The Top 9 Invoice Financing Companies in the UK 2024

Businesswoman reconciling invoices

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In June 2023, the Bank of England raised interest rates by 5%, making it more difficult and expensive to secure a business bank loan. For businesses that require a quick cash injection, invoice financing is quickly filling this need instead. But which invoice financing company is right for your business?

After extensive research by our team of experts, we’ve evaluated that Kriya is the top invoice financing company in the UK for 2024. Its straightforward, user-friendly approach, coupled with its solid customer support, is what sets it apart as our stand out selection.

As well as testing Kriya, we analysed eight other invoice financing companies, each with their own particular strengths that may suit your business better. In this article, we will give a brief overview of what invoice financing is, and then go through the pros and cons of each company we evaluated.

Which are the top invoice financing companies in the UK?

1. Kriya – Best for its straightforward, user-friendly approach
2. Growth Lending Best for international companies
3. Skipton Business Finance Best for its interest-free invoice finances
4. Metro Bank Best for its zero cancellation penalties
5. RBS FacFlow Best for its dedicated, high quality customer support
6. Bibby Financial Services Best for unlocking 100% of your invoice’s value
7. Sonovate Best for recruitment agencies
8. Aldermore Invoice Finance Best for its range of flexible, industry-specific funding options
9. Close Brothers Invoice Finance Best for medium-sized to large businesses

These are the providers we recommend based on our research. Use our cost comparison tool to find the right provider for your business.

What is an invoice financing company?

Invoicing financing allows a business to use its invoices as collateral to borrow money from an invoice financing company. Basically, if you are in need of a cash injection, you can sell your unpaid invoices to a third party (the invoice financing company), who’ll typically give you 90% of the value of the invoice, either instantly or within 24 hours. You pay this back to invoice financing company when your debtors eventually pay their invoice.

An invoice financing company will offer two types of service: invoice financing and invoice factoring. There is a key difference between the two:

  • Invoice financing means a business maintains full control over its sales ledger, still issuing and collecting payment. It sends its unpaid invoices on to the invoice financing company who pay out 90% of the invoice value, less the agreed service fee.
  • Invoice factoring involves the invoicing financing company taking control over a business’s whole sales ledger and taking care of collection of the unpaid invoices. Similarly, it will pay out 90% of the invoice’s value, usually within 24 hours.

Using this type of service is a great way to get a quick cash injection when you really need it. However, it’s not for every business. The service fees and costs can add up over time, and a lot of financing companies require a high turnover and excellent credit rating from a business. Finally, be aware that most invoice financing companies service the B2B sector only.

To give you a better understanding of how invoice financing works, we’ve created an easy-to-follow graphic to illustrate the process:

how invoice financing companies work

The best invoice financing companies in the UK 2024

We reviewed the UK’s foremost invoice financing companies to help you choose the best invoice finance provider for you – including those that specialise in factoring, discounting, and bad debt protection.

According to our research, the best invoice financing companies are Kriya, Growth Lending, Skipton Business Finance, Metro Bank SME Finance, RBS FacFlow, Bibby Financial Services, Sonovate, Aldermore Invoice Finance, and Close Brothers Finance.

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Kriya

Growth Lending

Skipton Business Finance

Metro Bank

RBS FacFlow

Bibby Financial Services

Sonovate

Aldermore Invoice Finance

Close Brothers Invoice Finance

Best For

Best for its straightforward, user-friendly approach

Best For

Best for international businesses

Best For

Best for its interest-free invoice finance

Best For

Best for its zero cancellation penalties

Best For

Best for its dedicated, high-quality customer support

Best For

Best for unlocking 100% of your invoice’s value

Best For

Best for recruitment agencies

Best For

Best for its range of flexible, industry-specific funding options

Best For

Best for medium-sized to large businesses

Advance Rate

Up to 90%

Advance Rate

Up to 90%

Advance Rate

Up to 90%

Advance Rate

Up to 90%

Advance Rate

Up to 90%

Advance Rate

Up to 100%

Advance Rate

Up to 100%

Advance Rate

Up to 90%

Advance Rate

Up to 90%

Service Fee

0.2-3.5%

Service Fee

Fees from 0.85% per month, on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Service Fee

2-3.5%

Service Fee

1-3%

Service Fee

0.03-5%

Service Fee

0.5-3.2%

Service Fee

Bespoke

Service Fee

Bespoke

Service Fee

0.5-2%

Read on to find out more in our deep-dive, or use our free comparison tool to receive obligation-free invoice financing quotes that are tailored to needs of your business.

Using the information provided, such as your business’s annual turnover, industry, and how long you’ve been trading for, you’ll be paired with one or more of the UK’s leading invoice finance suppliers. They will then be in touch with quotes and advice that is completely tailored to your business.

It’s free to try, and your business just needs to be based in the UK to qualify.

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1. Kriya

Best for its straightforward, user-friendly approach

kriya
Kriya
Service fee 0.2-3.5%
Quick overview

Kriya (formerly MarketFinance) has funded almost £3 billion in invoice finance and loans since it launched a decade ago. As well as partnering with Barclays to provide the bank’s customers with fast, flexible funding, Kriya is backed by some of the industry’s biggest players such as Santandar and British Business Bank.

The fintech upstart is highly trusted by its customers who value its straightforward, user-friendly approach. It currently scores a respectable 4.8/5 on Trustpilot.

Strengths

Highly rated by its customers

Back office platform is easy to use

Relatively low prerequisites in terms of your annual turnover and trading history

Good customer support

Weaknesses

Confidential invoice discounting is only available if you use one of Kriya's supported accountancy software packages

Kriya’s pricing at a glance:

  • Advance rate: Up to 90%
  • Discount fee: 0.3-1.5% per 30 days
  • Service fee: 0.2-3.5%

What we like about Kriya

Kriya offers selective invoice finance, which is a solution that allows you to receive funding on just one invoice rather than your whole ledger. This service is completely confidential.

Entirely confidential invoice discounting is also available, though the eligibility criteria is stringent. See the table below for more:

Confidential invoice discountingSelective invoice discounting
Minimum annual turnover required:£500,000 (£250,000 with the credit control add-on)£100,000
Trading history required:Two years (one year with the credit control add-on)None specified
Geographic limitations:UK and Ireland onlyUK and Ireland only

Unlike many of the other invoice finance providers on this list, Kriya doesn’t offer invoice factoring, just discounting. It does offer confidential credit control as an add-on, but this is provided by a third-party company, Veritas Commercial Services. Utilising this add-on increases your fees, but loosens the prerequisites in terms of your turnover and trading history.

Bad debt protection (credit insurance) is also available as an add-on for an extra cost, and is supplied by another third-party provider, Euler Hermes.

Regardless of the facility you select, you must be registered as an LLP within the UK or Ireland.

Kriya: Key facts

  • Eligibility criteria: Minimum turnover £100,000, Limited Company or Limited Liability partnership, must be based in the UK
  • Application process: Online application and 30 minute demo
  • Speed of decision: Under 24 hours
Did You Know?

Halfords Group PLC, the UK’s largest provider of motoring and cycling products and services, recently selected Kriya to be its embedded finance provider.

2. Growth Lending

Best for international companies

growth lending logo
Growth Lending
Service fee From 0.85%/month
Quick overview

Growth Lending is a London-based invoice finance firm established in 2011 that offers flexible financing options. With selective invoice finance and flexible invoice discounting facilities available for business based in the UK, US, and Germany, Growth Lending specialises in some of the most versatile forms of invoice finance around.

Strengths

Bespoke rates

Industry-specific options available for suppliers

A range of online articles help to demystify some of the more complex invoice finance jargon floating around

Weaknesses

Unless you request a quote directly, it’s tough to get even a ballpark idea of what you can expect to pay

Growth Lending’s pricing at a glance:

  • Advance rate: Up to 90%
  • Service fees: From 0.85% per month, on a pay-as-you-go basis

What we like about Growth Lending

If your business’s cash flow needs are short-term, and you want a contact-free, ad hoc approach to releasing value from your invoices, Growth Lending’s selective invoice finance should be your first port of call.

Alternatively, if you’ll require regular access to funding, Growth Lending’s flexible invoice discounting facility will be a better option. It’ll allow you to unlock funds either from the entirety of your sales ledger, or just a hand-picked selection of debtors.

Growth Lending also provides financing arrangements that are specifically tailored to growing businesses, offering up to £10m to your venture.

Growth lending: Key facts

  • Eligibility criteria: Must have B2B invoices of £10,000, payment terms must be between 30 and 120 days, businesses must be registered in the UK, US or another OECD country
  • Application process: Online application
  • Speed of decision: Not stated
Did You Know?

Growth Lending has funded well over £650m in invoices to date, boosting the growth of over 130 companies.

3. Skipton Business Finance

Best for interest-free invoice finance

Skipton Business Finance logo
Skipton Business Finance
Service fee 2-3.5%
Quick overview

Yorkshire-based Skipton Business Finance specialises in providing invoice finance to small, scaling UK businesses. With a range of disclosed, recourse, and CHOCS (Client Handles Own Collections) factoring options, Skipton is an impressively versatile invoice finance provider, packing plenty of invoice discounting choices – including those of the confidential, disclosed, and recourse varieties.

Strengths

Suitable for small businesses

One of the few invoice financing companies to offer interest-free funding

Fast finance

No setup fees

Weaknesses

No Trustpilot reviews despite the company having a profile there

Skipton Business Finance’s pricing at a glance:

  • Advance rate: Up to 90%
  • Discount fee: None
  • Service fee: 2-3.5%

What we like about Skipton Business Finance

With Skipton Business Finance, you’ll be eligible for finance against your invoices as soon as you submit them. It also promises to transfer the funds within 24 hours. You’ll receive up to 90% of the invoice’s value in a quick cash injection, and the company will advance anywhere between £25,000 and £5 million in funds.

Unlike several of the other invoice finance providers listed here, Skipton Business Finance also offers invoice factoring that’s entirely interest free. You won’t pay any setup fees either, and it’s also available to new businesses – a rarity for many lenders. Here’s what you’ll pay:

TurnoverFacility limitFacility fee per invoiceMinimum monthly feeSetup feesInterest charge
< £99,999£30,0003.5%£200WaivedNone
£100,000 to £199,999£45,0003%£250WaivedNone
£200,000 to £299,999£60,0002.5%£300WaivedNone
£300,000 to £399,999£75,0002%£350WaivedNone
£400,000 to £499,999£90,0001.75%£400WaivedNone
£500,000 to £749,999£120,0001.5%£450WaivedNone
£750,000 to £999,999£150,0001.35%£500WaivedNone

As a Skipton invoice finance customer, you’ll also get access to a relationship manager, who’ll walk you through your bespoke package and answer any questions you may have.

As part of its invoice discounting service, Skipton offers a confidential solution called Confidential Invoice Discounting. In essence, it handles all the admin and hassle that comes with chasing clients (as a factoring service does) but, like a discounting facility, comes with all the benefits of a confidential facility.

To use Skipton Business Finance’s confidential invoice discounting facility, you’ll need an annual turnover of around £100,000.

Skipton Business Finance: Key facts

  • Eligibility criteria: No minimum turnover, must be UK based
  • Application process: Telephone
  • Speed of decision: Not stated
Close up of a businesswoman reconciling invoices

4. Metro Bank

Best for its zero cancellation penalties

Metro Bank logo
Metro Bank
Service fee 1-3%
Quick overview

Utilise Metro Bank’s invoice finance for a speedy, scalable form of funding. With Metro Bank, you can unlock up to 90% of the value of your unpaid invoices, with finance available within 24 hours.

Strengths

Flexible contract terms

No cancellation fees

Funding within a day

Simple pricing

Weaknesses

Upper limits on the funding you can access are more restrictive than those of other invoice finance providers here

Metro Bank’s pricing at a glance:

  • Advance rate: Up to 90%
  • Service fee: 1-3%

What we like about Metro Bank

Metro Bank offers three main invoice finance facilities: factoring, discounting, and a funding line dubbed “small business offering”. This last one is ideal if your enterprise is in the early stages of its growth as it comes with just a single, transparent cost. There are no discount fees and Metro Bank also does away with the setup charge, and scraps any minimum costs going forward – all of which make Metro Bank one of the best invoice financing providers for small businesses.

With Metro Bank’s small business-oriented invoice finance solution, you can access a funding line of up to £100,000.

What we love most about Metro Bank’s approach is its surprisingly forgiving cancellation policy. In contrast to many other invoice finance providers we reviewed – which can be quick to penalise any attempt to leave a contract early – Metro Bank charges no cancellation fees. Instead, it requires 28 days notice.

It’s also noteworthy that, with dedicated invoice finance teams based at Basildon, Guildford, and Sheffield, Metro Bank offers some solid in-person, email, and phone-based support, too.

Metro Bank: Key facts

  • Eligibility criteria: Not stated
  • Application process:  Online and telephone application
  • Speed of decision: Under 24 hours

5. RBS FacFlow

Best for its dedicated, high-quality customer support

RBS FacFlow logo
RBS FacFlow
Service fee 0.03-5%
Quick overview

With a history stretching back almost 300 years, few invoice finance providers in the UK can match the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) for experience. FacFlow – the bank’s branded invoice finance facility – offers extensive discounting and factoring services. You will be assigned a dedicated relationship manager, who may rigorously check up on your ability to pay fully and on time!

Strengths

Comes with the backing of a renowned high street bank

Excellent customer support, with a wealth of online help resources

User-friendly back office portal makes it simple to view the status of your application and funding

Weaknesses

Quite a high annual turnover is required to access RBS’s invoice discounting facility

RBS FacFlow’s pricing at a glance:

  • Advance rate: Up to 90%
  • Discount fee: 1-4.5%
  • Service fee: 0.03-5%

What we like about RBS FacFlow

RBS FacFlow impressed us with its excellent customer service. In addition to an abundant supply of online resources and robust phone and email-based support, RBS also has an array of branches that you can visit for expert invoice financial advice.

Similar to many other invoice finance providers in the UK, RBS promises to release up to 90% of the value of what you’re owed in as little as 24 hours.

RBS also offers a separate product – asset-based lending. As the name suggests, this service allows you to release cash from your business’s existing assets rather than your invoices. As the prerequisite of a £6.5 million annual turnover suggests, it’s best-suited to larger businesses – particularly those looking to free up cash flow for an acquisition or rapid growth.

Invoice factoringInvoice discountingAsset based lending
Minimum annual turnover required:£250,000 to £6.5 million£300,000£6.5 million

As the table shows, RBS’s invoice factoring and discounting facilities are the most accessible – particularly for businesses with a smaller turnover. However, these thresholds are still higher than the £100,000 turnover prerequisite other providers demand, such as Kriya and Skipton Business Finance.

RBS FacFlow: Key facts

  • Eligibility criteria: Minimum turnover of £300,000
  • Application process: Online application
  • Speed of decision: Under 24 hours

 

You’re about halfway through our list of the top 9 best invoice financing companies for UK businesses. Time to start comparing quotes?

Simply hit one of the buttons below to start our free comparison tool. It only takes 30 seconds to complete and, by telling us more about the specific requirements of your business, we can help ensure that you receive the best, personalised invoice finance rates and recommendations.

It’s completely free for UK-based operations, and we’ll only use your data to match you with the relevant invoice finance providers. Happy researching!

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6. Bibby Financial Services

Best for unlocking 100% of your invoice’s value

Bibby Financial Services logo
Bibby Financial Services
Service fee 0.5-3.2%
Quick overview

Bibby Financial Services is a global invoice finance provider with a client base of 7,000 businesses and a trophy cabinet of awards to its name. Bibby Financial Services recently won the coveted “Best Factor and Invoice Discounter” gong at the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers Awards, too, and it consistently ranks among The Sunday Times’ list of the 100 best companies to work for. But more importantly for you, Bibby Financial Services also specialises in providing tailored invoice finance solutions to a wide range of UK businesses.

Strengths

Rolling 28-day contracts

Simple bundled fees allow you to manage your budget with ease

With an ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot score of 4.8/5 from over 700 reviews, Bibby is highly rated online

Zero setup costs

Weaknesses

Bibby’s back office portal is a little clunky and outdated

Bibby Financial Services’ pricing at a glance:

  • Advance rate: Up to 100%
  • Discount fee: 1-3.5%
  • Service fee: 0.5-3.2%

What we like about Bibby Financial Services

Bibby Financial Services offers a wide range of invoice finance products, including invoice factoring, invoice discounting, construction finance, recruitment finance, and export finance.

Bibby also offers an invoice finance package that’s tailored to the needs and pain points of small businesses. It’s called Forward Finance and it’s available for business owners with a turnover of less than £300,000 per year.

If you opt for this package, you’ll be able to release up to 90% of your invoice’s value within 24 hours. You’ll also enjoy a £50,000 pre-approved funding limit, zero setup fees, the option to add protection from bad debt, and you can request an additional credit management service.

Selecting Bibby’s factoring and discounting services – or its solution for recruitment agencies – will mean you can unlock up to 100% of your invoice’s value.

Bibby Financial Services: Key facts

  • Eligibility criteria: SMEs with £300,000 turnover
  • Application process: Online and telephone application
  • Speed of decision: Not stated

7. Sonovate

Best for recruitment agencies

Sonovate logo
Sonovate
Service fee Bespoke
Quick overview

Founded in 2013, Sonovate is an invoice financing company tailored to recruitment agencies. With Sonovate, you’ll get zero setup fees, no personal guarantee, no debenture, no reserves, no all-turnover agreement, and no additional fees.

Strengths

Slick mobile app for Android and iOS

Top-notch customer support

Flexible concentration limits

Optional accounting service

Refreshingly free of limitations

Weaknesses

If you’re not in the recruitment business, there are better invoice finance solutions elsewhere

Permanent funding is only available for larger businesses

Sonovate’s pricing at a glance:

  • Advance rate: Up to 100%

What we like about Sonovate

Sonovate is among our top invoice finance picks for recruitment agencies because of the solutions it packs for this particular industry.

With Sonovate, you can release up to 100% of your invoice’s value within a day. Its customer support is top-notch, and – unlike most other invoice finance provider we’ve found – bad debt protection is included as standard (it usually costs extra).

Sonovate also boasts the slickest, user-friendly back office app we’ve come across in our invoice financing research. Colourful and very intuitive, you can use it to check in on the status of your funding, 24/7.

Finally, it has an excellent Trustpilot score of 4.4/5 (from just under 200 reviews), with many users praising its onboarding process and customer service.

Sonovate: Key facts

  • Eligibility criteria: Minimum turnover not stated, aimed at recruitment agencies and consultancies
  • Application process: Online application
  • Speed of decision: Under 24 hours

8. Aldermore Invoice Finance

Best for its range of flexible, industry-specific funding options

Aldermore logo small
Aldermore Invoice Finance
Service fee Bespoke
Quick overview

Founded 14 years ago, Aldermore is a Reading-based retail bank that provides financial services to small and medium-sized businesses. If you opt for its invoice financing services, you’ll pay no setup fee and enjoy a six-month contract-free period, as well as benefiting from a simple, speedy onboarding process.

Strengths

Comes with a dedicated relationship manager to provide customer support

Bad debt protection available

‘Excellent’ Trustpilot rating of 4.4/5 from over 3,600 reviews

High upper funding limits

Weaknesses

Not the cheapest invoice finance solution around

Aldermore Invoice Finance’s pricing at a glance:

  • Advance rate: Up to 90%

What we like Aldermore Invoice Finance

Aldermore offers both invoice factoring and discounting facilities, as well as an asset-based lending service for larger enterprises. You can expect to receive up to 90% of your ledger’s value paid out in a quick cash injection within 24 hours.

There’s also a range of industry-specific funding options on offer, including trade finance, contract finance, and invoice finance for construction businesses.

Aldermore’s funding limits are between £100,000 and £1 million. Your business will need to have an annual turnover of at least £750,00 to be eligible for Aldermore’s invoice factoring and discounting funding solutions.

Aldermore Income Finance: Key facts

  • Eligibility criteria: Minimum turnover £250,000
  • Application process: Telephone
  • Speed of decision: A few days or weeks, depending on requirements

9. Close Brothers Invoice Finance

Best for medium-sized to large businesses

close brothers logo
Close Brothers
Service fee 0.5-2%
Quick overview

Close Brothers is a UK-based invoice finance provider catering to medium-sized and large businesses. When you apply for invoice finance, Close Brothers looks at your business as a whole – not just at your balance sheet. Taking into account factors such as your business’s potential and objectives (not just your industry and turnover), Close Brothers will provide you with a bespoke invoice finance package to help your operations scale.

Strengths

Award-winning back office platform ‘IDeal’ is easy to get to grips with and use

Pays out within a day

Invoice finance calculator lets you see how much cash you could release from your unpaid invoices

Weaknesses

Average Trustpilot rating

High annual turnover required to be eligible

Not ideal for smaller businesses

Close Brothers Invoice Finance’s pricing at a glance:

  • Advance rate: Up to 90%
  • Discount fee: 2.5-3.5%
  • Service fee: 0.5-2%

What we like about Close Brothers Invoice Finance

Close Brothers offers a dedicated client manager who will liaise with you regularly to ensure you’re getting the most out of the relationship, as well as resolve any issues that may pop up along the way.

In addition to other asset-based forms of finance, Close Brothers also offers an invoice discounting facility. Here, the requirements for businesses are a bit more stringent – you’ll require an annual turnover of at least £500,000 to be considered.

Bad debt protection is available for a fee, and – as with most of the UK invoice finance providers that made the list – your funds typically arrive within a day.

You’ll also be able to access funding 24/7 via ‘IDeal’. It’s a cloud-based platform that integrates with most accounting software packages on the market, saving you time, money, and hassle by automatically reconciling your invoice payments.

Close Brothers: Key facts

  • Eligibility criteria: Minimum turnover £500,000
  • Application process: Telephone
  • Speed of decision: Not stated

FAQs

Am I eligible for invoice finance?
Yes, as long as you have a business-to-business (B2B) service model. In other words, your customers must be other businesses.

Previously, invoice finance was only available to large, well-established businesses. Now, there’s a host of suppliers catering specifically to small businesses and startups. Perhaps the only catch is that there’s usually a requirement concerning your annual turnover – and even the least stringent of these typically come to at least £50,000 per year.

Skipton Business Finance is an example of a company that sports excellent deals for small businesses seeking fast, flexible (and, in some cases, interest-free) invoice finance.

Other factors an invoice financing company may consider – and which may affect your eligibility for credit – involve your customer base, and its creditworthiness. For instance, you may find it more difficult to be approved if you’re over-reliant on a single client. You’re also likely to struggle with eligibility for invoice finance if your customers aren’t considered by a lender to be trustworthy.

What is the difference between invoice financing, invoice discounting, and invoice factoring?
Throughout this article, you’ll have seen different terminology used to describe the various processes the umbrella term ‘invoice finance’ encompasses.

There are too many of them to be unpacked here, so let’s focus on the two that matter most: invoice factoring and invoice discounting.

While both facilities are means of securing credit against your unpaid invoices, there are a couple of key differences between them, and we’ll give you a hint as to the biggest: credit control.

Invoice factoring

When you engage an invoice factoring company for finance, they actually purchase your invoices outright.

Due to the nature of this agreement, the lender effectively ‘owns’ your ledger and it allows them to deal with your clients directly. This means the lender is legally entitled to chase your clients up for payment, as well as handle the credit control of your business.

Invoice factoring may also be recourse or non-recourse. Non-recourse agreements (also known as a form of bad debt protection) mean that, in the event that your customer is unable to pay (for instance, they become insolvent or declare bankruptcy), you won’t be eligible for paying back the loan.

Again, this is only possible in a factoring agreement because the lender has ‘bought’ your invoices off of you. In other words, the responsibility for its ultimate repayment lies with them, not you. However, in an invoice discounting agreement, the finance provided against your invoice is only ever a loan. This means it always needs to be paid back!

Invoice discounting

If you to ensure your customers do not know that you’re utilising third-party finance, you should opt for an invoice discounting facility.

Invoice discounting agreements allow you to retain the responsibility of chasing your unpaid invoices, but to keep a tighter leash on your business’ sales ledger, too. It’s also cheaper than factoring because you’re not paying for the additional credit control services that those companies provide.

With invoice discounting, your customer will continue to pay you directly. Conversely, if you’re using a factoring company, your client will pay directly to the lender, and you’ll receive the remainder of the invoice’s value (minus the fees, of course) from the invoice provider themselves.

And remember, invoice finance is an umbrella term. It encapsulates invoice factoring, invoice discounting, and several other related forms of finance, too.

How much does invoice financing cost?
When it comes to factoring, there are two central charges to consider: the discount fee and the service fee.

The discount fee is usually a percentage of the invoice you’re seeking funding for. It works in the same way as the charges you’d pay for a bank loan or overdraft.

Usually, the higher the value of the invoice you’re applying for finance for, the lower this fee will be, so it’s almost always better value to release funds from bigger invoices.

Discount fees typically stack up in the range of 0.5% to 5% of your invoice’s value.

The service fee is a regular administration fee charged on a monthly or weekly basis by many (but not all) providers. Rather than being calculated against the value of your invoices, this cost is worked out as a percentage of your business’s annual turnover.

Service fees for an invoice factoring agreement will typically come in at anywhere between 0.75% and 2.5% of your turnover. For discounting agreements, you can expect to pay in the region of 0.2% to 0.5%. This is cheaper than their factoring counterparts.

You’ll also have to shell out extra for any add-on services that aren’t included with the facility as standard. The most common of these is the charge for bad debt protection (or a non-recourse agreement), which safeguards you from having to foot the bill should one of your debtors go bust.

Bad debt protection will normally cost you between 0.5% and 2% of your annual turnover.

Will my customer know if I’m using an invoice financing company?
The answer is: they don’t have to. The best factoring companies – such as Skipton Business Finance – offer a completely confidential service and will chase payment under your company name and branding.

Plus, while credit control is a key function of invoice factoring, it doesn’t have to be so with invoice discounting. Some invoice finance solutions won’t come with a credit control service at all. This means you’re free to chase your own invoices and retain autonomy over your hard-won customer relationships.

If keeping factoring a secret from customers is important to you, be sure to mention this early on in your negotiations with providers.

How do I compare the best providers?
To compare the UK’s best invoice financing companies, all you need to do is use our free comparison tool. To get started, hit one of the buttons below to answer the first question in our quick quote-finding questionnaire.

We’ll ask:

  • Whether you’ve used invoice factoring before
  • What industry your business operates in
  • How long (roughly) you’ve been trading for
  • What type of customers you have
  • Your expected annual turnover this year

We’ll also require your postcode, so we can check whether your business is eligible for quotes, and to match you with the most relevant invoice finance suppliers servicing your area.

Once you’ve completed the form, we’ll match you with one or more of the UK’s leading suppliers – but only if they’re the right fit for your unique needs and specifications. These invoice finance providers will be in touch with quotes and advice tailored to your business.

The whole process is free, and the form only takes 30 seconds to complete. Our service is also available to all businesses based in the UK. Why not give it a go?

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The best invoice financing companies in the UK 2024

We reviewed the UK’s foremost invoice financing companies to help you choose the best invoice finance provider for you – including those that specialise in factoring, discounting, and bad debt protection.

According to our research, the best invoice financing companies are Kriya, Growth Lending, Skipton Business Finance, Metro Bank SME Finance, RBS FacFlow, Bibby Financial Services, Sonovate, Aldermore Invoice Finance, and Close Brothers Finance.

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Written by:
Lucas Pistilli author headshot photo
Lucas is a Brazilian-born journalist and Expert Market’s go-to writer for all things EPOS systems, merchant accounts, and franking machines. Having covered business, politics and technology for many years, he’s driven by his passion for the written word and his goal to help people make well-informed decisions.
Reviewed by:
Julia Watts author headshot photo
Specialising in business software, Julia writes jargon-busting guides about VoIP, fleet management, dash cams, fuel cards, and more. Having spent almost a decade writing for entrepreneurs and reviewing business solutions, she loves helping exciting ventures – big or small – to flourish.