Best Small Business Loans in California in 2026

If you’re drawn to the large loan amounts, lengthy loan terms and capped interest rates that come with an SBA loan, Live Oak Bank might be one of your best options. Though it offers loans nationwide, the lender approved the highest volume of SBA 7(a) loans in California in 2025. It’s also an SBA preferred lender, which means it can approve SBA loans three to four weeks faster than non-preferred lenders.

However, it’s important to note that even with a preferred lender, SBA loans can take two weeks or more to fund, which is a slower timeline than other loan types. Also, a down payment of up to 10% of the loan amount may be required.

Read our full Live Oak Bank review.

In order to qualify, you’ll need to meet Live Oak Bank’s criteria of:

If in-person support is going to be important to you throughout the lifetime of your loan, you’ll want to choose a lender with a strong physical presence in California. With more than 800 branch locations, most Californians won’t need to travel a long distance for a face-to-face discussion.

In addition to small business financing, Chase offers a full suite of business banking products and services, including checking and savings accounts, credit cards, payment solutions and more. So if you’re looking for a one-stop-shop to house all your business loans and accounts, this could be a good choice.

However, if you’re borrowing more than $250,000, prepayment penalties apply.

Read our full Chase Bank review.

Chase Bank doesn’t disclose its minimum credit score or annual revenue requirements, though most products require your business to be in operation for at least 24 months to qualify. Apply online or contact the bank directly to find out if your business qualifies for financing.

Startups often fail to meet the eligibility criteria for a small business loan, with many lenders requiring at least a few months in business and a steady stream of income to qualify. If you’re looking to start a new business in California, Working Solutions CDFI may be one of your best allies, offering financing for businesses before they even begin to generate revenue.

Working Solutions CDFI is a non-profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that focuses on startup and early-stage business capital. Approved borrowers are automatically enrolled into a business consulting program, which provides one-on-one coaching to help businesses thrive.

While there are no prepayment penalties, Working Solutions CDFI charges several other fees that can increase the cost of borrowing, including a non-refundable application fee. It’s also important to note that this isn’t the fastest financing option on this list — funding can take two weeks or longer to hit your bank account.

Learn more about Working Solutions CDFI.

Working Solutions CDFI has flexible eligibility criteria with no minimum time in business, annual revenue or credit score requirements.

To qualify, your business must be located in California or planning to relocate to California, if the business is a startup. At least one business owner (with 20% or more ownership) must be a California resident with a year or more of relevant industry experience. If the business isn’t generating revenue yet, one business owner must also have a secondary source of income.

If your personal credit is creating a barrier to business funding, consider working with a community investor like Pacific Community Ventures (PCV). This non-profit offers funding and resources for California businesses that have been in operation for at least a year with no minimum credit score required.

Though it aims to support small business owners in underserved communities, such as women, immigrants and entrepreneurs of color, any California business with at least one employee is welcome to apply. PCV loans can be used to cover a wide variety of business expenses, and there’s no penalty should you decide to repay your loan ahead of schedule.

That being said, you’ll need to be prepared to pay closing fees and sign a personal guarantee to receive your funds.

Learn more about Pacific Community Ventures.

Pacific Community Ventures sets no minimum credit score, so borrowers with less-than-perfect credit are welcome to apply. PCV checks the credit of anyone that owns more than 20% of the business, but rather than relying on the score, the lender focuses on “recent patterns of debt repayment and resolution of previous issues.” This means borrowers with damaged credit may be able to qualify for financing if they’ve made recent efforts to settle their outstanding debts.

To qualify, your business needs to have been in operation for 12 months or more with at least one part- or full-time employee. Although it doesn’t set a specific minimum, PCV states that your business should be actively generating revenue at the time you apply.

While the financing provided by other lenders on this list may be suitable for a variety of needs, funding can take a few weeks — or even a few months — to receive. If you need fast funds to pay an emergency bill or take advantage of a limited-time opportunity, Bluevine could be a better choice.

This online lender offers business lines of credit up to $250,000. You can borrow money as needed up to a predetermined limit, only paying interest on the funds you withdraw. Draws from your line of credit can be transferred instantly to a Bluevine checking account. If your business banks elsewhere, you can pay a $15 fee to receive your funds within a few hours. Otherwise, draws will be deposited within one to three business days.

Read our full Bluevine review.

In order to qualify, you’ll need to meet Bluevine’s criteria of: