

One of the most obvious benefits of factoring is prompt cash flow. Getting just a single invoice factored (called spot factoring) is possible, but will cost you more in premiums/factoring fees and factoring costs. However, having a customer denied for factoring may indicate that they are more likely to be a credit risk, and you're advised to conduct your own due diligence before extending net terms.įactoring companies tend to prefer that businesses factor multiple customers and multiple invoices. Note: If one customer is not approved for invoice factoring, you can still get factoring for other customers. And, your customers need to be approved as creditworthy. You need to have at least $50,000 in annual revenue. The second is that you’re offering net terms of 30 to 90 days to your customers. The first is selling products/services to other businesses (B2B) or governments. There are four key areas where you must qualify in order to receive invoice factoring. It’s a solution that addresses problems like poor credit history, prior bankruptcy, and lack of collateral. This allows a business to expand and take advantage of opportunities-even with substantial outstanding invoices. Other business owners use factoring because it allows them to keep debts off their ledger.Īnother reason to use factoring is to create capital for expansion. Or your business may be too new to qualify for traditional bank business financing. You may need working capital but have been turned down by your bank for a business loan because of a lack of creditworthiness. Your business may have a temporary cash flow challenge because of unexpected expenses or unexpected delays in payment. Some of the most common reasons for factoring relate to cash flow. However, any business can use factoring if they issue invoices for products or services. The most common industries that use factoring including transportation, construction, manufacturing, and staffing.

It generally depends on their financial situation and the capabilities of their accounting department. Sometimes they use factoring finance for just one or two customers, others may factor all their invoices. They might be start-ups or long-established businesses. After this happens, the factoring company will take their fee and send you the remainder of the invoice.ī2B companies of all sizes use invoice factoring. When your customer pays the invoice, the money goes to the factoring company’s account (not your business account). The company will pay you the agreed-upon amount-usually within a few days, but it can take up to a week or two. If you like the terms the factoring company is offering, you can then proceed to sell the invoice to them. The better your customer’s history and credit, the more of the invoice the factoring company will cover. During this process, the factoring company will check the customer’s history and credit to determine how much of the invoice they’re willing to factor. When it’s your first time factoring an invoice from this customer, your next step is to set up a factoring account. This means that the business is expected to pay the invoice within the terms listed-usually between 30 and 90 days. You (as the business) sell goods or services to another company and give them an invoice with the net terms listed. The first step in the invoice factoring finance process is always the sale. The standard timeline for finance or factoring Most businesses use the money for overhead: staffing, rent, supplies, and transportation charges. When you receive the funds from the factoring company, you can use them for any purpose. You can qualify for invoice factoring based on the credit of your customer. It doesn’t matter what size your business is. Since it’s common (and often expected) to offer customers time to pay for their orders (called net terms), these transactions almost always include delays in payment to the business. All businesses that use factoring are B2B businesses, and most do so because they need financing options. For businesses who are struggling with cash flow (or just don’t want to wait to get paid for an invoice), this type of transaction can be very helpful.Īnother term for invoice factoring is accounts receivable factoring. In exchange for a portion of the balance on the invoice, the factoring/finance company pays the business the rest of the amount owing on the invoice. Factoring financing, also referred to as invoice factoring is a financing process where a business sells its invoices to a company.
