(a) A HUBZone small business concern may have affiliates, provided that the HUBZone small business concern, together with its affiliates, qualifies as a small business concern as defined in part 121 of this chapter under the size standard corresponding to any NAICS code listed in its profile in SAM (or successor system), except as otherwise provided for small agricultural cooperatives.gov in § 126.103.
(b) Employees of affiliates are not automatically considered employees of a HUBZone applicant or HUBZone small business concern solely on the basis of affiliation.
(c) The employees of an affiliate may be counted as employees of a HUBZone applicant or HUBZone small business concern for purposes of determining compliance with the HUBZone program's principal office and 35% residency requirements in certain circumstances. In determining whether individuals should be counted as employees of a HUBZone applicant or HUBZone small business concern, SBA will consider the totality of circumstances, including criteria used by the IRS for Federal income tax purposes and those set forth in SBA's Size Policy Statement No. 1. Employees of the concern's affiliate will not be counted as the concern's employees if there is a clear line of fracture between the concern and its affiliate.
(1) SBA generally will find that there is a clear line of fracture where the concern demonstrates that it does not share employees, facilities, or equipment with the affiliate; has different customers or lines of business (or is distinctly segregated geographically); and does not receive significant contracts or financial assistance from the affiliate.
(2) The use of common administrative services between parent and/or sister concerns by itself will not result in an affiliate's employees being counted as employees of the HUBZone applicant or HUBZone small business concern.
(3) Minimal business activity between the concern and its affiliate alone will not result in an affiliate's employees being counted as employees of the HUBZone applicant or HUBZone small business concern.
(4) SBA will not treat the employees of one company as employees of another for HUBZone program purposes if the two firms would not be considered affiliated for size purposes under Part 121 of this chapter.
Example 1 to paragraph (c):X owns 100% of Company A and 51% of Company B. Based on X's common ownership of A and B, the two companies are affiliated under SBA's size regulations. SBA will look at the totality of circumstances to determine whether it would be reasonable to treat the employees of B as employees of A for HUBZone program purposes. If both companies do construction work and share office space and equipment, then SBA would find that there is not a clear line of fracture between the two concerns and would treat the employees of B as employees of A for HUBZone program purposes. In order to be eligible for the HUBZone program, at least 35% of the combined employees of A and B must reside in a HUBZone.
[84 FR 65243, Nov. 26, 2019, as amended at 89 FR 102499, Dec. 17, 2024]