Factoring Blog

Factoring Financing in Canada

Invoice factoring has been gaining popularity in Canada as an alternative to conventional business loans and lines of credit. One reason for this is that getting a business loan is particularly difficult. Most lending institutions only provide financing to companies that have substantial assets for collateral, spotless financial records, and a long track record of success. Few small, or even midsize companies, can meet this requirements. However, if your company has cash flow problems because it’s offering payment terms to its commercial customers, then factoring may actually be a better solution than a conventional business loan.

Factoring in Canada is designed to help companies that have cash flow problems because they do business with corporate customers that pay their invoices and up to 60 days. From a capital perspective, your company has to spend money to deliver the service and then wait up to two months for payment. Few companies can afford to do this and grow at the same time. Of course, companies would not have these problems if customers paid their invoices within a few days of receiving your product/service. And this is where factoring your invoices comes in.

Factoring provides a similar benefit to a quick payment, without actually requiring your customers to pay sooner. Rather, a factoring company advances funds to your business using your open invoices as collateral. Usually, factoring companies advance anywhere between 80% to 90% of your invoices as soon as the work is completed. You get the remaining 10% to 20%, less the financing fee, once your customer pays in full.

One important advantage of factoring over other solutions is that it has easier collateral requirements. From a collateral perspective, the most important requirement is that your customers must have good commercial credit. This is most important because your customers payment ability acts as collateral for the transaction. Additionally, your company needs to have good invoicing practices, be free of major problems, and be operated by knowledgeable managers.

One clear benefit of factoring your invoices is that it’s one of the few forms of financing that allows you to leverage the credit strength of your customers to your own advantage.  Additionally, most factoring lines are designed to be indexed to your sales – this means that the line will increase as your sales to credit worthy customers grows. This makes invoice factoring an attractive solution for growth oriented companies in Canada that have cash flow problems due to slow paying clients.

Factoring Canada – Invoice Factoring Financing in Canada

Finding financing for a small business in Canada has always been challenging. Most institutions tend to be very conservative and will only provide financing for companies that have substantial assets and a long track record of profitability. Unfortunately, most small and mid sized companies can’t meet the requirements of large institutions. Fortunately, there are other options for companies. There is one alternative that has been gaining popularity recently in Canada – factoring.

This type of financing helps companies that have cash flow problems due to slow paying clients. In Canada, is common to give customers up to 60 days to pay their invoices. This can create problems for small companies that can’t really afford to wait that long. Factoring solves this problem and accelerates the revenue due from that invoice, improving your cash flow.

Factoring works on a very simple premise – a factoring company advances funds against your slow paying invoices an holds them as collateral. The transaction is settled once your customer pays the invoices in full. A key feature of invoice factoring is that the main collateral is the invoice – and more importantly – the credit strength of your customer who is paying for the invoice. Factoring companies view your customers’ credit strength as an asset.

Factoring financing can be used in a number of industries. Industry examples include transportation (freight bill factoring), staffing and manufacturing among others. To qualify for factoring, a company should have solid commercial customers, be free of legal problems and be free of tax problems. This makes it a perfect solution for companies whose biggest asset their customer list.

Business Financing for Companies in Canada

Getting conventional business financing in Canada can be little difficult. To qualify for bank financing, most businesses (and their owners) need to be able to show substantial assets, a long profitable track record and must be able to post collateral that is acceptable to the institution. The problem is that few small businesses can actually qualify for this type of funding.

However, companies that sell to commercial customers and have cash flow problems may qualify for an alternative form of financing that is called invoice factoring. Most small businesses that sell to commercial customers have to extend 30 to 60 day payment terms to their customers.  However, few of these small businesses can afford to wait for payment  - they need the funds to cover operational expenses. And unless they can cover the expenses from their cash reserves, they will only have three options – delay expenses, ask customers for a quick payment or get business financing to bridge the gap.

Most business owners will try to juggle expenses and invoices hoping to manage the situation. Sometimes this will work, but many times it won’t. For many, the better solution is to use factoring. In Canada, factoring programs have been gaining popularity in recent years as a flexible solution for small business owners. Factoring offers a simple solution – an intermediary called a factoring company gives you an upfront advance for your invoice. They hold the invoice until payment, while you get the liquidity you need to run your business. The transaction is settled once your customer pays the invoice in full.

One of the advantages of factoring is it’s availability to small businesses. Since factoring companies buy your invoices, the biggest requirement to qualify is that your customers (who pay your invoices) should have solid commercial credit. Aside from this, your company should be free of legal and tax problems.

It’s transaction structure and ease of availability make accounts receivable factoring and ideal solution for small businesses whose biggest problem is that they can’t wait up to 6 weeks to get paid by customers.

Factoring for Canadian Trucking Companies

Many Canadian companies have an important advantage over their US counterparts. While the US economy was dragged down by a major credit crunch and recession, the Canadian economy and financial system escaped largely unscathed. This will enable many companies, especially those in the transportation sector, to grow at a fast clip as the world economy improves.

The only catch is that the Canadian financial system is known for having strict lending requirements. They will only offer funding to companies that have impeccable financial statements and a solid track records. This can be challenging for transportation companies, especially small trucking companies and freight brokerages, who don’t meet these requirements.

One way to solve this problem is to work with a company that offers factoring in Canada. As opposed to most conventional forms of financing – factoring is fairly easy to obtain. Freight factoring provides a solution to companies that have cash flow problems because they can’t afford to wait 30 to 60 days to get their freight bills paid. Factoring provides a advance on your soon to be paid freight bills, providing you with the necessary cash flow to pay your drivers, fuel expenses and truck repairs.

To qualify for invoice factoring your company must:

  1. Work with credit worthy shippers
  2. Be free of liens
  3. Be free of legal and tax problems

These simple requirements enable small transportation companies whose biggest asset is good shipper relationships, to capitalize on those to grow the business beyond it’s current capabilities.

We offer factoring solutions in the US and in Canada. We offer factoring in Nebraska and Factoring in Montana.

Factoring Financing for Canadian Companies

Running a business in Canada has always had its particular set of challenges. One of the biggest challenges has always been finding the right business financing. The market has been dominated by banks and institutions, which have very tough and strict lending criteria. Obtaining a business loan or almost any other type of business financing in Canada in pretty difficult. However, that is changing. Quickly.

Recently, Canada has seen an increase in the number of independent financing companies that specialize in business financing. Some offer business loans, but the majority have focused on offering invoice discounting (also know as invoice factoring). Although a relatively young industry, the Canadian factoring industry is growing quickly. But, what is invoice discounting?

One of the biggest problems for small and mid sized businesses is waiting up to 60 days to get invoices paid by their commercial clients. This can affect their ability to pay rent, suppliers or salaries on time. This problem is common for many businesses, such as trucking companies, staffing agencies, manufacturers, consultants and others. Invoice discounting is a financial product that eliminates slow paying invoices by financing them.

The factoring process is very simple. Once you invoice an approved client, you send a copy of the invoice to the financing company (also known as the factoring company). The factoring company advances you a significant portion of the invoice while they wait to get paid by your customer. The transaction is settled once the customer pays the invoice. The factoring company offers this service for a small fee or discount.

An invoice discounting arrangement provides you with the necessary funding to pay expenses such as rent, suppliers and employee salaries. This enables you to operate your business efficiently, without worrying about when your clients will pay. Furthermore, invoice discounting can help you win bigger clients, because it eliminates the worries of having to wait for them to pay.

As opposed to bank financing, invoice factoring is relatively easy to obtain. The biggest requirement is that you do business with established clients who pay their invoices regularly. Invoice discounting is truly a flexible product that is within easy reach of small and mid sized businesses.

Factoring in South Dakota and invoice factoring in Tennessee

Factoring Financing for Canadian Staffing Agencies

Of all the responsibilities that temporary staffing agency owners have, none is more important than payroll. Employees are the lifeline of the business and making sure they are paid in time goes a long way at ensuring your company has smooth operations. Paying employees on time can be very challenging, especially if a client is late with a payment.

Let’s look at a common scenario for a staffing company. A client leases 10 employees for a short term two week contract. At the end of the two weeks the staffing agency will have to pay the employees. Your client, on the other hand, will get an invoice from you and pay it in 30 to 45 days. Unless you have the funds to pay your employees while waiting for your own payment to arrive – you are going to run into a problem. This situation is unfortunately common in the industry.

The obvious way to solve this problem is with business financing. This is easier said than done. Getting a business loan in Canada can be very difficult. Most banks are very conservative and will only make business loans to clients that can show substantial assets and impeccable financial statements. While these are desirable characteristics, the biggest asset that a staffing agency has is its employees. This makes them hard to finance.

If we look at the problem, it’s fairly simple. It’s the payment gap between delivery of services and payment by the client. One easy way to handle this is to use invoice factoring. Invoice factoring provides a funds advance for the invoice. This gives you the funds to meet your payroll and business expenses without having to wait for your client to pay.

Most transactions are structured with two payments. The first payment varies but it’s usually about 85% to 90% of the invoice. This payment is given to you as soon as you submit the invoice for financing. The remaining 10% to 15%, less a fee, is advanced once your client actually pays for the invoice.

One of the big advantages of factoring in Canada is that it’s easy to qualify for. The most important requirement is that your client have solid credit and the ability to pay the invoice on time. This makes it a great alternative for growing staffing agencies.

Freight Bill Factoring for Canadian Transportation Companies

One of the biggest challenges of owning a logistics company is managing all the payments associated with operations. This is true for both freight brokers and truckers. There are driver expenses, fuel expenses, office expenses and repair expenses. What makes managing these expenses difficult is that few clients offer a quick pay alternative. More often than not, they will require that you give them 30 to 60 day payment terms. That is where the problem lies, especially for growing companies.

Basically, you have expenses that must be paid now and income that will come later. There are only two ways to cover this gap. If you have some capital, you can cover the expenses and wait until you get paid. Otherwise, you will need to get business financing.

Most owners think that business loans are the only form of financing for a business. The challenge with a business loan is that they are difficult to obtain. Most banks in Canada are conservative and will only provide a small business loan if the company has a solid track record and substantial assets.

Furthermore, a business loan is usually better if you use it buy capital goods/equipment, rather than to solve short term cash flow problems. One alternative form of business financing that has been gaining traction in Canada is freight factoring.

Freight bill factoring is a financing product that is designed specifically to solve the time gap between delivery of services and payment. It provides a cash advance against the freight bill, providing funds to meet business expenses and tackle new opportunities. One important difference between business loans and factoring is that freight factoring is usually easy to obtain. The most important requirement is that you work with clients who have good commercial credit and pay their invoices – albeit slowly.

Transactions can be structured in a couple of ways. Most companies opt to get two advances. The first one, about 90% of the invoice, is given immediately. The remaining 10%, less a fee, are advanced once the actual invoice is paid by the client. Others opt for a full advance, where they get only a single full advance (usually higher than 90%). However, these transactions have a higher cost.

The costs of financing are determined by the volume of invoices you finance and the credit quality of your clients.

How to Finance your Company in Canada with Invoice Factoring

One of the more common business problems involves dealing with slow paying clients. In most business to business transactions, a product or service is sold to a client who pays in 30 to 45 days. Offering this type trade credit is basically the norm, especially if you are selling to large companies. Basically, larger companies get better use of their cash by making their vendors wait to get paid. It’s that simple.

This agreement works well if the vendor, in this case yourself, has the ability to wait 45 days to get paid. Some can. Many can’t self finance, because they have obligations they have to meet. There is payroll. There are suppliers. There is rent and many other expenses that must be met.

This problem can be solved easily with business financing. However, everyone knows that business credit is tight and very hard to get. Most institutions are making conservative decisions. They need to see assets, solid financial statements and a good track record of running you business. This put business loans out of the reach of most business owners. But a business loan is not the only way to solve this particular problem, nor is it always the best solution.

A better solution may be to factor your invoices. Invoice factoring is a type of transaction whereby a factoring company gives you an advance for your 30 to 60 day invoices. This provides you with the funds to meet payroll and other critical expenses. The transaction is then settled once your client actually pays for the invoice.

One of the advantages of factoring in Canada is that it’s easy to obtain, when compared to other products. Factoring companies secure their position by holding the invoice as collateral and they consider this your most important collateral. This an important feature because it provides financing to companies whose biggest – or only – asset is a solid client base. One additional benefit of invoice factoring is that the credit limit is dynamic and tied to your invoices. If you increase your billings to reputable clients your factoring line will usually be increased to match it.

Although factoring in Canada is certainly not a cure all, it works very well in instances where the major business challenge is the inability to wait to get paid by clients.

How to Use a Factoring Company to Improve the Cash Flow of your Canadian Business

Having sufficient working capital to operate your business on a is critical if your company is to prosper. Without it, you won’t be able to meet current liabilities such as rent, payroll and supplier payments. When faced with cash flow problems, many owners try to ignore the problem by waiting before taking action. The hope that the problem will solve itself. This seldom happens. While a cash flow problem may be solved temporarily by a quick customer payment, chronic cash flow problems seldom fix themselves and need management action.

One of the more common causes for cash flow problems is offering net 30 or net 60 terms to clients. By offering terms you are effectively delaying your invoice payment. However, usually, you are still liable to pay your suppliers and employees quickly. This creates a gap between when you need to pay liabilities and when you will receive income from an invoice.

Many companies can bridge this gap by using their own fund reserves to cover expenses. Those that don’t have their own reserves usually try to get some form of business financing to cover the gap. Frequently, an owner will approach their local banker hoping to get a business loan. While business loans can be used to correct this problem, they are better suited for buying assets rather than covering cash flow problems. For many companies, a better solution is to use factoring in Canada.

Factoring Canada, a form of financing offered by a factoring company, provides an immediate advance on invoices that are payable in 15 to 90 days. This provides the cash flow to cover operating expenses, helping ensure that your company can deliver on its promises. Factoring has a number of advantages. The most important one is that the credit quality of your customers plays an important role in the transaction, and for the most part, determines the amount of funding you can get. This feature makes factoring in Canada very dynamic as your financing line can grow as your billings grow.

Factoring companies structure the transaction in two payments. The first payment, about 80% of the invoice, is funded as soon as the invoice is presented to the client. The second payment, about 20% (less the fee), is funded once your client actually pays the invoice.

Factoring Canada is a great solution for companies that have great potential but can’t afford to wait to get paid by the clients.

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