Low-doc and no-doc business loans are generally offered by online, alternative lenders that specialize in financing for businesses that might struggle to qualify with a traditional lender. Alternative lenders provide loans to startups, businesses with bad credit and businesses whose urgent need for funding outweighs the high interest rates and harsher repayment terms.
Financing options for small business owners that offer reduced paperwork include:
Short-term business loans
- Documents required: Expect online lenders to request basic documents such as financial statements or tax returns. They might also run a credit report and request a personal guarantee from the business owner(s).
Online lenders may offer low- or no-doc short-term loans requiring much less borrower documentation than traditional lenders, including banks and credit unions. Some of these loans are unsecured, meaning collateral isn’t required, which also reduces documentation.
Short-term loans have fixed term lengths ranging from a few months to a few years. Loan amounts start at a few thousand dollars and can reach as high as $250,000 or more, depending on the lender’s criteria and borrower qualifications.
Minimum payments often begin as soon as the day after the loan is funded and continue throughout the term of the loan. Lenders may deduct payments automatically from your bank account.
Business line of credit
- Documents required: Expect lenders to ask for a combination of simple documents such as bank statements, proof of business operations (for example, credit card sales) or a list of assets. Lenders will also run a credit report to assess your creditworthiness.
A business line of credit is a flexible form of financing that a business can draw from as needed instead of borrowing a lump sum. You’ll pay interest only on the amount you use, which is great if you need less than you expected or you’re able to pay it back faster than the repayment term, which is typically between six and 24 months but can go as high as 60 months.
Invoice factoring
- Documents required: Factor companies want to see a sample of your customer invoices to estimate how risky and time-consuming it will be to collect payment.
Invoice factoring involves selling your unpaid customer invoices to a specialized finance company called a factor instead of waiting for your customers to pay you. Factoring provides business owners with fast cash and saves them the time and effort of collecting money. The factor charges a fee on the value of the invoices they buy.
Invoice factoring providers care more about your customers’ creditworthiness than yours, since they are repaid by your customers. As a result, factoring terms are most attractive if you have reputable customers such as large corporations or the government. Keep in mind that you’ll likely still be on the hook for repaying the factor if the invoices are determined to be uncollectible after the payment due deadline, which is typically 30 to 90 days after invoicing.
Merchant cash advance
- Documents required: The merchant cash advance lender needs documentation of your credit and debit card sales history through statements from your card processors and/or business bank accounts.
A merchant cash advance (MCA) works differently from other types of financing: Businesses receive funding in a lump sum and then pay back the advance plus fees over the next few months with a portion of their ongoing credit and debit card sales.
MCA lenders typically collect payments daily or weekly, directly from the borrower’s bank or merchant account. Like other loans for bad-credit borrowers, MCAs tend to carry high interest rates, but they can be an option for businesses with poor credit that urgently need funding.