Fastest HELOC Closing in 2025: 5 Days To Close
If you’re in a cash crunch and want to tap your home equity — and fast — your best bet is a lender that specializes in quick closings. You’ll get your funds the fastest when using a home equity line of credit (HELOC), but a home equity loan typically won’t take much longer. A cash-out refinance is another popular choice, but this will be the slowest way to get your cash.
We’ll cover which lenders are known for the fastest HELOC closing times, as well as some steps you can take to make the process quicker, regardless of which lender you choose.
How long does a HELOC take to close?
It typically takes two to six weeks to close on a HELOC, but the fastest lenders in the business can get you to close in just five to seven days. If you’re wondering which HELOC lender closes fastest, read on — we’ll go through which lenders have the quickest HELOC processing times.
The fastest HELOC lenders of 2025
 |  |  |  |  |
| 5 days to close | 5 days to close | 7 days to close | 15 days to close | 2-3 weeks to close |
Rate: 5 days to close
Rate advertises that it can approve you for a HELOC in as little time as five minutes and close the loan in five business days. The lender is able to offer a quick turnaround because it has a digital closing process, which includes electronic signing through a remote notary.
Maximum loan amount: $400,000
Draw period: Two to five years
Read our full Rate mortgage review to see if this lender is a good fit for you.
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Figure: 5 days to close
Figure also offers a HELOC with five-minute approval and closing in as few as five days. The company has used automated underwriting to issue over $15 billion dollars’ worth of home equity products. Unlike most HELOC lenders, though, Figure doesn’t offer a variable-rate HELOC. Instead, you’ll have a fixed rate for the original draw (which must be 100% of your credit line) and a new fixed rate — which could be higher — for any subsequent draws.
Maximum loan amount: $400,000
Draw period: Typically two to five years
Learn more about how and where you can get the best HELOC rates.
Better Mortgage: 7 days to close
Better Mortgage’s One Day HELOC™ program allows you to apply online and get approved within 24 hours. You’ll then get your cash within seven days. To get a HELOC this quickly, you’ll need to upload all of your documentation within 24 hours of applying and keep your loan amount under $400,000.
Maximum loan amount: $500,000
Draw period: Not disclosed
Read our full Better mortgage review.
PenFed Credit Union: 15 days to close
PenFed’s HELOC Express program offers borrowers the opportunity to close in 15 days, as long as you’re able to provide all of your documents within three days. The program doesn’t apply to homes that are undergoing renovations, manufactured homes, co-ops or properties with more than four units.
Maximum loan amount: $500,000
Draw period: 10 years
Read our full PenFed mortgage review.
Spring EQ: 2-3 weeks to close
Spring EQ can convert your home equity to cash within 14 to 21 business days. The lender offers HELOCs for up to $500,000 and interest-only payments for the first 10 years.
Maximum loan amount: $500,000
Draw period: Three years
Read our full Spring EQ mortgage review.
3 tips for getting the fastest HELOC closing
1. Know how much money you’ll qualify to borrow
Most HELOC lenders set a cap on how much money you can borrow, typically 85% of your home’s value. If you’re hoping to borrow more than that amount, but you haven’t specifically sought out a high-LTV HELOC program, this could delay your loan’s approval and funding. LendingTree’s HELOC and home equity loan calculator can help you quickly see how much you may be able to borrow, based on the 85% standard.
2. Choose a lender with an AVM
An automated valuation model (AVM) is a computer program that evaluates the market value your house is worth. HELOC lenders who use an AVM can typically close more quickly because they don’t have to arrange for someone to come out and appraise your house in person.
Many lenders mention their automated systems on their websites, but if you’re not sure how a given lender deals with home appraisals, the quickest way to find out is to call its customer service line.
3. Have all your financial documents ready to go
How fast you can close on a HELOC depends on both the lender and on you as the borrower. No matter how fast a lender is able to underwrite a HELOC loan, if it doesn’t have all of your documents, it won’t be able to process your loan quickly. Make sure you have everything ready — you’ll usually need to provide documentation of your income, assets and employment in addition to details about your home and mortgage.
How to qualify for the fastest HELOCs
- Minimum equity in your home: 15%
- Loan-to-value (LTV) ratio maximum: 85%
- Minimum credit score requirement: typically 620 or higher
- Debt-to-income (DTI) ratio maximum: 43%
Which has the fastest closing: HELOCs, home equity loans or cash-out refinances?
The most common options for tapping the equity in your home are a HELOC, home equity loan or cash-out refinance. Home equity loans and HELOCs have roughly similar closing timelines, whereas a cash-out refinance will often take longer.
| Type of loan | Typical time to close |
|---|---|
| Home equity line of credit (HELOC) | 2-6 weeks |
| Home equity loan | 2-8 weeks |
| Cash-out refinance | 6 weeks |
Keep in mind, though, that these are just the typical times across all lenders. There are lenders who advertise shorter turnaround times, so if you need a fast closing you should seek out those lenders.
A home equity line of credit (HELOC) is a credit line based on your home equity. Interest rates are variable, and you can access funds and pay the balance off as needed (similar to a credit card) within a predetermined time frame, usually 10 years.
A home equity loan is an installment loan secured by your home’s equity. Home equity loans have a fixed rate and monthly payment, and repayment terms range between five and 30 years. Borrowers can usually access up to 85% of their home’s value.
A cash-out refinance replaces your current mortgage with a new loan at a higher amount than what you currently owe. The new mortgage pays off the existing loan balance, and you receive the difference in one lump sum.
You have three different cash-out refinance programs to choose from: conventional cash-out refinances, FHA cash-out refinances and VA cash-out refinances.
Most financial experts don’t recommend using a HELOC as an emergency fund. HELOCs come with many risks, including that:
- Your lender could freeze or reduce your HELOC if your credit score or home value drops, or if you miss payments
- Your monthly payments can increase unexpectedly
- You could lose your home if you can’t make the payments
In most cases it’s better to keep your emergency fund in a bank account, where you know it will always be available when you need it. Depending on your situation, you may also choose to store some of the money in cash or on prepaid cards.
Alternative ways to get cash quickly
One major drawback to borrowing money against your home equity is the risk that you could lose your home if you can’t afford your payment, thus potentially leading to foreclosure. If you’d prefer not to secure another loan against your home or don’t have enough equity to do so, you do have other, unsecured options.
Personal loan
Personal loans are fixed-rate installment loans consumers can use for any reason. Borrowing with a personal loan may be faster than tapping into home equity — you could get approved within hours of applying and sometimes receive the funds within 24 hours. They’re also less risky for borrowers since most personal loans are unsecured, meaning you won’t have to use your home as collateral.
However, interest rates on personal loans are generally much higher than on home equity products. And only borrowers with the best credit scores qualify for competitive rates.
Repayment terms are usually shorter than home equity financing — often between three and seven years.
Credit card
Credit cards can be an easy and fast way to access funds. If you’re applying for a new card, you can often get same-day approval, which beats out even the fastest HELOC closing. And if you qualify, you could get access to a high credit limit. However, using a credit card to fund a large purchase or ongoing expense is a costly way to borrow — unless you pay off your balance in full each month — with average interest rates in the double digits.
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