Effective Sept 10, 2026, the SBA eliminated the race-based rebuttable presumption of social disadvantage in the 8(a) Business Development Program and replaced it with a race-neutral two-part test: applicants must prove an identifiable group suffered discrimination and self-certify both membership and material harm. Pending individual applications are returned so applicants can re-establish eligibility.
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SBA's new 8(a) social-disadvantage test takes effect September 10, 2026
Why this matters for founders
Founders pursuing 8(a) certification for federal contracting must now document group-based discrimination and material harm under the new test before their application is processed.
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