E-2 Investment Calculator: Is Your Investment Substantial?

This calculator estimates how much of your money counts as an E-2 investment and how that amount compares with the total cost of your business. It applies the proportionality test from the Foreign Affairs Manual, 9 FAM 402.9-6(D), using indicative ranges from practice, because the law itself sets no minimum amount or percentage.

The calculator appears above this text. Below we explain each field, walk through three worked scenarios and describe what to do if your result falls short.

How do I use the E-2 investment calculator?

Fill in four numbers. Results update as you type.

1. Total cost of the business. For an existing business, the purchase price, which is normally its fair market value. For a new business, everything needed to make it operational: lease deposits and rent paid, build-out, equipment, vehicles, opening inventory, franchise fee, professional fees, marketing and early payroll. Use real quotes and invoices, not round guesses.
2. Already spent or committed. Money that has left your control and is at risk: paid invoices, deposits, the franchise fee under a signed agreement, equipment bought, and funds held in escrow for a signed purchase that releases on visa issuance. Include money borrowed against your personal assets.
3. Cash in the business account, not yet committed. Operating cash sitting in the company account. The calculator credits it only up to 25% of the business cost, as a conservative working-capital assumption.
4. Loans secured by the business’s own assets. If part of what you spent came from a bank loan, equipment loan or seller note secured by the business, enter that amount here. The calculator subtracts it, because under 9 FAM 402.9-6(B) such debt is not at risk for you and cannot count.

The calculator then shows three results: the amount that counts as invested, its share of total cost, and the indicative range for a business of that cost. The bar turns amber when the share falls below the lower edge of that range.

What ranges does the calculator use?

The FAM calls the proportionality test an inverted sliding scale: the cheaper the business, the higher the share expected. Its own examples are 100% of a $100,000 business at one end and $10 million in a $100 million business at the other. The calculator translates that scale into four planning bands.

Total cost of the business	Indicative share (practice)
Under $150,000	Close to 100%
$150,000 to $500,000	75% to 100%
$500,000 to $3 million	50% or more
Over $3 million	Lower shares can qualify

These bands reflect how we see officers apply the scale. They are not published thresholds. For the full legal background, read our guide to the E-2 visa minimum investment.

Worked examples

The three scenarios below are illustrative, not client cases. Enter the same numbers in the calculator to see the results.

Scenario	Total cost	Spent or committed	Uncommitted cash	Business-secured loans	Counts as invested	Share	Indicative range
A. Consulting firm, new	$120,000	$95,000	$20,000	$0	$115,000	96%	Close to 100%
B. Cafe, new build-out	$300,000	$170,000	$100,000	$0	$245,000	82%	75% to 100%
C. Acquisition of a service company	$900,000	$900,000 in escrow	$80,000	$450,000	$530,000	59%	50% or more

Scenario A. A small firm with a leased office, two planned hires, software and marketing. All $20,000 of cash in the account is credited because it is under 25% of cost. At 96% of a low-cost business the investment sits where officers expect it. The open question for this case is not proportionality but marginality: the plan must show the firm will support more than a minimal living or hire U.S. staff.

Scenario B. A cafe with $170,000 already spent on build-out, equipment and deposits, plus $100,000 in the account. Only $75,000 of that cash is credited (25% of $300,000), so the calculator notes $25,000 that is unlikely to count until it is spent. The result, 82%, falls inside the band. If the investor had spent only $120,000, the share would drop to 65% and the case would need more committed funds before the interview.

Scenario C. A $900,000 purchase price sits in escrow, but $450,000 of it comes from a bank loan secured by the business. Entering the loan subtracts it, leaving the investor’s own $450,000 plus $80,000 of working capital. At 59% of a business in the $500,000 to $3 million band, the investment is in range, and the absolute amount is large. For more scenarios by industry, see E-2 visa investment examples.

Why are the ranges indicative and not law?

Neither the statute, 8 CFR 214.2(e), nor the FAM sets a percentage. The FAM says there are no bright-line percentages and asks officers to weigh three things together: whether the amount is proportionally substantial, whether it is sufficient for the business to operate successfully, and whether it is large enough to show you will develop and direct the business.

That means two cases with the same percentage can be decided differently. A 100% investment that cannot cover the plan’s actual opening costs fails on sufficiency. A strong percentage in a business with no hiring path fails on marginality. Officers also look at the nature of the business, and a consulate can apply the scale more strictly than our bands suggest. The calculator cannot see your documents, your source of funds or your plan. Use it to plan, then confirm the structure with your attorney.

What if my result falls short?

A low result is a planning signal, not a verdict. The usual fixes, in the order we consider them:

• Commit more of the money you have. Sign the lease, pay the deposits, order the equipment, or place the purchase funds in escrow under a signed agreement. Uncommitted cash becomes committed investment.
• Lower the cost of the business. A smaller location, used equipment or a lighter build-out reduces the denominator, provided the business still works as planned.
• Replace business-secured debt. A home equity loan or unsecured personal loan can count where a loan secured by the business cannot. Our source of funds guide explains how to document borrowed money.
• Choose a different business. If the gap is large, a business that fits your budget is safer than stretching. See E-2 business ideas by budget.
• Bring in a partner carefully. A co-investor adds capital but affects control and treaty nationality. Read the E-2 ownership rules first.

Also plan for the costs that sit outside the investment, such as visa and attorney fees. Our E-2 visa cost guide lists them.

Next steps

If your result is in range, check the other requirements with the E-2 eligibility checker. If it falls short or you are unsure how to price the business, book a consultation. We build the business, model the investment schedule in your E-2 business plan and organize the evidence for your independent immigration attorney.