Probably yes, and you may become small in codes where you are large today. SBA's August 20, 2026 proposal raises many size standards and proposes cutting none of them. Nothing has officially changed yet, though. It is still a proposal, comments are open until November 20, 2026, and until a final rule takes effect, today's table still applies. Check the solicitation and your counsel.
The fastest way to see where you stand right now is the free NAICS + SBA Size-Standard Checker. It runs in your browser, needs no sign-up, and checks up to eight codes at once.
What SBA proposed
SBA published two notices on August 20, 2026. The first is a proposed rule that establishes new size standards for every industry category. The second is a notice that releases SBA's revised size-standards methodology, a white paper explaining how it set them, for public comment.
- Fewer standards. Nearly 1,000 six-digit standards would shrink to 338, with 276 set at the four-digit NAICS level and 62 at the five-digit level.
- No cuts. The proposed rule says that "SBA proposes not to reduce any size standard where analytical results suggest a reduction."
- More small firms. SBA estimates that about 114,500 (114,541) more businesses would count as small, an increase of about 1.8%, per the proposed rule.
- A new method. Three factors would replace the current seven: national industry size, the number of geographic markets, and an adjustment for net imports. The floors would be 500 employees or $30.6 million in receipts.
A worked example
Say your firm's average receipts sit a little above the current standard for your main NAICS code.
- Today: you are over the standard, so under today's table you are not small under that code.
- If the proposal raises your code's standard above your receipts: you could qualify under that code if the final rule adopts that figure. Other size rules still apply, so check with counsel.
Now consider the opposite situation. If your business is small today, the proposal would not lower your code's standard; SBA says it "proposes not to reduce any size standard where analytical results suggest a reduction." A code that switches basis between employees and receipts can be an exception between employees and receipts. SBA's example is NAICS 524126, and Crowell & Moring flags 562910, so check yours. What changes for most firms is the field: commenters warn small firms may have to compete with larger, more established companies for the same set-asides.
To run this for real, look up your own code in the proposed rule's table (linked in the sources below) and compare it with your current standard.
Who should look hardest
Firms just over a current standard have the most to gain, because the proposal may move them into set-aside work they cannot bid on today. Firms that win most of their work through small-business set-asides have the most to watch, because their competition could grow. If you are in either group, check every code you bid under, including secondary codes, rather than only your primary classification.
How to comment before November 20
SBA extended both comment periods to November 20, 2026. Comments on the size table go to regulations.gov under docket SBA-2026-0199 (RIN 3245-AI67). A useful comment names your NAICS code, gives your real employee or receipts figures, and says plainly how the change would help or hurt your firm.
Check your codes now
- Open the NAICS + SBA Size-Standard Checker.
- Enter your average employees and your average annual receipts.
- Add up to eight NAICS codes and see where you are small under today's table.
- Compare each code with its proposed figure in the rule's table, and note any code where your answer would flip.
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This is general information, not legal advice. Check the solicitation and talk to your counsel before you certify your size.
Last verified: 2026-10-19. Comment deadline: November 20, 2026.