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OpenBid Learn · Readiness course

Stable · checked October 2026

Getting Ready for HUBZone Certification

This course gets you ready to apply for HUBZone certification yourself, on the government's own site. You learn the four tests, how to check your addresses, how to count your employees, and which papers to have in hand.

What holding it opens up

  • You can compete for contracts set aside for HUBZone firms. A set-aside is a contract only certain kinds of small business may bid on.
  • In contests open to everyone, a HUBZone firm gets a 10 percent price preference against large businesses.
  • In some cases an agency can award a contract to one HUBZone firm without a contest. This is called a sole-source award, and it has dollar limits.
  • You can still compete under other small business programs you qualify for.

Where you apply

MySBA Certifications (opens in a new tab), the government's own site. You apply there yourself.

Government fee

No fee found

We found no government fee for applying. Check the SBA HUBZone page to be sure before you start.

Decision time

60 days from a complete package

SBA's rule says it will decide within 60 calendar days after it has your complete package. Missing papers make the wait longer.

How long it lasts

Check again every 3 years

There is no limit on how long you can stay certified while you still qualify. You confirm that you still qualify every three years.

Who decides

SBA

The Small Business Administration (SBA)

Watch out

This is preparation, not certification.

  • You apply yourself, in your own account. We never sign in, apply or send anything for you.
  • The government decides. Finishing this course is not a certification. OpenBid cannot guarantee results.
  • Answer with your own true facts. An application is your legal statement to the government.
  • We never ask for a taxpayer ID, a Social Security number, a bank number or a password. Cover them in screenshots.

Rules as of October 2026. Rules change. The government's own instructions are what count.

No refunds once a course is opened.

A course counts as opened as soon as you open any lesson in it after paying. If you paid and have not opened it yet, contact us and we will refund it. See the terms.

Lesson 1 · Free

What HUBZone certification is

About 6 minutes

  • HUBZone stands for Historically Underutilized Business Zone. These are areas the government has marked for extra help, such as low-income neighborhoods, some rural counties, and Indian lands.
  • The program is for small businesses that keep their main office in one of these areas and hire people who live in them.
  • There are four tests, and you must meet all four. Two are about the business: it is small, and it is at least 51 percent owned and controlled by U.S. citizens.
  • The other two are about place: its main office is in a HUBZone, and at least 35 percent of its employees live in a HUBZone.
  • Certified firms can compete for set-asides, which are contracts only certain kinds of small business may bid on. In contests open to everyone, they get a 10 percent price preference against large businesses.
  • We found no government fee for applying. You apply yourself on SBA's own site, called MySBA Certifications.
  • SBA's rule says it will decide within 60 calendar days after it has your complete package. If papers are missing, that clock has not started.
  • The SBA decides, not OpenBid. OpenBid does not apply for you and does not certify anyone, and this course only helps you get ready.

Watch out

  • Certification is permission to compete. It is not a contract, and nobody can promise you will win one.
  • The real application site ends in .gov. We found no government fee, so be careful with any site that charges you to apply.

What is in the rest of the course

5 more lessons

  • Lesson 2: Check your addresses on the official map
  • Lesson 3: Your principal office
  • Lesson 4: The 35 percent test: counting your employees
  • Lesson 5: Ownership, control and your governing documents
  • Lesson 6: Deadlines and keeping your paperwork straight
  • Am I ready? 10 questions the rules turn on, and what each answer means for you.
  • What to gather. 16 documents and facts to have in hand, ticked off as you go.
  • The application. 9 steps in order, and where people get stuck.
  • Sabrina, our AI assistant, to answer your questions and look at your screenshots.
  • Your readiness packet to print or save as a PDF.

The government's own pages

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