Release cash from your invoices, confidentially
Invoice discounting lets your business draw down against the value of your sales ledger, so you are not left waiting weeks or months for customers to pay. Comparing options starts with a soft search that leaves no mark on your credit profile, so you can see what fits before you commit to anything.
You keep the ledger. You keep the conversation.
A funding partner advances against invoices you have already raised, then steps back. Payments still come to you, into an account you operate, and the reminders, statements and awkward phone calls stay exactly where they are now. Nobody new appears in your customer’s inbox.
That is the trade at the heart of invoice discounting: because collections remain your job, the arrangement can stay private, and the sales ledger you have spent years building stays entirely your relationship. It also means a funding partner is lending against how well you run that ledger, not against how well they could run it for you.
CONFIDENTIAL BY DESIGN, NOT BY REQUESTFive things move between one offer and the next.
There is no single headline number on a facility like this, which is precisely why it pays to see more than one. These are the parts that decide what it really costs you.
A service or facility fee
A charge for running the arrangement itself, quoted by the funding partner and separate from the cost of the money you actually use.
A discount charge on what you draw
Applied to the funds you have drawn while they are outstanding, broadly comparable to interest. Draw less and it costs less, which is why the facility is worth using deliberately rather than to the limit.
The proportion advanced up front
A large share of each qualifying invoice is released when you raise it, with the balance following once your customer settles. How large that share is varies between partners and with the quality of the ledger.
Security, stated plainly
These are secured facilities. A funding partner will commonly take a charge such as a debenture and may ask directors for a personal guarantee, and assets used as security may be at risk if the agreed obligations are not met.
Term, notice and exit
How long the agreement runs, the notice you have to give, and any minimum or termination charge on the way out. Two offers with similar headline pricing can part company entirely here.
Because the facility revolves, the limit tends to move with your billing rather than sitting still: as you raise new invoices more funding is unlocked, and as debtors pay down it frees up again. Every figure, and whether an offer is made at all, sits with the individual funding partner and is subject to their assessment and approval. Capvant does not lend and does not set your terms.
Advance rates, fees and notice periods differ across every funding partner. One request puts them next to each other instead of one at a time.
They are reading your customers as much as you.
It is your customers who ultimately settle the invoices being funded, so a partner looks hard at who owes you, how creditworthy they are, and how reliably they pay. A spread of debtors is usually viewed more favourably than a ledger dominated by one or two large accounts, because the risk is not sitting in a single place.
- The size, age and overall quality of your ledger
- How your debtors are spread, and any concentration
- How creditworthy your customers are and how they pay
- Whether invoices are for delivered, undisputed work
- Your trading history and your credit-control process
Confidential facilities rely on you to collect effectively, so the strength of your own credit control counts too, alongside whether invoices are for delivered, undisputed work rather than staged billing, retentions or work still in progress.
Neither is better. They answer a different question.
Both release the cash locked up in unpaid invoices. They part company on who chases the money and whether anyone outside your business knows.
You already run credit control well
Discounting leans on you to collect, so a capable finance function and a tidy ledger are what make it work. If chasing is already handled in-house, there is little reason to pay someone else to do it.
You would rather not chase at all
If collections eat your week or you have no dedicated credit-control function, handing the chasing over is worth paying for. Compare invoice factoring.
The customer relationship has to stay entirely yours
Nothing about the arrangement is visible to your customers, so the conversation about a late payment stays between you and them.
You are not sure which shape fits your ledger
One request covers both, so the offers come back side by side and you decide with real terms in front of you rather than in the abstract. See invoice finance as a whole.
If you want the two set out end to end before you decide, the factoring against discounting guide walks through the difference in full. And if the squeeze is broader than the ledger, working capital and a revolving credit facility sit in the same request.
Considered once, then quick for ever after.
Setting up a facility takes longer than a simple unsecured loan, because a funding partner reviews your ledger and completes due diligence before anything goes live. Up-to-date accounts, an aged debtors report and clean ledger data are the single biggest thing within your control.
After that the picture flips. New invoices unlock funding quickly, often on the same or next working day, so the day-to-day rhythm is far faster than the set-up suggests. That combination, a careful start and dependable access afterwards, is what makes it a working-capital tool rather than a one-off loan.
See the full processPick the range you are after and see what comes back. Comparing is a soft search, so your credit profile stays exactly where it is.
Frequently asked questions
What is invoice discounting?
Turn your unpaid invoices into working cash, keep control of your own collections, and stay confidential, your customers need never know. Through Capvant you compare invoice discounting offers from multiple funding partners in one place, then choose what works for your business.
How much can I borrow?
Amounts depend on your trading history, turnover and the offers our partners make. Many businesses access £5,000 to £500,000 and beyond.
Will checking my options affect my credit score?
No. Seeing your options through Capvant is a soft search, so it leaves no mark on your credit file. A lender only runs a full credit check if you decide to accept an offer.
Is Capvant a lender?
No. Capvant is a funding marketplace, we match you with funding partners and you choose the offer that suits you. Funding decisions, rates and terms are set by the lender, subject to approval.
How fast can I get funded?
Once you accept an offer, many businesses receive funds within a few working days, some products fund same day.
Will my customers find out a funder is involved?
Not with a confidential facility. Your customers keep paying you into an account you operate, and you carry on chasing and talking to them exactly as you do today. That confidentiality is the defining feature of discounting, and it is what separates it from factoring, where collections are handed over and the arrangement is disclosed.
Is invoice discounting secured?
Yes. The funding is advanced against your invoices and your ledger, and a funding partner will commonly take a charge such as a debenture, and may ask directors for a personal guarantee. As with any secured borrowing, the assets used as security may be at risk if the agreed obligations are not met, so the terms are worth reading closely before you proceed.
How long does a facility take to set up?
Longer than a simple unsecured loan, because the funding partner reviews your ledger and completes their due diligence before the facility goes live. Having up-to-date accounts and an aged debtors report to hand tends to speed that along. Once it is running, new invoices unlock funding quickly, so day-to-day drawdowns are far faster than the initial set-up.
Release the cash. Keep the relationship.
One request puts your ledger in front of a panel of funding partners, and comparing what comes back costs nothing and leaves your credit profile untouched.
No obligation. Checking your offers won’t affect your credit score.
Disclaimers & footnotes
- 1Capvant is a funding marketplace, not a lender. We match business owners with third-party funding partners; we do not make credit decisions, lend money, or set rates or terms. All funding decisions, rates, terms and approvals are made solely by the lenders in our network, subject to their criteria.
- 2Checking your options through Capvant does not affect your credit score. A lender may carry out a soft or hard credit search depending on the product, stage and your consent. A full hard credit check is only carried out where required by a lender before you proceed.
- 3Funding speed, including any reference to funding in as little as 24 hours, is typical for some products and lenders and is not guaranteed. Actual timescales depend on the lender, the product, and how quickly requested information and documents are provided.
- 4Funding amounts and ranges are indicative only and vary with your business profile, trading history, the lender and the market. Figures shown are not an offer of finance and do not guarantee any particular amount, rate or approval.
- 5Any offers, rates or repayment figures shown in illustrations or examples are for demonstration only and are not real quotes. Your actual offers, if any, are provided by lenders and are subject to approval.
- 6Product availability varies by market. Some products are only available in certain countries. Capvant currently serves businesses in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Capvant is not a lender and does not make credit decisions, we introduce businesses to third-party funding providers. Capvant is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Capvant does not compare every lender, broker, funding product or offer available in the market. We only show options from funding partners in our network that may be relevant based on the information you provide.
Capvant may receive compensation from lenders, brokers, funding partners or referral partners when a customer is introduced, approved, funded or takes another qualifying action. This compensation does not guarantee that any lender will approve an application or offer specific terms. Capvant does not charge business owners a fee to compare funding options unless clearly stated otherwise.
If you access Capvant through a partner, introducer or embedded funding page, that partner may receive a referral fee or commission if your request results in funding. This does not increase your cost unless expressly disclosed.
Capvant is intended for business-purpose funding only. Eligibility may depend on entity type, location, trading history, revenue, industry and lender criteria. In the UK, Capvant currently focuses on limited companies, LLPs and plcs, and does not currently support sole traders or ordinary partnerships.
Information on Capvant is general information only and is not financial, legal, tax or accounting advice. You should consider whether funding is suitable for your business and seek professional advice where appropriate.
Calculators, eligibility checkers and funding-readiness tools are estimates only. They are based on limited information and assumptions, and do not represent a credit decision, quote, approval or recommendation.
Company information may be sourced from public registers such as Companies House, or from information you provide. Public register data may be incomplete, delayed or inaccurate and should not be treated as a full credit assessment.
The Business Credit Score by Capvant is an independent statistical assessment based on public register data. It is not provided by a credit reference agency and may differ from scores used by individual lenders.
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Some US commercial financing offers may be subject to state-specific disclosure requirements. Where required, additional disclosures will be provided and must be accepted before a transaction is finalised.