By now you probably know that at least 35% of your total employees must reside in a HUBZone. By total employees, we mean every single employee that works more than 40 hours a month, no matter where they work. This means employees that work at your principal office, other office locations, jobsites, and remotely from home, all count towards that 35% that you must meet.
If you would like a Hubzone Program eligibility analysis, please take our online hubzone eligibility questionnaire.
You are also welcome to review the basic eligibility requirements below. Generally, to be approved into the Hubzone Program you must meet these basic eligibility requirements:
Eligibility Criteria 1:
Your business concern’s principal office must be located in a qualified SBA designated Hubzone. Search the SBA’s Mapping system and verify if your principal office is located in a qualified SBA designated Hubzone.
Eligibility in the VA’s VetBiz Program is valid for 3 years from the date of your verification approval letter. The VetBiz VIP system will send out emails starting at 150 days prior to your expiration. They will continue sending you reminders every 30 days until your renewal is submitted or your verification expires.
One of the many questions we get is “Can I get 8(a) Certified if I have a family member who is currently or previously 8(a) Certified?”
See below for the answer to this question.
So you submitted your 8(a) Application through certify.sba.gov and now you received a “Notification“, what do you do next?
Step 1: Login to certify.sba.gov.
Step 2: Go to the top of the page and click on “Notifications“. See below.
1. You will have access to sole source/non-competitive federal contracts with a value of:
2. You will have access to competitive set-aside federal contracts with a value of:
1) Late or non-submission of 8(a) Annual Review documents.
The most common eligibility problem 8(a) firms encounter is either the late or non-submission of required 8(a) Annual Review documents. The SBA is required to review each 8(a) firm’s program eligibility every year on the firm’s certification anniversary date. Your local SBA office will send a request for the required Annual Review documents and information shortly before the end of your program year which contains the date that your submission is due back to your SBA Business Development Specialist (BDS). If it is not received by the due date, you will be sent a reminder and a second due date. If the information is not submitted by this second date, SBA’s rules & regulations require the SBA to start program termination proceedings against your firm. The termination process may result in the loss of your 8(a) certification. Once it is lost you cannot be certified in the 8(a) program again. Since annual reviews are done every year on your anniversary date, you should be prepared for it and comply on time.
Below are 3 VetBiz Certification issues that we see on a regular basis. If you can avoid these three issues, your VA VetBiz application will go through the verification process much faster and with a positive outcome.
1. Full-time Devotion to the Applicant Concern
The 51% Veteran or Service-Disabled Veteran owner(s) should devote full time to the applicant concern during normal operating hours of similar businesses. In addition, the veteran owners should not have any other outside employment that could take away from their day-to-day management of the applicant firm. Make sure resumes and LinkedIn profiles are up to date with current positions and previous employment has ended. Any Veterans with outside employment will face many questions from the CVE which will most likely end in denial.
The applicant(s) for 8(a) Certification must have an Adjusted Net Worth of less than $850,000 and total assets of less than $6,500,000 to be considered economically disadvantaged by the SBA.
What is the definition of Adjusted Net Worth?
Adjusted Net Worth = Personal Assets – Liabilities – [Equity in primary residence + ownership interest in business + IRA/Other Retirement].
Additionally, Total Assets = Personal Assets – IRA/Other Retirement.
The office of the Hubzone Program uses a three-level review process for all Hubzone applications and supporting documentation to ensure that it only admits eligible firms into the program. Each level of review evaluates whether a firm should be certified or declined entry into the Hubzone program. First level analysts review supporting documents including owners’ proof of citizenship, principal office leases, payroll, employees’ driver’s licenses, and utility bills. The Hubzone program director or deputy director makes the final determination to certify or decline the applicant firm. See below for a summary of the steps in the Hubzone certification process.
