A guide to business overdrafts
A business overdraft is a short-term, flexible buffer attached to a company's current account, allowing it to go into a negative b…
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A guide to business term loans
A business term loan provides a company with a fixed lump sum repaid over an agreed schedule, making it one of the most straightfo…
Read →A guide to commercial mortgages
A commercial mortgage enables a limited company to purchase or refinance business premises using the property as security, spreadi…
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A guide to equipment leasing
Equipment leasing allows a limited company to use plant, machinery, or technology by paying periodic rentals rather than committin…
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A guide to revolving credit facilities
A revolving credit facility gives a limited company a pre-approved borrowing limit it can draw, repay, and redraw repeatedly, prov…
Read →A guide to working-capital finance
Working-capital finance covers the range of facilities designed to ensure a limited company has sufficient liquidity to meet its s…
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Accruals and Prepayments: What They Are and Why They Matter
Accruals and prepayments are the adjustments that ensure your P&L reflects costs and income for the correct period — not simply wh…
Read →Affordability vs credit score in lending decisions
A credit score and affordability are not the same thing, and for business lending the cash-flow question often matters more. This …
Read →Alternatives to a business overdraft
Bank overdrafts are harder to secure and easily withdrawn. This guide covers the practical alternatives for short-term cash flow —…
Read →Asset finance for UK businesses
Asset finance lets you acquire equipment, vehicles or machinery without paying the full cost up front. This guide explains hire pu…
Read →Asset-based lending explained
Asset-based lending (ABL) wraps several of your assets — invoices, stock, machinery, sometimes property — into one revolving facil…
Read →Borrowing for growth vs borrowing to survive
Not all borrowing is equal. Growth borrowing funds an opportunity that pays the loan back; survival borrowing plugs ongoing losses…
Read →Bridging a VAT or tax bill
A large VAT or tax bill landing in a thin month does not have to mean a late-payment surcharge — short-term business finance can b…
Read →Bridging loan vs term loan: which to use
A bridging loan is short, fast and built around an exit; a term loan is longer and repaid in instalments. This guide compares them…
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Building a Cash Buffer: Why and How UK Limited Companies Should Hold a Reserve
A cash buffer protects trading continuity when a customer pays late, a contract ends or an unexpected cost lands — two to three mo…
Read →Business bridging finance explained
Bridging finance is fast, short-term funding that closes a timing gap until a known event releases cash. This guide covers how a b…
Read →Business credit cards vs short-term loans
A business credit card is flexible and convenient for small, frequent spending; a short-term loan is usually cheaper for a defined…
Read →Business credit facility explained
A business credit facility gives your company a pre-agreed limit to draw on, repay and reuse — flexible funding for cash flow that…
Read →Business finance fees and charges explained
The interest rate is only part of what a loan costs. This guide decodes the fees and charges behind business finance so a low head…
Read →Business finance jargon, decoded
Loan paperwork is dense with jargon that hides simple ideas. This is a plain-English tour of the words you will meet on an offer, …
Read →Business line of credit explained
A business line of credit is a revolving limit you can draw on, repay and reuse as your cash needs move. This guide covers the dra…
Read →Business loan vs business credit card
A business loan and a business credit card solve different problems. This guide compares cost, limits and flexibility so you pick …
Read →Business loans explained
Everything a company director needs to understand commercial borrowing — from how a facility is priced to what lenders actually lo…
Read →Business loans with no personal guarantee
A no-personal-guarantee loan lets a limited company borrow without a director signing away their own assets. The debt stays with t…
Read →CCJs and business borrowing explained
A county court judgment is one of the more serious marks a company can carry, but it is not the end of the road for finance. This …
Read →Cash flow management for small businesses
Profit is an opinion; cash is a fact. This guide shows how to forecast, tighten the cash cycle and use working capital so your com…
Read →Choosing the right loan term
The length of a loan is as important as the amount. A longer term lowers the monthly payment but raises the total cost; a shorter …
Read →Companies House Filing Obligations for UK Limited Companies
Every UK limited company carries mandatory annual filing duties at Companies House — missing them triggers automatic penalties and…
Read →Company Reserves, Retained Earnings and Dividends: A Director's Primer
Retained earnings accumulate every year the company makes a profit and are the source from which dividends can legally be paid — u…
Read →Company credit vs personal credit explained
Your company and you, the director, have two separate credit records. This guide explains how each is built, who reports to them, …
Read →Corporation Tax Deadlines and Payment Schedules for Limited Companies
Corporation tax must be paid before the CT600 return is due — a sequence that trips up many directors who assume payment and filin…
Read →Covering payroll during a cash gap
Missing payroll is one of the most damaging things that can happen to a business's reputation and staff relationships — short-term…
Read →Days sales outstanding (DSO) explained
Days sales outstanding measures how long, on average, your customers take to pay. It is one of the most direct levers on cash flow…
Read →Dealing with late-paying customers
Late payment is one of the biggest drains on UK small-business cash flow. This guide covers what it really costs, the statutory in…
Read →Debentures and charges explained
A debenture is the document that grants a lender security over a company's assets, usually through fixed and floating charges. Thi…
Read →Depreciation Explained: What It Means for Your Company Accounts
Depreciation is the accounting mechanism that spreads the cost of a fixed asset across the years it is expected to be useful — red…
Read →Director's guarantee vs company-only borrowing
A director's guarantee puts your personal assets behind the company's debt; company-only borrowing keeps the liability with the bu…
Read →Director's loan vs business loan
A director's loan moves money between you and your own company; a business loan brings external funding into the company. They sol…
Read →Early repayment of business loans
Repaying a business loan early can cut your total interest cost — but only if the facility is priced for it. Here's how to read th…
Read →Factor rates explained
A factor rate expresses the cost of borrowing as a multiplier rather than a percentage — so 1.3 on £10,000 means repaying £13,000.…
Read →Finance for early-stage companies explained
Early-stage companies are the hardest to lend to because there is little trading history to assess. This guide covers what is real…
Read →Finance for seasonal businesses
Seasonal trading means money arrives in bursts but costs run all year. This guide explains how UK limited companies can bridge the…
Read →Financing a large order
Winning a large order that you cannot front-fund from cash is a common growth pinch point — the right short-term finance lets you …
Read →Financing business equipment
Equipment finance lets a UK limited company acquire the assets it needs without tying up working capital — the right structure dep…
Read →Flat rate vs APR: how to compare business loans
A flat rate charges interest on the full original balance for the whole term, so it looks cheaper than it is. This guide shows how…
Read →Funding Stock for a Peak Season: A Playbook for UK Limited Companies
Buying stock ahead of a demand surge ties up working capital for weeks before revenue arrives — short-term business lending lets y…
Read →Funding a Business Acquisition: A Director's Guide to Commercial Lending
Acquiring a competitor, a supplier or a complementary business requires a funding structure that matches both the purchase price a…
Read →Funding a Business Relocation: Premises Costs and Cash-Flow Planning for Directors
Relocating business premises involves a cluster of large, simultaneous costs — deposits, fit-out, overlapping rent, IT migration a…
Read →Funding a Corporation Tax Bill: Options for UK Limited Companies
Corporation tax falls due nine months and one day after the accounting year end for most limited companies — but the cash to pay i…
Read →Funding a Key Hire: How Limited Companies Bridge the Salary Gap Before Revenue Grows
A revenue-generating hire — a sales director, a senior engineer, a specialist — often takes three to six months to pay for themsel…
Read →Funding a Large New Contract: Cash-Flow Playbook for Directors
A large new contract is a growth milestone, but mobilisation costs — staffing, materials, software, compliance — often arrive week…
Read →Funding a Management Buyout: What Directors Need to Know About MBO Finance
A management buyout is simultaneously an acquisition and a leadership transition — the funding structure must support both the pur…
Read →Funding a VAT Bill: Short-Term Business Finance for UK Limited Companies
VAT falls due on a fixed quarterly schedule regardless of when your customers pay — short-term business lending can bridge the gap…
Read →Funding a corporation tax bill explained
Corporation tax is charged on company profit and falls due nine months and one day after your year end — often as one large, lumpy…
Read →Funding an Equipment Upgrade: Options and Decisions for UK Directors
Capital equipment purchases demand large upfront sums that can deplete working capital for years — separating the financing of the…
Read →Funding business growth
Growth almost always consumes cash before it generates it — this guide explains the main tools UK limited companies use to fund ex…
Read →Funding business growth with working capital
Growth costs cash before it pays back. This guide explains how to fund expansion with working capital — keeping ownership, matchin…
Read →Funding for UK Construction Companies: A Director's Guide
Construction businesses face front-loaded costs and delayed receipts, making specialist funding structures essential for managing …
Read →Funding for UK Farming and Agriculture Businesses
Agricultural businesses operate on long production cycles and seasonal income, requiring funding structures that accommodate the g…
Read →Funding for UK Hospitality Businesses: Hotels, Restaurants and Venues
Hospitality companies must fund capital-intensive fit-outs and seasonal revenue swings with lending structures that reflect the se…
Read →Funding for UK Logistics and Haulage Companies
Logistics and haulage companies carry high fixed asset costs and tight debtor cycles, requiring funding structures that match flee…
Read →Funding for UK Manufacturing Companies: Working Capital to Capital Expenditure
Manufacturing businesses need funding that spans raw material procurement through to debtor collection, often across supply chains…
Read →Funding for UK Private Healthcare Businesses: Clinics, Dentistry, and Care
Healthcare businesses combine regulated operations with high equipment costs and strong recurring revenue, creating a fundable pro…
Read →Funding for UK Professional Services Firms: Law, Accountancy, Consulting
Professional services businesses carry substantial value in unbilled work-in-progress and client relationships, but their intangib…
Read →Funding for UK Property Development Companies: Structure, Debt, and Gearing
Property development companies require carefully layered debt structures — senior development finance, mezzanine, and equity — wit…
Read →Funding for UK Retail Businesses: Stock, Fit-Out, and Multi-Site Growth
Retail companies must fund large stock positions ahead of peak trading seasons, making inventory timing and supplier payment terms…
Read →Funding for UK Technology and SaaS Companies: Beyond Equity
Technology companies often assume equity is their only option, but recurring revenue, R&D credits, and contracted ARR can all unde…
Read →Government-backed business lending explained
Government-backed business lending uses a partial state guarantee to help lenders say yes to borrowers they might otherwise declin…
Read →Gross Profit, Operating Profit and Net Profit: Understanding the Differences
Your P&L produces three distinct profit figures in sequence — and each one answers a different question about where your company i…
Read →How Commercial Loan Pricing Is Structured: Margin, Base Rate, and Fees
The headline interest rate on a commercial loan is only one component of pricing — arrangement fees, exit fees, and the choice of …
Read →How Interest Is Calculated on Business Loans
The way a lender calculates interest — whether daily, monthly, or on a reducing balance — has a direct and material effect on tota…
Read →How Invoice Finance and Asset-Based Lending Structures Work
Invoice finance and asset-based lending turn a company's balance sheet assets — debtors, stock, and plant — into live working capi…
Read →How Lenders Assess Affordability for Business Loans
Commercial affordability assessment goes well beyond reviewing headline profit figures — lenders model stressed debt-service cover…
Read →How Open Banking Is Used in Commercial Loan Underwriting
Open Banking gives lenders direct, consent-based access to a company's live transaction data, enabling faster and more granular af…
Read →How Repayment Schedules Are Structured on Business Term Loans
The repayment structure of a term loan determines when capital is returned to the lender and how cash-flow pressure is distributed…
Read →How Security and Charges Work on Commercial Lending
Security on a commercial loan gives the lender a legal claim over identified assets if the borrower defaults, and the type of char…
Read →How a Commercial Credit Decision Is Made
A commercial credit decision is a structured assessment of risk across multiple data layers — financial, behavioural, and legal — …
Read →How business loan interest is calculated
Two loans can quote the same "rate" yet cost very different amounts. This guide explains how business loan interest is actually ca…
Read →How business loan underwriting works
Underwriting is what happens between hitting submit and getting a decision. This guide walks through the checks a lender runs — af…
Read →How much should your business borrow?
The right amount to borrow is set by the job, not by what a lender will offer. This guide covers sizing a facility to the cash gap…
Read →How to Read a Company Balance Sheet
A balance sheet is a snapshot of your company's assets, liabilities, and net equity on a specific date — and lenders scrutinise it…
Read →How to choose a business lender
The cheapest headline rate rarely means the best lender. Total cost, contract terms, speed and transparency all matter — and the r…
Read →Improving your company’s creditworthiness
Creditworthiness is built deliberately, not waited for. This guide sets out the moves that strengthen how lenders and suppliers se…
Read →Invoice finance: a complete guide
Invoice finance turns unpaid customer invoices into cash you can use now. This guide explains factoring versus discounting, the co…
Read →Keeping Statutory Registers: What Every Company Secretary Must Maintain
UK limited companies must maintain a set of statutory registers recording directors, shareholders, and share transactions — these …
Read →Loan Covenants Explained: Financial and Operational Tests
Loan covenants are contractual performance tests that run throughout the facility term, and a breach — even without a payment defa…
Read →Loan covenants explained
A loan covenant is a condition a borrower agrees to keep to for the life of a loan. This guide explains financial and non-financia…
Read →Loan-to-value (LTV) explained for business borrowing
Loan-to-value is the size of a secured loan expressed as a percentage of the asset backing it. This guide explains how LTV is calc…
Read →Making Tax Digital: What UK Companies Need to Prepare For
Making Tax Digital (MTD) already applies to most VAT-registered businesses and is planned to extend to corporation tax — companies…
Read →Management Accounts vs Statutory Accounts: What Directors Need to Know
Management accounts are produced frequently for internal decision-making, while statutory accounts are the annual legal filing — u…
Read →Managing seasonal cash flow
If your trade has a busy season and a quiet one, cash arrives unevenly even when the year is profitable. This guide covers how to …
Read →Managing seasonal cash flow with finance
Seasonal cash-flow gaps are predictable — which makes them one of the most straightforward situations for short-term business fina…
Read →Merchant cash advances explained
A merchant cash advance gives card-taking businesses a lump sum repaid as a slice of daily takings. This guide covers how it works…
Read →Open Banking and business lending explained
Open Banking lets you securely share your business bank data with a lender to speed up a decision — no PDFs, no waiting. This guid…
Read →Overdraft vs revolving credit facility
A business overdraft and a revolving credit facility both let you draw, repay and reuse funds — but they differ on certainty, rene…
Read →PAYE and Employer Obligations for UK Limited Companies Paying Directors
As soon as a company pays any director or employee above the Lower Earnings Limit, PAYE registration is required — and Real Time I…
Read →Peer-to-peer business lending explained
Peer-to-peer business lending uses an online marketplace to match investors with companies that want to borrow. This guide explain…
Read →Personal guarantee insurance explained
Personal guarantee insurance pays out part of a personal guarantee if it is called in. This guide explains what PGI covers and its…
Read →Preparing for a finance application
A well-prepared finance application moves faster and demonstrates company credibility — this guide covers the documents, records a…
Read →Profit vs cash flow: why profitable firms run out of cash
Profit and cash are not the same thing, and confusing them is one of the most common reasons solvent, profitable companies fail. T…
Read →Purchase order finance explained
Purchase order finance funds the cost of fulfilling a confirmed customer order you couldn't otherwise afford to deliver. This guid…
Read →Reading a Balance Sheet: What Every Director Needs to Know
The balance sheet is a snapshot of everything your company owns and owes on a single date — understanding it lets you assess solve…
Read →Reading a Profit and Loss Account: A Director's Guide
Your profit and loss account (P&L) tells you whether your business earned more than it spent in a given period — and knowing how t…
Read →Recovery and turnaround finance
When a viable business hits a rough patch, the right funding buys time to fix it. This guide explains recovery and turnaround fina…
Read →Refinancing business debt
Refinancing replaces existing business debt with a new facility — to lower cost, ease cash flow or consolidate several loans into …
Read →Refinancing vs debt consolidation for businesses
Refinancing replaces a facility with a better one; consolidation rolls several debts into a single new one. They overlap but solve…
Read →Registered Office Rules: Requirements, Restrictions, and How to Change Address
A UK limited company's registered office must be a real UK address where formal correspondence can be received — and changes intro…
Read →Revenue-based finance explained
Revenue-based finance advances a lump sum you repay as a fixed share of monthly revenue until a set multiple is cleared. This guid…
Read →Revolving credit facilities for business
A revolving credit facility gives your company a pre-agreed limit you can draw, repay and redraw as cash flow demands. This guide …
Read →Secured vs unsecured business finance
What changes when a loan is backed by an asset — and the trade-offs for a growing company.…
Read →Short-term vs long-term business finance
The right loan term is the one that matches the life of what you're funding. Short-term finance suits cash-flow gaps; long-term su…
Read →Stock and inventory finance explained
Stock finance lets you borrow against inventory to fund seasonal build-ups and bulk purchases. This guide explains how lenders val…
Read →Supply chain finance explained
Supply chain finance is a buyer-led programme that lets suppliers get paid early at the buyer's strong credit rating. This guide e…
Read →The Cash Flow Statement Explained for Company Directors
The cash flow statement shows exactly where cash came from and where it went during a period — making it the clearest indicator of…
Read →The Confirmation Statement: What Directors Need to Know
The annual confirmation statement is a legal snapshot of your company's registered information — it is not the same as your accoun…
Read →The PSC Register: Identifying and Recording Significant Controllers
UK limited companies must maintain a People with Significant Control register and keep it up to date at Companies House — errors o…
Read →The Role of a Debenture in UK Commercial Lending
A debenture is a comprehensive security document that grants a lender both fixed and floating charges over a company's entire asse…
Read →The cash conversion cycle explained
The cash conversion cycle measures how many days your cash is tied up between paying for stock and being paid by customers. It is …
Read →Trade finance: a complete guide
Trade finance bridges the gap between paying an overseas supplier and getting paid by your buyer. This guide covers letters of cre…
Read →Understanding APR vs Flat Rate on Business Loans
APR and flat rate are both valid cost measures, but they produce very different numbers for the same facility — understanding whic…
Read →Understanding Debentures and Fixed vs Floating Charges
A debenture is a formal loan instrument that grants a lender security over company assets — understanding the difference between f…
Read →Understanding EBITDA as a Measure of Business Performance
EBITDA — earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation — is the standard proxy for operating cash generation used …
Read →Understanding Gross Margin vs Net Margin for Directors
Gross margin isolates production and delivery efficiency; net margin reveals what survives after overhead, finance costs, and tax …
Read →Understanding Loan Amortisation and Repayment Structures
Amortisation is the scheduled reduction of a loan balance over time — and the repayment structure chosen affects both monthly cash…
Read →Understanding Loan Covenants in Commercial Lending
Covenants are ongoing contractual obligations to your lender — they operate continuously throughout the facility term, not just at…
Read →Understanding Personal Guarantees in Business Lending
A personal guarantee is a legally binding commitment by a director to repay company borrowings from personal assets if the company…
Read →Understanding Your Business Credit Report as a UK Director
A business credit report aggregates payment history, county court judgements, and financial filings into a score that lenders, lan…
Read →Understanding the Cash Conversion Cycle for SME Directors
The cash conversion cycle (CCC) measures the days between paying for inputs and receiving cash from customers — it is the single m…
Read →Understanding your business credit score
Your company has a credit profile that is separate from your own. Knowing what shapes it — and how lenders read it — puts you in c…
Read →Unsecured business loans explained
An unsecured business loan is lent against your company's trading strength, not against an asset. No charge over property or equip…
Read →VAT Registration: Thresholds, Timing, and What to Expect
VAT registration becomes compulsory once your taxable turnover exceeds the current threshold in any rolling 12-month period — but …
Read →VAT and business finance explained
VAT is money you collect for HMRC, not income — but the timing of when you charge it, collect it and pay it over can leave a profi…
Read →VAT loans and tax-bill funding
A VAT loan spreads the cost of a quarterly VAT bill over a few months so a single payment doesn't drain your working capital. This…
Read →Warning signs your business has too much debt
There is a point where the answer to a cash problem is not more borrowing. This guide covers the gearing, coverage and cash-flow s…
Read →What EBITDA Means and Why Lenders and Investors Use It
EBITDA — earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation — is the metric most widely used by lenders and acquirers to…
Read →What happens if a business loan defaults
Default is the formal point where a lender treats a loan as broken. This guide covers the escalation from arrears to default to re…
Read →What lenders see in your bank statements
Your business bank statements are the single most important document in most finance applications. This guide explains how an unde…
Read →What responsible business lending means
Responsible lending isn't a slogan — it's a set of practical behaviours around affordability, transparency and fair dealing. Here'…
Read →When Does a UK Limited Company Need a Statutory Audit?
Most small UK limited companies are exempt from the statutory audit requirement, but the exemption has conditions — and shareholde…
Read →Why secured finance is cheaper than unsecured
Secured finance almost always prices lower than unsecured because collateral cuts the lender's loss if things go wrong. This guide…
Read →Working Capital Explained: Debtors, Creditors and Stock for Directors
Working capital — the difference between current assets and current liabilities — determines whether your business has enough cash…
Read →Working capital finance explained
Working capital finance bridges the gap between money going out and money coming in. This guide covers how it works, the main opti…
Read →Funding for UK limited companies
Credicorp lends to your company, not to you personally — short-term working capital with no personal guarantee. See what your business could access.