Agriculture's Loan-and-Grant Application Paperwork Gets a Routine Review
Published Date: 11/4/2026
Notice
Summary
The Department of Agriculture is updating how farmers, ranchers, and rural communities apply for loans and grants by creating a new, easy-to-use online system. This modern platform will speed up service and let users manage everything in one place. Comments on this change are open until December 4, 2026, and the goal is to make loan applications simpler without adding extra costs or hassle.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Scale of affected applicants and annual burden hours
The information collection covers an estimated 485,000 respondents, with a reported total annual burden of 3,287,280 hours and an annual reporting frequency.
New online loan and grant portal
You (farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses) will be able to apply for USDA loans and grants using a new online platform that stores a single customer file, provides step-by-step intake and eligibility tools, and supports online payments. The system is intended to manage current active files in one place and deliver faster service to customers and lending partners.
Which programs get the portal first
The initial release of the online application system will be available for the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS) Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program, followed by Rural Housing Service (RHS) Community Facilities programs and Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Water and Environmental Programs. Applicants to those programs will get online access before other programs.
Principal must provide SSN for Do Not Pay checks
Every application must include the Social Security Number (SSN) of the Principal to allow the Agency to comply with Do Not Pay requirements under 2 CFR 180.405 and 2 CFR 180.425(b). If that Principal is not present in the organization, the applicant must supply the SSN of the highest-ranking executive responsible for the organization’s financial operations.
Hard-copy applications remain but online use may cut burden
USDA will continue to accept hard-copy applications, but as the online application software expands, the Agency expects more applicants to shift away from hard-copy forms and to decrease the reported burden hours under individual OMB control numbers.
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Key Dates
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