On the face of it one invoice discounting is the same as another invoice discounting company. For the majority of businesses this probably the case. However as mentioned on previous blogs all finance companies have their own sweet spots and this includes the total exposure they will go to or one company or in other words the total amount of funds out. If you find that your invoice discounting or factoring company is restricting your overall credit limit then t might be time to seek an alternative view point. As one of the UK’s  leading invoice finance brokers we believe we are well placed and qualified to help you with such matters.

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And the winner is! It depends!

Both an invoice discounting and factoring facility will release up to 85% of your unpaid invoices on a revolving credit basis. In theory both facilities will grow as your turnover increases providing you with valuable cash and working capital. In our opinion both are far better than a bank overdraft which is not as flexible and will be capped depending on how profitable or the level of security available.

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As we have probably mentioned more businesses go bust coming out of a recession than actually in it ( so I have been told). This kind of makes sense. The banks are still being tight with the cash and as the recovery takes place you need more working capital. Therefore it is imperative that you get the right kind of working capital facilities in place to meet cash flow needs. 

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Invoice discounting can simply be described as the provision of finance against unpaid invoices. The finance provider will take security over the book debts of the business by registering a debenture over the business. Traditionally the invoice discounting company will release between 75-85% of unpaid invoices of up to a 90 day period. Invoice discounting is usually confidential in that your customers are unaware that you are discounting your invoices. This is different from factoring whereby your customers are aware that you are raising cash against your invoices.

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Any search of google will reveal hundreds of choices of invoice financing companies. There are three main types of companies. Independent brokers, bank owned invoice finance companies and independent factoring and invoice discounting companies. Independent brokers are a good place to start. Not to be confused with an independent factoring or invoice discounting company that provide the funding and service themselves but are independent in that they not bank owned.

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If your business is planning to invest in capital assets (ie plant and machinery) and/or new staff for expansion, rationalisation or diversification then your business could be eligible for a grant. If the project is yet to start and the your business serves or plans to serve more than a local market than European Grant monies may be available. XL Business Finance has teamed up with a specialist firm of chartered accountants to provide a free assessment of your eligibility for a grant. The initial assessment is absolutely free and a fee is only payable on the successful draw down of a grant.  No grant no fee!

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Contrary to popular belief switching factoring or invoice discounting companies is relatively straight forward.  However it is more difficult if the exiting funder doesn’t want want you to leave.  Under extreme circumstances the existing discounting company will have notice periods built into the terms of the deal which  they will require paying in full. As notice periods could be anything from a  month to six months a chunk of minimum payments can soon add up. However if the relationship has totally broken down the existing provider may be willing t0 reduce their fees and the new provider may be willing to contribute to the fees to ease the pain so to speak. In addition a minimum contract from one to three years is not unusual and this must also be taken into consideration.

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Ok, I know I keep harping on about the banks and potentially having too many eggs in one basket however we have recently come across a situation which shows the banks for what they truly are.

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Invoice discounting is purely a means to be obtaining cash against your unpaid invoices. The facility can be provided on a confidential or disclosed basis.  Normally the facility will pay  up to 85% of any invoices your business raises. Credit is provided for up to 90 days however under certain circumstances there are a number of invoice discounting providers that will provide up to 120 days. Unlike a bank overdraft the level of funding is not restricted by the profitability length of time and credit worthiness of your business. The facility will grow with your business and as such it provides the ideal working capital facility.

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There are a vast number of businesses going through a prepacked administration process at the moment. These are commonly known as a phoenix company. Agree or disagree with the concept they are an option open to many struggling businesses and are widely being recommended by many insolvency practitioners. However obtaining invoice  finance coming out of the other side might not be as straight forward as one might think. It is very unlikely that a bank will finance a phoenix company. There are a few independent finance companies that will finance a phoenix company however the majority will offer factoring or disclosed invoice discounting. There are only one or two finance companies offering confidential invoice finance facilities. Whether you are offered a confidential facility depends upon how you have conducted t your previous business. All factoring and invoice discounting will take a reference from any previous invoice finance company. In a nut shell if the old factoring or invoice discounting has managed to collect out the old debt you have a much greater chance of being offered a confidential facility. If however the old finance company has struggled to collect out the old debt then you have less chance of being offered a confidential facility.