How to Get Business Funding UK (2026)
Quick Answer
UK businesses have four main routes: invoice finance, bank term loans, business overdrafts and asset finance. Credit is checked on every route, and each lender publishes its own criteria. Subject to lender criteria.
4 Ways to Get Business Funding UK
Invoice Finance
- Amount: from £10,000; each lender sets its own maximum
- Speed: each lender publishes its own set-up and drawdown timing
- Requirements: B2B business with outstanding invoices
- Commonly used by: Manufacturers, wholesalers, professional services
Bank Term Loan
- Amount: each lender sets its own minimum and maximum
- Speed: each lender publishes its own timing
- Requirements: each lender publishes its own trading minimum and credit criteria; security is often asked for
- Eligibility: stricter criteria, credit-led
- Commonly used by: Established businesses with a strong credit record
Business Overdraft
- Amount: from £10,000 through us; each lender sets its own maximum
- Speed: each lender publishes its own timing
- Commonly used by: Short-term cash flow management
Asset Finance
- Hire purchase or leasing for vehicles, plant and equipment
- Secured on the asset itself; the supplier is paid once the agreement is signed
Step-by-Step: How to Get Business Funding
Calculate How Much You Need
Be specific. "£30,000 for stock purchase before Christmas" is better than "some working capital."
Check Your Eligibility
- Invoice Finance: Need £10k+ in outstanding invoices
- Bank Loan: each lender publishes its own trading minimum and credit criteria
- Every route: each lender publishes its own trading minimum and turnover floor, and those are the figures to check before you apply
Gather Documents
What most lenders ask for:
- 3-12 months bank statements
- Director ID (passport/driving licence)
- Business registration details
- Your latest management accounts, where the lender asks for them
Enquire Online
One enquiry through a funding broker like us goes to the lenders whose published criteria the case meets. You see the offers that come back and choose.
Get a Decision
Lenders review your trading history and respond on their own timetable, and each publishes its own timescale. Decisions are subject to lender criteria.
Receive Funding
If you accept an offer, the lender pays into your business bank account on its own timetable, for the purpose agreed in the offer.
Start a business funding enquiry
Send one enquiry and your case goes to the lenders whose published criteria it meets
One enquiry • The lender decides on its own criteria • Fixed monthly repayments or a facility you draw on
Frequently Asked Questions
How much funding can I get?+
It depends on your turnover and each lender’s criteria. Invoice finance lenders advance a percentage of outstanding invoices, and each lender publishes its own advance rate. Bank loans vary by credit and collateral. Enquiring does not affect your credit score. If you apply to a lender, it runs its own credit search, which may be recorded on your file. Subject to lender criteria.
Sources and references
CapExpand Ltd (FRN 1060885) is a credit broker and an Appointed Representative of White Rose Finance Group Limited (FRN 630772), which is directly authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are a broker, not a lender. We work with UK limited companies and LLPs only, for business and commercial purposes. We do not provide financial advice.