Your invoices show sales, but they cannot cover Friday’s payroll until the cash arrives.
Receivables financing can bring forward cash from eligible unpaid invoices, helping you manage the gap between delivering work and getting paid. At 7 Park Avenue Financial we focus on helping Canadian business owners assess receivables funding, working capital, and asset-based financing against their operating needs.
What is Receivables Financing
Receivables financing lets a business turn unpaid customer invoices into cash before customers pay. It helps cover payroll, suppliers, and other operating costs while waiting for payment.
There are two main forms:
Receivables-backed loan or line of credit: Your business borrows against eligible invoices and repays the financing as customers pay.
Invoice factoring: Your business sells eligible invoices to a financing company, which advances part of their value and releases the balance, less fees, after customers pay
We hear a lot these days about 'privacy’ and confidentiality in business. Well, here's a twist on that.
How would you like to be the firm with a confidential receivables financing facility when all your competitors and other firms are using traditional commercial finance factoring funding for their cash flow/working capital? Sounds interesting, right?
Receivables financing versus factoring Versus a bank line - Which Working Capital Soluitons Works for You
Receivables financing
Factoring
Bank operating line
Structure
Loan or sale, secured by AR
Outright sale of invoices
Loan, margined on AR and inventory
Underwriting focus
Your customers
Your customers
Your financials and covenants
Customer notification
Often optional
Usually yes
No
Grows with sales
Yes
Yes
Only at renewal
Typical cost
Higher than a bank line
Higher than a bank line
Lowest
Speed to fund
1 to 3 weeks to set up
Days to 2 weeks
Weeks to months
Which receivables financing structure fits your business?
Option
How it works
Best fit
Factoring
Sell eligible customer invoices for an advance, with the balance paid after collection, less fees.
Businesses whose main funding need is unpaid invoices and that may benefit from collection support.
Receivables-backed revolving credit
Borrow against eligible invoices through a revolving line. Availability changes as invoices are issued and collected.
Businesses seeking ongoing working capital that can manage collections and regular lender reporting.
Broader asset-based lending (ABL)
A facility supported by receivables plus eligible inventory and, where appropriate, equipment or other assets.
Businesses needing more borrowing capacity than receivables alone can support.
The deciding factors: which assets can support funding, how much cash you need, and whether your business can handle the reporting requirements.
For many Canadian businesses, the right financing depends on the cash-flow need. A bank line can offer lower-cost, ongoing access to funds, while factoring turns eligible unpaid invoices into cash to bridge gaps between customer payments and operating expenses.
Choosing between bank lines and factoring
A bank line of credit is usually the lower-cost option for an established business with predictable cash flow, while factoring is often faster and more accessible when unpaid customer invoices are the immediate problem. The right choice depends less on the headline rate and more on your customers, payment terms, financial statements, and how quickly you need cash.
What is the difference?
A bank line of credit is a revolving borrowing limit that you draw on as needed and repay from operating cash flow. It is often secured by accounts receivable and inventory, and interest is charged only on the amount borrowed.
Factoring is a transaction in which a business assigns or sells eligible customer invoices to a factor for an immediate advance. The factor may collect payment directly from the customer, and the business receives the remaining reserve after the customer pays, less fees.
How much does receivables financing cost for Canadian businesses?
Receivables financing costs typically range between 1% and 2% of the total invoice value, depending on customer credit quality, payment terms, and overall monthly invoice volume. Rates are calculated based on the risk profile of your debtors rather than solely on your company's historic balance sheet.
The Advantages of Confidential Receivables Financing Over Traditional Factoring
The hard reality these days is that financing receivables has emerged as an 'in fashion' alternative to traditional financing that is often unavailable to thousands of medium and smaller businesses in Canada.
(Oh, and by the way, larger corporations also use a subset of this financing!)
We're often amazed at how long some firms continue to use commercial finance factoring. There are all sorts of reasons why.
One not-so-obvious one is that Canadian banks will often calculate interest on your firm’s entire approved credit line, even if you only use part of it. It seems a bit unfair. The receivables financing strategy is the ultimate in 'paying for what you only use'.
We admit that’s one smaller reason thousands of firms in Canada have factoring agreements in place.
The reality is that most businesses are interested in the total flexibility of this business financing solution. If we had to be pinned down and identify one main reason firms factor in receivables, it might be that your credit facility grows as your sales increase. So, bottom line, no more annual reviews or bulge crises when things don’t work out temporarily. It’s the end of 'fighting fires' in cash flow and working capital.
How Does Confidential Accounts Receivable Financing Work As A Cash Flow Solution?
Financing receivables is a subset of asset-based lending in Canada. Your firm sells its A/R either on a one-time or ongoing basis. A hefty advance, usually in the 90% range, is made against the most valuable of current assets: your customer accounts. You have just generated instant cash flow. Once your client pays that 'holdback' of 10% or so, it is refunded to you, the client, with less financing costs.
Those financing costs in Canada average anywhere from 1-1.5% a month, and quite frankly that middle range, i.e. 1.5% is a typical fee for each invoice based on a standard industry credit term of 30 days. Factors that affect your rate are the size of your portfolio, your general overall financial condition, and the quality and size of your A/R and client base.
So, that privacy issue. What's that all about, ask clients. Well, we would prefer that you consider a confidential receivables financing alternative. Under this type of facility, you bill and collect your receivables, the bottom line your financing arrangements are known only to you and your receivable finance partner.
What an advantage! Simply because thousands of other firms, including your competitors who utilize commercial finance factoring, have to go through a somewhat intrusive process of having traditional factor firms notify clients and are involved in collecting your accounts.
How does Client Payment Speed Affect Receivables Finance Pricing?
Client payment speed affects receivables finance pricing in two ways: it decides how many fee periods you pay, and it shapes the rate and advance a lender offers you.
1. You pay fees for every period an invoice stays unpaid
Most receivables finance fees accrue per 30 days, per 10 days, or daily.
The longer your client takes to pay, the more periods you’re charged.
Special Issues to Consider in Receivables Finance
CRA obligations: Tax arrears, deemed trusts and collection actions can affect lender priority and funding availability.
Government invoices: Assignment procedures and payment instructions may need approval or acknowledgement before financing.
Construction holdbacks: Holdbacks, progress billings and disputed amounts may be excluded from eligible receivables or require special terms.
Provincial security rules: Registration and priority requirements vary by province, including Quebec’s distinct legal framework.
CASE STUDY: Financing a Major Contract
From The 7 Park Avenue Financial Client Files
ABC Company, a GTA security and access-control installer, won a major contract requiring $600,000 in equipment and labour on net-60 payment terms. Its $400,000 bank line offered little additional funding because the bank restricted lending against the new customer’s invoices.
7 Park Avenue Financial arranged a $1.2 million confidential receivables financing facility with an 85% advance rate, replacing the bank line. The process included correcting $70,000 in unapplied credits and negotiating flexible exit terms.
Funding closed in about three weeks, increasing available working capital to approximately $950,000. ABC accepted the contract, paid suppliers and met payroll without personal funding, with a planned return to bank financing within 18–24 months.
CASE STUDY #2
ABC COMPANY is an Ontario commercial cleaning business serving property managers on 60-day payment terms.
CHALLENGE
New contracts increased weekly payroll before the related invoices were collected. The business had $300,000 in eligible receivables but needed cash to support the larger workload.
HOW WE GOT THERE
In this scenario, the advisory process matched verified invoices with a receivables facility using an assumed 85% advance rate. The arrangement provided $255,000 before fees, reserves, and any existing debt repayment.
RESULTS
ABC COMPANY gained earlier access to invoice proceeds to support payroll and supplies. The benefit was improved payment timing; profitability still depended on contract margins and financing costs.
Key Takeaways
The Factoring Process: Understanding how businesses sell their invoices to a third party (the factor) at a discount to receive immediate cash.
Costs and Fees: Grasping the structure of accounts receivable financing rates/fees associated with factoring, which typically includes a percentage of the invoice value.
Impact on Cash Flow: Recognizing how factoring provides immediate cash flow, enabling businesses to invest in growth or cover operational costs via innovative receivable loans
Choosing a Factoring Partner: Knowing the criteria for selecting a reputable factoring company for an accounts receivable loan that aligns with your business needs and goals.
Customer Relationships: Understanding the implications of factoring on customer relationships, as the factor will be collected directly from them.
Conclusion
Receivables financing is not automatically expensive debt: Its cost should be compared with the cash-flow cost of missed supplier discounts, delayed hiring, lost contracts, or payroll stress.
So, bottom line? If you don’t mind the whole world knowing about how you finance your firm's business, then consider a traditional commercial finance factoring strategy.
If on the alternative you want all the benefits, the exact cost by the way, and want to run your own business from a cash flow and working capital standpoint... well, you know what to do!
FAQ: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS PEOPLE ALSO ASK MORE INFORMATION
How does commercial accounts receivable factoring work?
Invoice Factoring involves selling your outstanding invoices to a third party, the factor at a discount, providing you with immediate cash flow.
What are the main benefits of accounts receivables factoring for my business?
There is immediate cash flow, no need for collateral, and the ability to manage better and predict your cash flow via the accounts receivable financing process.
Is my business eligible for accounts receivables factoring?
Understanding how accounts receivable financing works, businesses with outstanding invoices from government and commercial creditworthy customers are eligible for factoring / AR financing
How quickly can I access funds through receivables factoring?
Funds via receivables loans / factoring can typically be accessed within 24-48 hours after the factoring agreement.
Does receivables factoring affect my relationship with my customers?
Factoring can be discreet, and many factors offer non-notification factoring, where your customers are unaware of the financing arrangement.
What's the difference between recourse and non-recourse factoring?
Recourse factoring requires you to buy back unpaid invoices to the accounts receivable finance company , while non-recourse factoring does not, offering more excellent risk protection.
Can I factor invoices from all my customers?
Factors may assess the creditworthiness of your customers and choose which invoices to finance.
Are there any industries that particularly benefit from receivables factoring?
Industries with long invoice payment cycles, like manufacturing and wholesale, often benefit most from factoring.
How does the factor collect payment from my customers?
The factor takes over the collection process, directly contacting your customers for payment.
Can I continue conducting business with my customers as usual during the factoring process?
Yes, you can continue business operations normally, though the factor will manage invoice collections.
How does the factoring fee structure work?
Factoring fees from accounts receivable financing companies are typically a percentage of the invoice value and vary based on the invoice amount and the customer's creditworthiness.
How can I ensure my customers are treated fairly by the factor?
Choose a reputable factoring partner known for ethical practices and discuss their collection methods before signing an agreement.
What happens if a customer fails to pay an invoice under a non-recourse factoring agreement?
In non-recourse factoring, the factor assumes the risk of non-payment, and you are not required to reimburse the factor for that invoice.
Key Terms and Definitions to Better Understand Receivables Financing
Receivables financing: a way to get cash now from unpaid B2B invoices, either by borrowing against them or by selling them to a lender. The lender looks mainly at how creditworthy your customers are.
Advance rate: the percentage of an eligible invoice’s value that the lender pays you upfront. It is typically 75% to 90%.
Reserve (holdback): the part of the invoice value the lender keeps until your customer pays. It is released to you, less fees, once payment arrives.
Discount fee: the lender’s charge, usually a percentage of the invoice’s face value for each period the invoice is outstanding.
Eligible receivables: the invoices a lender will fund. They usually exclude invoices over 90 days, disputed invoices, and invoices to related parties or customers outside approved limits.
Recourse: a structure where you must buy back or replace an invoice your customer doesn’t pay.
Non-recourse: a structure where the lender absorbs the loss if an approved customer can’t pay because it is insolvent.
Notification: your customers are told to pay the lender directly.
Non-notification (confidential): your customers keep paying you as usual and don’t know a lender is involved.
PPSA registration: a public filing under provincial Personal Property Security Act law that records the lender’s security interest in your receivables.
Dilution: reductions to invoice value from credit notes, returns, discounts or disputes. These reduce what a lender will advance.
Concentration limit: a cap on how much of your funding can come from any single customer.
STATISTICS
Canadian payment times (Q1 2026): Canadian small businesses waited 29.8 days on average to be paid, and late payments rose to 11.6 days from 10.5 the previous quarter. xero
Regional payment times (Q2 2026): Average time to be paid was 28.4 days in Alberta, 30.0 days in Ontario and 31.8 days in the Maritimes. retail-insider
Sales pressure: Canadian small-business sales fell 0.6% year over year in Q2 2026, the third straight quarterly decline. retail-insider
Economic outlook: The OECD expects Canada’s economy to grow 1.2% in 2026, down from 1.7% in 2025. retail-insider
North American factoring growth (2025): Factoring volume rose about 16.6% year over year, and long-term respondents’ volume climbed from $119.4 billion in 2024 to $139.2 billion in 2025. sfnet
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stan Prokop is the founder of 7 Park Avenue Financial and a recognized expert on Canadian Business Financing. Since 2004 Stan has helped hundreds of small, medium and large organizations achieve the financing they need to survive and grow. He has decades of credit and lending experience working for firms such as Hewlett Packard / Cable & Wireless / Ashland Oil
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