How much of your personal wealth is riding on your business debt?
This free personal guarantee calculator adds up every lease, loan, cash advance and card you have personally guaranteed, so you can see what you could owe yourself if the business can’t pay.
Have your leases, loan papers and card agreements handy. Add one entry for each debt. If you’re not sure whether you signed a guarantee, choose “Not sure” and open “Where to find the guarantee” for what to look for.
Your personal exposure
$0
Add your debts to see what you have personally guaranteed.
- Not sure (could add)
- $0
- Performance-only guarantees
- $0
- Your spouse also signed for
- $0
- Debts secured by your home
- 0
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This personal guarantee calculator gives an estimate for planning only and is not legal or financial advice. What you actually owe depends on the exact wording of each guarantee, any caps or release terms, and what the lender can recover from the business first. For the meaning of a specific guarantee, talk to an attorney. Nothing you enter is stored or sent unless you ask for the summary. © 2026 Valcor. All rights reserved. This tool may not be copied or reproduced without permission.
Where to find the guarantee
What a personal guarantee means for you
A personal guarantee is a promise that you will pay a business debt yourself if the business can’t. In other words, it reaches past the company to your savings, your investments and sometimes your home. Many owners sign several of them over the years and lose track of the total.
This personal guarantee calculator brings them together in one place. For each debt, it counts the full balance when you guaranteed all of it, the capped amount when your guarantee has a limit, and nothing when there is no guarantee.
Full, limited and performance guarantees
A full or unlimited guarantee covers the whole balance, plus interest and collection costs in many cases. A limited guarantee is capped at a set dollar amount or percentage. Many merchant cash advances use a performance guarantee instead, which usually applies only if you break certain promises, such as moving receivables or changing bank accounts. Because those depend on your actions, the calculator shows them separately.
Also, check whether your spouse signed. If so, your household may be exposed twice.
What to do if your exposure is high
First, find every guarantee you’re not sure about and read it, or ask the lender or landlord for a copy. Next, avoid signing new guarantees until you know your total. Then, if the business is struggling, talk to a restructuring consultant early. Guarantees can sometimes be limited or released as part of a negotiated workout, and options shrink once lenders start calling them in.
Valcor has helped small and mid-sized businesses work out terms with their creditors since 1994. Learn more about business restructuring, debt mediation and lending, take the free Business Debt Stress Test, or check the true cost of a cash advance with our MCA calculator. For the SBA’s own rules on guarantees, see its loan programs page.
Personal guarantee calculator FAQ
Do SBA loans require a personal guarantee?
Generally, yes. SBA loans usually require a personal guarantee from each owner of 20% or more of the business. Look for SBA Form 148 (unlimited) or Form 148L (limited) in your closing papers.
Am I personally liable for my business credit card?
Usually. Most small-business credit cards make the owner personally liable for the balance. Check the cardmember agreement for “personal liability” or call the issuer to confirm.
Can a personal guarantee be removed?
Sometimes. Lenders may agree to limit or release a guarantee as part of a refinance, a sale of the business or a negotiated settlement. It is easier to negotiate before a default than after.
Does Valcor see what I enter?
No. The calculator runs in your browser. Your entries are only sent to Valcor if you ask for the emailed summary.