The fleet is the main hard collateral: box trucks, tractors and trailers, and the pads, dollies and equipment that go with them. Trucks lose value with every mile, so a lender values them at what they would bring used, not what was paid, and a fleet bought new with short-term financing often carries more debt than its resale value. SBA 7(a) maturities run up to 10 years for equipment, or 15 if its useful life supports it, which can lower payments against a fleet financed on shorter conventional terms. See equipment financing vs SBA 7(a) and refinancing equipment loans.
| What the lender checks | Why it matters for a mover |
|---|---|
| Operating authority and registrations | Interstate household goods carriers need federal operating authority; many states license intrastate movers separately |
| Safety record | Inspections, out-of-service rates and crash history affect insurance cost and customer contracts |
| Cargo claims history | Damage claims are a running cost; a rising trend points to crew or packing problems |
| Insurance | Auto liability, cargo and workers' compensation are large costs and must stay in force |
| Fleet list | Age, mileage and liens on every vehicle, with titles |
| Revenue mix | Residential, commercial and storage revenue behave differently through a downturn |
Summer pays the mover's year. A lender will look at the winter months first, because that is when the loan payment is hardest to make.
The summer peak and the winter trough
Household moves concentrate in late spring and summer and at month-ends, when leases turn over and school years end. A mover can earn much of its annual profit in four or five months and run close to break-even in winter while still paying for trucks, insurance and a core crew. SBA requires debt service coverage of at least 1.15x on the year, but lenders look at the months too. Commercial and office moves, storage revenue and corporate relocation contracts smooth the year, and a mover that can show them is a stronger borrower. A modest line of credit for the winter often matters more than a larger term loan. See seasonal lines of credit.
Buying a moving company
Purchases were 24 loans, 10.6% of the total and close to the national 10.4%, but at a median of $734,100 and 9.7%, nearly five times the industry's median loan. Buyers are acquiring established movers with a fleet, a warehouse, a brand or van-line agency and a book of commercial accounts.
- Have the fleet appraised and its liens mapped before pricing goodwill. SBA requires an independent business valuation where the amount financed, less appraised real estate and equipment, exceeds $250,000, and the purchase loan cannot exceed it; an appraised fleet is subtracted in that test, so it shrinks the part of the price that rests on goodwill alone.
- Confirm that the franchisor or van line will approve the buyer, and that operating authority, registrations and insurance can move to the new owner. See change-of-control consents.
- Put in at least 10% of total project costs. A seller note counts toward half of that only on full standby for the life of the SBA loan; SBA prohibits an earnout.
- The seller may not stay on as an owner, officer or employee, but may consult for up to 12 months, or up to 24 months under SOP 50 10 8.1 from 1 October 2026: one peak season or two.
- From 1 October 2026, a change of ownership must show 1.25x debt service coverage on historical results, needs financial due diligence, and amortizes over no more than 10 years except any real estate share.
Many moving companies also own a warehouse used for storage-in-transit and long-term storage. A purchase that includes it can finance the building over a longer real estate maturity. See acquisitions with real estate and financing a trucking company acquisition.
Storage buildings, refinancing and the file
The 504 program financed 23 projects at a median of $698,000, movers buying warehouses. The borrower must occupy at least 51% of an existing building, or 60% of new construction. Movers that financed trucks or slow winters with cash advances face SBA's rule that an active merchant cash advance cannot be refinanced; from 1 October 2026, an advance becomes eligible only once converted to a term loan that has amortized for at least 24 months with no new advance since. See refinancing cash advances for trucking companies.
The SBA list: 2–3 years of business tax returns, a P&L and balance sheet with a year-to-date P&L through last month-end, a debt schedule with copies of notes being refinanced, and personal tax returns and a personal financial statement for each owner of 20% or more, with the owner's resume for Form 1919. For a mover, add monthly revenue for two years, a fleet list with titles and liens, the franchise or agency agreement, operating authority and registrations, insurance declarations, and a claims history. Transparent builds the file into a full lender package — financing model, lender presentation, blind teaser and underwriting memo — in a day once the documents are in, and takes it to the lenders in its book that write SBA 7(a) and 504, 278 of them. On SBA loans the lender pays Transparent, not the borrower. See the package.
Common questions
- Can I use an SBA loan to open a moving franchise?
- Yes. Franchised movers took 25.2% of SBA loans in the industry from October 2023 to June 2026, and start-ups 18.1%. Expect to put in at least 10% of total project costs and to be judged partly on how the brand's other units perform.
- Will an SBA lender finance my trucks?
- Yes. Equipment can run up to 10 years on a 7(a), or 15 if its useful life supports it. The lender values used trucks at resale, not purchase price, so an old fleet supports less of the loan.
- What rate do moving companies pay on SBA loans?
- The median rate at approval was 10.5%, with the middle half from 9.75% to 11.25%, against a national median of 10.25%. Purchases of moving companies had a median rate of 9.7%.
- How do lenders handle a mover's slow winter?
- They look at monthly cash flow, not only the annual figure. Commercial moves and storage revenue help; a seasonal line of credit often sits alongside the term loan.