Straight answers to the questions UK directors and owners ask most often about business loans, merchant cash advance and revenue based financing.
What a UK business loan underwriter actually reads on your file, and the practical steps that strengthen an application before submission.
Revenue based financing, in plain English: how repayments flex with cash receipts, who it suits and how to size a facility against trading.
When a VAT loan protects working capital, how repayment is structured, and where it sits against HMRC time-to-pay.
The seven ways HMRC lets you pay VAT, the deadlines that matter, what happens if you're late, and how a VAT loan or Time to Pay works if cash is tight.
The real trade-offs between unsecured and secured business finance, rate spread, maximum size, speed, and the personal guarantee question most guides skip.
Adverse credit can narrow the available options, but it is only one part of a wider assessment. Here is how to prepare an accurate, affordable application.
Working capital finance covers the gap between money going out and money coming in. Here's how UK operators use it well.
MCAs approve faster and with looser credit than traditional loans, but the total cost profile is different. Here's the honest side-by-side.
Rates, deadlines, marginal relief and the practical options for funding a corporation tax bill without straining cash flow.
The 10-digit reference HMRC uses to identify you or your company. Where to find it, when you need it and what to do if you have lost it.
How the UK commercial bureaus score businesses, what actually moves the number, and the practical steps to strengthen a file before applying.
How factoring and invoice discounting actually work in the UK, cost shapes, eligibility, and when each is the right structure.
Hire purchase, finance lease, operating lease and asset refinance, how each works, tax treatment, and which suits your business.
Open Banking is the fastest single lever a UK applicant can pull to strengthen and accelerate a business loan decision. Here is what it is and what lenders see.
A practical playbook for funding a UK seasonal peak: sizing the facility, choosing the repayment shape that matches the peak, and getting funds landed before demand does.
A practical guide to funding UK business expansion: choosing the right structure for the growth thesis, sizing the facility, and getting through underwriting cleanly.
Seven UK funding routes for SMEs planning fast growth, what each is best for, what it costs, how quickly it deploys, and where each fits in a growth plan.
A practitioner's guide to UK property development finance for SME builders: how the stack is layered, how drawdowns work against surveyor valuations, and how the exit is planned from day one.
A structural guide to funding a UK management buyout: how the price gets built up from cash-flow lending, secured layers, vendor loan notes and management equity, and where each piece comes from.
How the government-backed Growth Guarantee Scheme works, what it does and does not change for borrowers, and how it compares with other UK business finance.
UK finance providers commonly consider business type, trading history, revenue, existing commitments and the reason for funding. A useful application includes recent bank statements, a short business profile and a clear use of funds. If a credit search is needed, its type and potential impact should be explained first.
A UK business loan provides capital that is repaid over an agreed period. Repayments may be fixed or linked to revenue, depending on the product. Review and funding times vary with the provider, facility, information supplied and any verification required.
Difficult through high street banks, but realistic through specialist funders. Underwriting that reads current cash flow, supplier payment history and forward order book, rather than only a bureau score, frequently approves files banks have declined. Rates reflect risk and are fixed on the offer.
Where a director gives a personal guarantee, a default could affect personal finances and potentially credit records. Business and director searches vary by provider, so ask whether a search is soft or hard before consenting.
Interest on a UK business loan used wholly and exclusively for business purposes is generally an allowable expense for corporation tax. The principal repayment is not deductible. Always confirm treatment with your accountant.
A merchant cash advance is an advance against future card sales. Repayment is taken as a small share of each daily card settlement, so service rises in strong trading weeks and eases in slower ones. It is well suited to retail, hospitality and consumer-facing operators with consistent terminal volume.
Revenue based financing is capital advanced against forward revenue, with repayment calibrated as a share of top-line receipts. Service flexes with trading rhythm. It suits ecommerce, subscription and DTC businesses where revenue can be verified through Open Banking and platform payouts.
Facility size depends on monthly turnover, trading history, sector and the security position. As an indicative guide, unsecured facilities are commonly sized between one and two months of revenue. Larger amounts are available against a stronger trading book or asset security.
Start with a short initial enquiry. If a credit search is needed later, it will be explained first.
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