Wondering how to get money to start a small business with bad credit? There are options - and not all of them have late-payment penalties that involve cement overshoes.
For the best options in bad credit business loans, start here. We have compiled a list of our top picks using a unique evaluation methodology. Evaluate your needs, check out the options, and you’re in business. Let’s get started.
With over 200,000 small-business customers, Biz2Credit is one of the leading online credit platforms in the United States. Biz2Credit’s platform provides small-business owners with three types of financing: working capital loans, term loans, and commercial real estate loans. Read Review
- ⦿High loan amount
- ⦿Extensive educational resources
- ⦿Flexible repayment plans
If you’ve been in business six months or longer and have a credit score of 600-plus, Fundbox is ready to talk to you. It’s one of the bad credit loan providers with the most transparent funding requirements on our list. The company offers 24-hour funding of up to $150,000 on a 12-, 24-, or 52-week repayment plan. Read Review
- ⦿Easy-to-meet loan requirements
- ⦿Revolving line of credit
- ⦿Low APR
Whether you are looking for business loans for startups or you already operate a small or medium-sized business, Kabbage is a solid choice. With a low credit score requirement of just 560, you can qualify for a bad credit loan of $1,000 to $150,000 on a six-, 12-, or 18-month repayment plan. Read Review
- ⦿Quick funding
- ⦿Low revenue requirement
- ⦿Flexible repayment terms
LoanBuilder is one of the best companies when it comes to long-term business loans for bad credit. The company offers a lot of flexibility with repayment terms. As long as you meet the 550 minimum credit-score requirement, you can draw funds of up to $500,000 on plans that range from 13 weeks to one year. Read Review
- ⦿Low revenue requirement
- ⦿Wide range of terms
- ⦿Very high maximum loans
BlueVine offers a wealth of options for loans. Here we’ve selected a term loan option for people who want to get a loan with a bad credit score - but they also offer invoice factoring and lines of credit. With a credit score of at least 530 for invoice financing and 600 for term loans, you can draw on funds ranging from $5,000 to $5,000,000 ($250,000 if you have bad credit) on a six- or 12-month repayment plan. Read Review
- ⦿Lots of options
- ⦿Low requirements and high loan amounts for invoice factoring
- ⦿Excellent customer support
With a credit requirement of 600, OnDeck is not the best option on our list if you need loans for very bad credit scores. However, the company offers repayment terms of up to three years, making it one of the providers on our list with the longest terms. You can draw anywhere from $5,000 to $500,000 on the term loan and up to $100,000 on the line-of-credit option. Read Review
- ⦿Long term loans
- ⦿Term loan and line-of-credit options
- ⦿Fantastic customer support platform
Credibly is a Michigan-based online lender that offers bad credit business loans such as term loans and merchant cash advances. Its low credit-rating requirements make it well suited to the needs of small businesses, but it requires higher monthly revenues than most of the lenders on our list. With a credit score of at least 560 and monthly revenue of at least $15,000, you can get a loan ranging from $5,000 to $400,000. The company offers six-, 12-, and 18-month repayment plans. A UCC-1 filing is required only for loans over $100,000. Read Review
- ⦿Low credit rating requirements
- ⦿Easy application process
- ⦿Prepayment discounts
Accion is a global nonprofit organization that started in Venezuela. It now offers loans for businesses across the US. Relaxed loan qualifications make them perfect for startups and minority business loans with bad credit ratings. If your small business is older than 12 months and generates at least $50,000 annually, you can qualify for Accion Opportunity Fund’s small business loans that range from $5,000 to $100,000. Repayment terms vary from six months to five years, the longest of any lender on our list. Read Review
- ⦿Longest repayment terms
- ⦿Easy borrower qualifications
- ⦿Good choice for startups and minority business loans
Related Product Categories
So You Need a Business Loan but Your Credit Is Bad
Securing a loan for your small business or startup might seem very difficult, especially if you've had credit problems in the past. Investment loans, startup loans, government small business loans, crowdfunding… There are many options.
Small business loans with no credit check requirements are about as common as unicorns on the Ark. To make things worse, most have unfavorable terms - especially if you have less-than-stellar credit.
Jokes aside, we have gathered here a list of providers that offer the best poor credit loans for your business. Some of them have qualifications that are easier to meet, while others offer lower fees and interest rates or longer repayment terms. Either way, they all have bad credit loan options.
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let’s take a look at our selection criteria so you can see how we chose our favorites.
Our Methodology
Loan Requirements
The most crucial information you need to know when looking to get a loan with a bad credit score is what requirements you need to satisfy to be eligible for the loan.
This may seem straightforward, but many factors can affect your eligibility for credit loans. Does the lender look at your credit score? What is the minimum credit score that makes you eligible? If not, what other factors does the vendor evaluate when considering your application?
How many years do you have to run your business to be eligible for a loan? How much does the business have to earn on an annual basis? Many lenders don’t require your business to be turning a profit, but it sure couldn’t hurt - chances are it will be a major factor in earning you favorable terms. Doubly so if you’re looking for business loans with a bad credit score.
Credit providers evaluate loans according to specific requirements, so this is the most important category to consider when starting your search for a credit loan online.
Loan Terms and Conditions
Another crucial consideration if you’re wondering how to get a business loan with a bad credit score is what conditions the loan provider offers. How much money can you borrow? How quickly can you access the funds? How long is the term? What loan types are available? Are there any special terms and conditions? Hidden costs? This category gives us an in-depth look into the core operating principles of loan providers so you can choose the best bad-credit lenders for your needs.
Ongoing Costs
This category is closely related to the previous one. Here we examine all of the ongoing costs related to your loan. This includes the interest rate on the loan, your actual costs (represented by the annual percentage rate or APR), as well as origination, cancellation, late-payment, and other fees. We consider all the additional costs your loan may incur during its lifetime.
Customer Satisfaction
The final consideration when evaluating any business, including poor credit loan providers, is the company’s relationship with customers. We look at Better Business Bureau ratings and online customer reviews.
We also evaluate the customer-service options lenders who deal with bad credit loans offer to borrowers - phone support, email, live chat. Whether you’re looking to apply for a loan or to get information about your existing loan, being able to get the right information and get it quickly is a crucial aspect of good customer service.
Best Bad Credit Business Loans
- Biz2Credit
- Fundbox
- BlueVine
- Accion
- LoanBuilder

Best Bad Business Loans Reviews
Biz2Credit Review
MEDIUM
QUICK
EXCELLENT
MEDIUM/HIGH
MEDIUM
- ⦿ Customized funding products
- ⦿ Excellent choice of free business toolkits
- ⦿ Repayment in daily, weekly, or bi-weekly installments
Fundbox Review
EASY
EXCELLENT
LOW
QUICK
MEDIUM
- ⦿ Requires no personal collateral
- ⦿ Charges no origination fee
- ⦿ APR starts at 10.1%
Kabbage Review
MEDIUM
GOOD
MEDIUM/HIGH
QUICK
LOW
- ⦿ Loans as low as $1,000
- ⦿ 0.25% to 3.5% monthly fee instead of an interest rate
- ⦿ Easily-achievable annual revenue requirement of $50,000
LoanBuilder Review
EASY
EXCELLENT
MEDIUM
QUICK
LOW
- ⦿ Offers some of the highest loan amounts - up to $500,000
- ⦿ Flexible repayment terms from 13 to 52 weeks
- ⦿ No origination and repayment fee nor interest rate - just a one-time Total Loan fee
BlueVine Review
MEDIUM
EXCELLENT
MEDIUM/HIGH
QUICK
MEDIUM
- ⦿ Invoice financing up to $5 million
- ⦿ Free automated clearing house processing
- ⦿ Only six months in business required
OnDeck Review
MEDIUM
VERY GOOD
MEDIUM
QUICK
MEDIUM
- ⦿ Origination fees get smaller with subsequent loans
- ⦿ Up to three years repayment period
- ⦿ 24/7 access to funds
Credibly Review
EASY
MEDIUM
HIGH
SHORT
LOW
- ⦿ Fixed interest rate starting off at 4.8%
- ⦿ Loan amounts up to $400,000
- ⦿ UCC-1 filing only for loans over $100,000
Accion Review
EASY
EXCELLENT
MEDIUM
LONG
MEDIUM
- ⦿ You need to own only 20% of the business to apply
- ⦿ APR from 7% to 34%, lower than with most competitors
- ⦿ Low bar for applying
Most companies require a credit score of at least 560, and the better your credit score, the better your terms will likely be.
Yes. The SBA application process is exhaustive, and SBA loans for bad credit are especially difficult to get. The reason for this is that they offer the lowest interest rates and longest repayment terms available while also offering funding for amounts more substantial than borrowers might otherwise find.
You usually need to have a minimum credit score of 560 and have a business running for some time, and earning a certain amount of monthly revenue (varies from lender to lender).
Getting start up business loans with no credit check isn’t possible with any of the lenders from our list. Lenders generally tend to check your credit score, and you need a score of at least 560 for LoanBuilder, the lowest-requirement provider we could find.
Your best bet is the service industry, as the initial costs are much lower than those of a product-based business. Make a solid business plan and consider potential operating costs while working on networking with people. You should then look at crowdfunding platforms and loan providers.
Yes. Many companies offer bad credit business loans, but you have to be aware that the terms are generally far less favorable than those available to people with higher credit ratings. All of the companies on our list offer options for entrepreneurs with bad credit ratings.