Line up business finance before you need it: a 90-day plan from the lender's side

The worst time to look for finance is the week you need it. Urgency shrinks the market to the lenders that can move quickest, and they price for that. It also pushes owners into rushed applications with gaps in the paperwork — which is how good businesses end up declined. The best time is when the business is trading well and the need is still a plan: an equipment upgrade next quarter, a bigger contract starting in spring, a lease ending next year.

This guide sets out a 90-day plan, written from the lender’s side of the desk, for turning a future need into a well-matched application.

Why does preparing early change the outcome?

Because every lender type has documents and conditions it can’t assess without. The RBA’s October 2025 Bulletin noted that access to finance for small businesses has improved, with more competitive pricing, faster approvals and expanded product ranges — but strict requirements and collateral demands remain the main obstacles for those who still struggle. Most of those requirements can be met with time: lodged returns, a current BAS, a tidy bank account, a known ATO position, security details ready.

Preparation doesn’t just raise your chance of approval. It widens the list of lenders that will look at you, which is what gives you a real choice on structure and cost.

Days 1–30: what should you get in order first?

Define the need. Write one paragraph: what the money is for, how much, when it’s needed and how it will be repaid. If you can’t write it, a lender can’t assess it.

Check your lodgements. Are BAS and tax returns up to date? The ATO’s quarterly BAS due dates are 28 October, 28 February, 28 April and 28 July. If returns are with your accountant under a later lodgement program, ask whether they can be brought forward. Our guide on tax returns and borrowing explains why this matters so much.

Know your ATO position. Download a statement of account from online services. If there’s a debt, decide how to deal with it. The ATO says businesses owing $200,000 or less can usually set up a payment plan online.

Order your credit reports. For the business and each director. The OAIC explains what stays on a report and for how long — enquiries and defaults for five years, repayment history for two. Errors take time to correct, so start now.

Days 31–60: what will lenders look at in your accounts?

Run the bank account cleanly. Many lenders now read bank statements closely. Keep business and personal spending separate. Avoid dishonours and overdrawn days. Pay the ATO and suppliers on time.

Prepare current figures. Year-to-date management accounts from your accounting software, plus an aged debtors and creditors report if you invoice on terms.

Gather security details. If property may be involved: address, rough value, existing mortgage statements, and the names of every registered owner. If an asset is being bought: a supplier quote.

Talk to your accountant about structure and tax, especially for asset purchases. See our guide on the instant asset write-off and financing the purchase.

Halfway through and wondering which lender type you’re preparing for? Ask a specialist — there’s no credit check to ask.

Days 61–90: how do you pick the lender and apply?

Choose the lender type. Use the Lender Matcher or our lender directory to see which types fit your security, trading history, credit, amount, purpose and timing.

Compare structures, not just prices. Term, repayment frequency, security, guarantees, early exit costs. Our page on comparing business lenders has a side-by-side table.

Write your summary. One page: the business, the need, the numbers and any awkward facts explained plainly.

Apply once, properly. A complete, well-matched application to one lender beats several partial ones. Each formal application can leave a credit enquiry for five years.

Your 90-day checklist

Item	Done?
One-paragraph purpose, amount, timing and repayment plan
BAS lodged and paid, or payment plan in place
Latest tax returns lodged (or agent asked to prioritise)
ATO statement of account downloaded
Business and director credit reports checked
Bank account run cleanly for at least two to three months
Year-to-date management accounts
Aged debtors and creditors reports (if you invoice on terms)
Security details or supplier quote
Lender type chosen and one-page summary written

Should you set up a facility before you need it?

Often, yes. A line of credit or invoice facility arranged while trading is strong is assessed on that strength. If a quiet patch or a sudden opportunity arrives later, the funds are there. It’s the same logic as fixing the roof while the sun is shining — and lenders are far more comfortable approving a business that isn’t under pressure.

The cost of an unused facility is usually modest compared with the cost of urgent finance arranged in a hurry. Ask lenders what line fees or minimum charges apply.

What if something urgent comes up anyway?

Then use the lender types built for urgency — usually private or caveat lenders with property security — and treat it as a bridge. Keep working through the plan above, and refinance to a cheaper lender once your file is ready.

An illustrative example

Purely illustrative: a food manufacturer expects to win a supermarket contract in six months, needing new packaging equipment and more stock. In month one the owner asks the accountant to lodge the overdue return and sets up an ATO payment plan for a small BAS debt. In month two they tidy the bank account and prepare management accounts. In month three they arrange equipment finance with an asset financier and a modest line of credit with a non-bank lender, both assessed on a clean, complete file. When the contract lands, the funding is already in place.

What will a lender ask on the first call?

Being ready for these questions makes the first conversation productive:

• What is the money for, and how much exactly?
• How long has the business been trading, and under what structure?
• What does the business turn over, and roughly what does it make?
• Are BAS and tax returns lodged? Is there any ATO debt?
• Is there property or an asset that could act as security?
• Any credit issues, past declines or existing loans we should know about?
• When do you need the funds, and how will they be repaid?

If you can answer all of these in a couple of minutes, you’re ready. If some answers are “I’m not sure”, those are your preparation tasks.

How does preparation change the price you’re offered?

Lenders price risk. A complete file, a clear purpose, current lodgements and clean bank statements reduce the lender’s uncertainty, and reduced uncertainty is what allows a lender to offer its sharper pricing and longer terms. The same business presented in a rush, with gaps and surprises, often ends up with a smaller amount, a shorter term or a more expensive lender type. Preparation is the cheapest way to improve the offer.

Finally, put a reminder in your calendar to review your finance every year, even when nothing is urgent. Check whether existing facilities still fit, whether a cheaper lender type has opened up, and whether a buffer facility would make next year’s surprises easier to handle. Finance planned in calm conditions is almost always better finance.

Ready to start your 90 days?

You don’t need to wait until day 90 to talk to us. Send a 60-second enquiry describing what’s coming up, and a lending specialist will tell you which lender type to prepare for and what will make the biggest difference. Asking doesn’t involve a credit check, we don’t spray your details across the market, and accurate answers mean the lender we eventually approach is the right one first time.