Franchise Failure Rates

SBA 7(a) loan outcomes · FY2010–FY2019 cohort · Statuses as of June 30, 2026 · Last updated August 17, 2026

Mr. Handyman Franchise Failure Rate: 25.0% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)

25.0%
charge-off rate on 32 SBA 7(a) loans to Mr. Handyman franchisees, FY2010–2019
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Mr. Handyman against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Mr. Handyman 25.0%; Residential Remodelers 12.9%; All franchises 10.2%Mr. Handyman 25.0%; Residential Remodelers 12.9%; All franchises 10.2%0%5%10%15%20%25%Mr. Handyman25.0%Residential Remodelers12.9%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Mr. Handyman 25.0%; Residential Remodelers 12.9%; All franchises 10.2%Mr. Handyman 25.0%; Residential Remodelers 12.9%; All franchises 10.2%0%5%10%15%20%25%Mr. Handyman25.0%Residential Remodelers12.9%All franchises10.2%

Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.

About 1 in 4 Mr. Handyman SBA borrowers failed to repay — well above the Residential Remodelers average of 12.9%.

Between 2010 and 2019, 32 Mr. Handyman franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 8 defaulted — a 25.0% charge-off rate, 1.9x the Residential Remodelers average of 12.9%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

What is the Mr. Handyman franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

Mr. Handyman is a Residential Remodelers franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Mr. Handyman franchisees: 32 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 8 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.

How does Mr. Handyman compare with other Residential Remodelers franchises?

The table sets Mr. Handyman's charge-off rate beside its Residential Remodelers 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.

Mr. Handyman versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureMr. HandymanResidential RemodelersAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate25.0%12.9%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample32———
Defaults8———
Average loan size$172,312———

What has Mr. Handyman SBA lending looked like since 2020?

Since 2020, Mr. Handyman franchisees have taken 79 new SBA 7(a) loans. 3 have already charged off. Early defaults on loans under six years old are notable — most SBA failures take longer to develop.

Charge-off rate by approval year — share of each fiscal year's Mr. Handyman SBA 7(a) loans that later defaulted (FY2010–FY2019); years with fewer than 10 loans are outlined, not filled
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 2 loans; FY2011 100% of 1 loans; FY2014 50% of 2 loans; FY2015 0% of 1 loans; FY2016 0% of 3 loans; FY2017 33% of 6 loans; FY2018 9% of 11 loans; FY2019 50% of 6 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 2 loans; FY2011 100% of 1 loans; FY2014 50% of 2 loans; FY2015 0% of 1 loans; FY2016 0% of 3 loans; FY2017 33% of 6 loans; FY2018 9% of 11 loans; FY2019 50% of 6 loans0%5%10%0%2010n=2100%2011n=150%2014n=20%2015n=10%2016n=333%2017n=69%2018n=1150%2019n=6
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 2 loans; FY2011 100% of 1 loans; FY2014 50% of 2 loans; FY2015 0% of 1 loans; FY2016 0% of 3 loans; FY2017 33% of 6 loans; FY2018 9% of 11 loans; FY2019 50% of 6 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 2 loans; FY2011 100% of 1 loans; FY2014 50% of 2 loans; FY2015 0% of 1 loans; FY2016 0% of 3 loans; FY2017 33% of 6 loans; FY2018 9% of 11 loans; FY2019 50% of 6 loans0%5%10%0%’10n=2100%’11n=150%’14n=20%’15n=10%’16n=333%’17n=69%’18n=1150%’19n=6

Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 3 have charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.

Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 12; FY2021 9; FY2022 6; FY2023 7; FY2024 18; FY2025 14; FY2026 13Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 12; FY2021 9; FY2022 6; FY2023 7; FY2024 18; FY2025 14; FY2026 13122020920216202272023182024142025132026
Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 12; FY2021 9; FY2022 6; FY2023 7; FY2024 18; FY2025 14; FY2026 13Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 12; FY2021 9; FY2022 6; FY2023 7; FY2024 18; FY2025 14; FY2026 1312’209’216’227’2318’2414’2513’26

Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY2010200.0%
FY201111100.0%
FY20142150.0%
FY2015100.0%
FY2016300.0%
FY20176233.3%
FY20181119.1%
FY20196350.0%
FY202012—outstanding
FY20219—outstanding
FY20226—outstanding
FY20237—outstanding
FY202418—outstanding
FY202514—outstanding
FY202613—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?

Mr. Handyman's figure rests on 32 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 32 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 3.1 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 Mr. Handyman figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Based on 32 resolved loans — directional, not precise.

Frequently asked

What is Mr. Handyman's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Between 2010 and 2019, 32 Mr. Handyman franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 8 defaulted — a 25.0% charge-off rate, 1.9x the Residential Remodelers average of 12.9%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is Mr. Handyman a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, Mr. Handyman franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 25.0% versus a 12.9% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.

Cite this page

Franchise Default Rates (2026). Mr. Handyman franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 25.0% (8 of 32 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/mr-handyman/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)