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Best Small-Business Loans10 Types of Business LoansBest Business Loans for Bad Credit
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Before you commit to a small-business loan it’s important to understand your loan amortization and total cost of borrowing.
Enter your loan amount, repayment term and annual interest rate into NerdWallet’s business loan calculator to estimate your monthly payment, total interest costs and total amount repaid. Then adjust the loan characteristics to see how changes can affect repayment.
How much do you need?
We’ll start with a brief questionnaire to better understand the unique needs of your business.
Once we uncover your personalized matches, our team will consult you on the process moving forward.
How to use the business loan calculator
Enter your information. Enter your loan amount, repayment term and annual percentage rate (APR) into the calculator. Make sure your repayment term is shown in months.
Calculate your results. Once you click “calculate,” the calculator will automatically generate results. Feel free to adjust the inputs to understand different loan scenarios.
How to determine your APR
An APR makes it easier to do an apples-to-apples comparison between loan products. However, some lenders do not provide the APR and instead give a general interest rate, or a factor rate, that does not include fees. If that’s the case, you’ll want to calculate the interest or factor rate into an APR to get a better sense of how much your loan will cost.
Interest rate
For a general interest rate, add in any additional fees to calculate your APR.
Say you have a $60,000 loan with a 4% interest rate and $2,000 in fees. First, add those fees to your original loan amount to create a new loan amount of $62,000.
Then, you use your 4% interest rate to calculate the annualized payment of $2,480 ($62,000 x 0.04). To calculate the APR, divide the annual payment of $2,480 by the original loan amount of $60,000 to get 4.13%.
Factor rate
Factor rates are expressed as a decimal, as opposed to a percentage. Multiply the factor rate by your loan amount to determine the total amount you’ll owe your lender. If you have a $50,000 loan with a 1.2 factor rate, for example, you’ll owe a total of $60,000 ($50,000 x 1.2), meaning the total interest you pay would be $10,000. To get the annualized rate, you can divide the amount of interest by the original loan amount, multiply it by 365 and then divide that number by the number of days in your loan term. In this example assuming a six month term, the APR would come out to about 40%.
For more details on converting a factor rate into an APR, follow the steps in our guide.
Learn more about interest rates:
Current interest rates on SBA loans.
Average interest rates on other types of business loans.
Understanding your results
By inputting this information into the calculator, you’ll receive:
Monthly payment. The fixed amount you’ll repay each month. It includes principal, interest and fees.
Total interest paid. The total amount a lender is charging you for a loan. If you repay the loan early, you might be able to save on interest — provided your lender doesn’t charge prepayment penalties.
Total payments. The sum of all the payments to make on the loan, which includes the amount you borrowed, plus interest and fees.
Amortization schedule. This schedule shows how much of your monthly (or annual) payments will go toward your principal and how much will go toward interest. As you continue to repay your loan over time, your monthly payment will remain the same, but your interest payments will get smaller and more of your payment will go toward your principal.
Types of business loans
Small-business loans are available from banks, credit unions and online lenders. Terms, rates and qualifications vary by lender. Here are some of the most common types of business loans:
SBA loans. The Small Business Administration works with banks and other financial institutions to provide small-business loans that have low interest rates and long repayment terms. However, SBA loans are slow to fund and can be difficult to qualify for.
Term loans. Term loans typically range from three to 18 months for a short-term loan and up to 10 years or longer for a long-term loan. The loans can be used for a variety of purposes, including working capital.
Lines of credit. A business line of credit provides flexible access to cash. You get approved for a specific amount of credit and can draw from your line as needed. You only make payments and pay interest on the money you use.
Equipment financing. Equipment financing is used to purchase equipment. Lenders often finance up to 100% of the value of the equipment. These loans are self-collateralizing, meaning the equipment itself serves as collateral for the loan.
More business loan calculators:
SBA loan calculator.
Business line of credit calculator.
Merchant cash advance calculator.
Alternative ways to finance your business
If you can’t meet traditional business loan requirements, you might consider these options instead:
Invoice factoring involves selling unpaid customer invoices to a factoring company that then collects the money from your customers.
Invoice financing is an alternative that allows you to use unpaid invoices as collateral on a cash advance. You still collect payment on the invoices from your customers, and then you pay back the loan. This method gives you more control over your invoicing process.
Personal loans may be an option for new businesses that don’t qualify for traditional financing. Lenders consider your personal credit score and income instead of your business history.
Business credit cards can also be easier to get than a small-business loan. However, business credit cards tend to have relatively low credit limits, but you can earn rewards for your spending, such as cash back or travel points.
Business grants provide free money to startups and operating businesses – either by giving you a lump sum, or reimbursing you for certain expenses. They can be difficult to research and apply for and grant amounts typically aren’t as high as loans, but it can be worth it if you’re able to get free money for your business, even in small amounts.
» MORE: Compare the best startup business loans
Find the right business loan
The best business loan is generally the one with the lowest rates and most ideal terms. But other factors — like time to fund and your business’s qualifications — can help determine which option you should choose. NerdWallet recommends comparing small-business loans to find the right fit for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
A business loan term can be as short as three months and as long as 10 years or more. To qualify for a long-term business loan, you’ll likely need to have an established business with strong finances.
Online lenders typically charge business loan rates from 6% to 99% APR. You’ll likely find the lowest rates from bank or SBA loans. Bank loans, on average, range from 5.89% to 12.23%, and SBA loans range from 11.5 15
Some business loans have monthly payments — although others will require weekly or daily payments. Bank and SBA loans are typically repaid on a monthly basis, whereas short-term online products (e.g. lines of credit, merchant cash advances) are more likely to be repaid daily or weekly.
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