How to get SDVOSB certification from the SBA

Who qualifies for the certificate

The SBA requires that no less than 51 percent of the business is owned and controlled by one or more veterans the VA rates as service-disabled. Ownership and control are separate tests, and both have to pass.

A spouse or permanent caregiver can carry the ownership in one situation the SBA names directly: when the veteran is permanently and totally disabled and unable to manage daily business operations, an appointed permanent caregiver assisting in management can keep the business qualified. The veteran or the disability status still has to be identified through the VA.

The formal rules live in Title 13, Part 128 of the Code of Federal Regulations, which is where the SBA points applicants for full eligibility criteria. Read the ownership rules against your operating agreement before you apply, because the reviewer will.

51%For SDVOSB certification the SBA requires no less than 51 percent of the business owned and controlled by one or more veterans rated as service-disabled by the VA. — U.S. Small Business Administration, retrieved 2026-09-29

permanent caregiverThe SBA allows a spouse or appointed permanent caregiver to assist in management when a veteran is permanently and totally disabled and unable to manage daily operations. — U.S. Small Business Administration, retrieved 2026-09-29

Why the application goes to the SBA, not the VA

The SBA took over veteran small business certification, and the old self-certification grace period ended on December 22, 2024. Since then, veteran firms need SBA certification for subcontracting and goaling purposes, so an unverified self-certified status no longer counts the way it used to.

The two labels under the SBA's program differ in reach. Veteran Small Business Certification, the VOSB label, opens set-aside and sole-source opportunities at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The SDVOSB label reaches further, opening federal sole-source and set-aside contracts across the whole federal government.

If you hold a certificate from the VA's earlier verification program, the SBA accepts it toward the new program, provided you meet the eligibility requirements and provide the certificate and supporting documentation through the SBA portal.

December 22, 2024The SBA's self-certification grace period for veteran firms ended on December 22, 2024, and firms that applied before it ended keep eligibility until VetCert makes a determination. — U.S. Small Business Administration, retrieved 2026-09-29

set-asides and sole sourceCertified SDVOSBs can compete for federal sole-source and set-aside contracts government-wide, while certified VOSBs have additional set-aside opportunities at the VA. — U.S. Small Business Administration, retrieved 2026-09-29

The application itself

The application runs through SBA Certifications, the SBA's certification portal. The portal carries checklists and pre-application guides, an eligibility check, and a searchable directory of certified veteran firms you can use to see how competitors present themselves.

Pennsylvania's Department of General Services lists the SBA's veteran certification as a free third-party entity, so budget nothing for the application itself. What costs money is everything around it, if your business entity does not exist yet, and the cost breakdown prices that side of the process.

Support is direct if the portal stalls: the SBA takes certification questions by email and runs a call center for the whole program. The document checklist lists the ownership papers to have ready before you start.

freePennsylvania's DGS lists the SBA Veteran Small Business Certification, covering VBE and Service Disabled Veteran status, as a free third-party certification entity. — Pennsylvania Department of General Services, retrieved 2026-09-29

What the certificate wins you

The federal government aims 5 percent of its prime contracting dollars at service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. That aim is what pulls prime contractors toward certified firms when they need to fill goals on large work.

Big primes carry their own obligations. When a contract is expected to exceed $900,000, or $2 million for construction, the government can require a small business subcontracting plan, which directs the prime to subcontract parts of the award. Certified veteran firms are exactly who those primes call.

In Pennsylvania, the certificate does double duty. The state accepts the SBA's veteran certification as the third-party input for its own Veteran Business Enterprise label, so one free application feeds both planes. The Small Diverse Business guide shows where that second step happens, and the state contracts guide covers the bidding portals.

5%The federal government sets a contracting dollar award goal of 5 percent for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. — U.S. Small Business Administration, retrieved 2026-09-29

$900,000 / $2 millionA small business subcontracting plan is required when a contract is expected to exceed $900,000, or $2 million for construction. — U.S. Small Business Administration, retrieved 2026-09-29

Questions