Eligibility
What documents do I need to apply for business finance?
By Chris Findlow · 21 July 2026
As a starting point: recent business bank statements, up-to-date management accounts or filed accounts, and details of what you need and why. Invoice finance also needs a view of your sales ledger and customers. Having these ready speeds everything up, and we will tell you exactly what a given lender wants before you apply.
You do not need a filing cabinet of paperwork to start a conversation, but having a few things ready makes the process much faster once you decide to proceed.
A typical starting set:
- Recent business bank statements, usually the last few months.
- Up-to-date accounts, either management accounts or your latest filed accounts.
- A clear picture of the request, how much you need, what it is for, and over what period.
Some products need a little more:
- Invoice finance needs a view of your sales ledger and an aged debtor report, so the funder can see who owes you and on what terms.
- Asset finance needs details of the asset you are funding or refinancing.
- Property finance needs information on the property involved.
The single biggest thing that speeds an application up is having recent, tidy financials to hand. It is also what gets you the best terms, because lenders price with more confidence when the picture is clear.
You do not need to work out which lender wants what. Tell us what you are after and we will give you a short, specific checklist for the route that fits, rather than a generic wish list.
Written by
Chris Findlow
Director, FundingLinks
Director at FundingLinks with over 15 years across commercial lending, invoice finance and fintech partnerships, including senior leadership roles at Kriya. He works directly with SMEs to match them to the right lender across the whole market.
View LinkedIn profile