Eligibility for the Canada Small Business Financing Program comes down to your business size and type — not your industry. Here is the revenue test, who can apply, and which costs the loan can cover.
If you run a small business in Canada and your estimated gross annual revenue is $10 million or less, you are very likely eligible for the CSBFP. For-profit, not-for-profit and charitable businesses all qualify, including brand-new start-ups (which use projected revenue). The main exclusion is farming, which has its own program (CALA). Your bank, credit union or caisse makes the final lending decision under the program's rules.
The single hardest eligibility line is revenue. For an existing business, estimated gross annual revenue must be $10 million or less in the fiscal year the loan is approved. For a brand-new business, the test uses projected revenue for the first 52 weeks of operation — so a start-up with no sales yet can still qualify. Revenue is gross (total sales), not profit, and it does not include the loan itself.
Eligibility isn't only about your business; it's also about what you're financing. A CSBFP term loan covers the purchase or improvement of commercial real property, new or used equipment, leasehold improvements, intangible assets and working capital — plus the 2% registration fee. A line of credit covers day-to-day operating costs. What it doesn't cover: farming assets, and anything beyond the program's limits.
No. The $10 million test is your estimated gross annual revenue — your total sales — in the fiscal year the loan is approved. The loan amount itself is not counted as revenue.
Yes. For a new business, eligibility uses projected gross revenue for the first 52 weeks of operation, so a start-up that hasn't billed anyone yet can still apply — as long as that projection is $10 million or less.
Yes. Since the 2022 program update, not-for-profit and charitable small businesses are eligible alongside for-profit businesses, provided they meet the revenue threshold and are operating in Canada.
No. Farming businesses are not eligible under the CSBFP. They have a dedicated program — the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA) program — which works similarly by sharing loan risk with lenders.
Generally no — eligibility is about business size, type and what you're financing, not your sector. Retail, manufacturing, services, tech and hospitality all use the program. Farming is the notable exception (it uses CALA).
Run a free check against your business profile — CSBFP and every other program you may be eligible for.