Veterans Alliance is privately owned and operated to serve veterans. We are not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans Alliance — Veterans Alliance
← All Washington benefits
businessstate

Certified Veteran-Owned Business — Free, and a 2% Loan Rate Cut

Free certification for a business at least 51% owned and controlled by a veteran, a VA compensation or pension recipient, or a serving member. It puts you on the state vendor list and opens the linked deposit programme, which cuts small business loan interest by 2%.

Verified August 22, 2026

What this benefit is

Free certification for a business at least 51% owned and controlled by a veteran, a VA compensation or pension recipient, or a serving member. It puts you on the state vendor list and opens the linked deposit programme, which cuts small business loan interest by 2%.

What it's worth: Free certification, listing on the state vendor platform, and eligibility for a 2% interest reduction on a small business loan

  • The 2% reduction applies through the linked deposit programme to qualifying small business loans, not automatically to any borrowing.
  • The certification itself has no fee.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served in the armed forces.
  • Your home is in Washington.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Check the ownership test: at least 51% owned and controlled by a veteran, by someone receiving disability compensation or a pension from the federal VA, or by an active or reserve member of the armed forces.
  2. 2Check the location test: the enterprise must be incorporated in Washington as a domestic corporation, or have its principal place of business here.
  3. 3Apply on the department’s form. Certification is free and asks only for basic discharge status and business information.
  4. 4Once certified you appear on the state vendor search platform, which is how agencies identify certified businesses and track their own purchasing goals — so keep the listing current.
  5. 5Request the decal if you want it, and look at the linked deposit programme separately: that is where the 2% interest reduction lives, and it carries its own conditions including meeting the small business concern criteria under chapter 39.19 RCW.
Form
Veteran-owned business certification application
File with
The Department of Veterans Affairs
Documents you will need
dd214
Periodic recertification
Confirmed at intervals rather than annually.
CorrectionThe ownership test is wider than "veteran-owned" suggests. Someone receiving VA disability compensation or a pension qualifies, and so does an active or reserve member still serving — the statute names all three groups.
Worth knowingThe small business concern criteria under chapter 39.19 RCW attach to the linked deposit programme, not to certification itself. A larger veteran-owned firm can be certified and listed while being outside the loan programme.
Worth knowingThe department notifies the state treasurer when a certified business loses its certification, so a lapse has consequences beyond the vendor list.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.