SBA 7(a) loan outcomes · FY2010–FY2019 cohort · Statuses as of June 30, 2026 · Last updated August 17, 2026
FirstLight HomeCare Franchise Failure Rate: 7.4% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 14 FirstLight HomeCare SBA borrowers failed to repay — below the Home Health Care Services average of 8.2%.
Between 2010 and 2019, 27 FirstLight HomeCare franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 2 defaulted — a 7.4% charge-off rate, 0.9x the Home Health Care Services average of 8.2%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
What is the FirstLight HomeCare franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
FirstLight HomeCare is a Home Health Care Services franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to FirstLight HomeCare franchisees: 27 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 2 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY201927
- Charged off2
- Charge-off rate7.4%
- Home Health Care Services franchise benchmark8.2%
- Brand vs industry0.9x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$132,955
- New SBA loans since 202044
- Early charge-offs since 20201
How does FirstLight HomeCare compare with other Home Health Care Services franchises?
The table sets FirstLight HomeCare's charge-off rate beside its Home Health Care Services peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable.
| Measure | FirstLight HomeCare | Home Health Care Services | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 7.4% | 8.2% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 27 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 2 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $132,955 | — | — | — |
What has FirstLight HomeCare SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, FirstLight HomeCare franchisees have taken 44 new SBA 7(a) loans. 1 has already charged off. Early defaults on loans under six years old are notable — most SBA failures take longer to develop.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 1 has charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2013 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2014 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2015 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2016 | 10 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2017 | 5 | 2 | 40.0% |
| FY2018 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2019 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2020 | 4 | — | outstanding |
| FY2021 | 2 | — | outstanding |
| FY2022 | 2 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 3 | — | outstanding |
| FY2024 | 11 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 10 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 12 | — | outstanding |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
FirstLight HomeCare's figure rests on 27 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019 — a matured cohort, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 27 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 3.7 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every FirstLight HomeCare figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Based on 27 resolved loans — directional, not precise.
Frequently asked
- What is FirstLight HomeCare's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
- Between 2010 and 2019, 27 FirstLight HomeCare franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 2 defaulted — a 7.4% charge-off rate, 0.9x the Home Health Care Services average of 8.2%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
- Is FirstLight HomeCare a safe franchise investment?
- Between 2010–2019, FirstLight HomeCare franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 7.4% versus a 8.2% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). FirstLight HomeCare franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 7.4% (2 of 27 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/firstlight-homecare/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)