How long does it take to pay off business loan?
Short-term loans are generally repaid in six to 24 months; long-term loans typically have repayment periods of three years or more. Bank loans secured by collateral generally offer lower interest rates than unsecured loans; however, the lender can take your collateral if you fail to pay back the loan.
Loan type | Repayment terms | Loan amounts |
---|---|---|
Term loans | Three months to 10 years | $5,000 to $1 million+ |
SBA loans | Up to 25 years | Up to $5 million |
Traditional bank loans | Three to 10 years | $250,000 to $1 million |
Business lines of credit | Six months to five years | $1,000 to $250,000 |
Like a home mortgage, every term loan has a specified repayment period. A typical term loan at the bank for a business loan could be four, five, 10 years, or longer. The term is usually dictated by the loan purpose.
The term loan is categorized into short-term, intermediate-term and long-term loans. The repayment tenure of these two types ranges between 12 months to 5 years. Term loans that are of a shorter duration which is of 12 months are called short-term loans and loans up to 5 years or more are long-term loans.
How soon do you have to pay back a business loan? This will depend on the terms of your loan as decided by your lender, but for a traditional business term loan, terms can range from three to 10 years. Factors like your business's financials and your personal credit can affect your loan term.
Most business loans are installment loans. Instead of getting a revolving credit line, you receive the full amount of the loan upfront and pay it back in equal installments. This way, there's a set repayment term, typically with fixed monthly payments.
- 1+ Year in Business.
- $500,000 in Annual Revenue.
- 580+ Credit Score.
Example Monthly Payments on a Million Dollar Business Loan
Consider a $1M loan with an interest rate of 4% fixed for 20 years. The monthly payments on that business loan would be $4,774.15. Then, consider the same business loan with the same interest rate for 15 years. The payment on that is $7,396.88 a month.
If your business can qualify for a $300,000 business loan, you'll likely get one of the lower rates a lender has to offer. But simply meeting a lender's minimum requirements often isn't enough. You generally need good credit, a few years in business and the cash flow to support the monthly payments.
Getting a long-term business loan usually requires you to meet requirements like a solid annual revenue, decent time-in-business and a good personal credit score. If you can't meet those criteria, a personal loan might be a better option for a longer repayment timetable.
Are business loans monthly or yearly?
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.
Legal action: When a business defaults on a loan, the lender has the right to take legal action against the business to recover the outstanding amount. This can include filing a lawsuit, obtaining a judgment against the business, and even seizing the business's assets to satisfy the debt.
Your Lender Will Initiate Collections
Once the loan default grace period is up, your lender will hand over your account to collectors. It's at this point that lenders will usually be unwilling to work with you and will start seizing your business assets. If you pledged personal assets, those may be at risk as well.
Lenders can take legal action against borrowers to recover the outstanding debt. If the court rules in the lender's favor, it may seize the company's assets or require ongoing payments. Personal liability.
Normally, your personal credit report shouldn't be impacted by a business loan, even if you've personally guaranteed the loan. Business debt and payment history do not affect your credit score, unless the business defaults on the loan, in which case your personal credit can be negatively impacted.
Pay the balance off early
If your lending institution does not have a prepayment penalty, you may want to pay the balance off before the final due date. One way to do this is to make higher monthly payments (see #3) until the balance is paid in full. You could also make an early, substantial, lump sum payment.
But can you pay yourself? Yes, if the funding is there. According to the SBA, operating expenses, besides equipment, raw materials and staff payroll, "include your salary as the owner and money to repay your loans." Having said that, one major caveat is that you must be cautious in the amount you pay yourself.
While you can get up to $5 million for a standard SBA 7(a) loan, most borrowers in 2022 took out just under a million dollars at $999,210. The average for all SBA 7(a) loans, including the Small Loan and Express programs, was $538,903.
Lender | Average small business loan amount |
---|---|
Bank loans (small regional bank) | $146,000 |
SBA 7(a) loan | $479,685 |
Online loans | $5,000 to $250,000 |
Short-term loans | $20,000 |
Compare $2 Million Loans
Most $2 million business loans aren't easy to come by. You'll need to have good credit and enough revenue to convince lenders you'll be able to manage payments.
Is it hard to get a 5 million dollar business loan?
Some online lenders and credit unions can offer $5 million loans, often through the government-back Small Business Administration (SBA) 7(a) program. These are inexpensive but involve a lengthy application and have one of the lowest approval rates.
Required annual revenue: $500k+
Almost all business lenders offer loans in this amount, so you won't be locked out of loan rates based on the loan's size. But you might struggle to qualify for a loan of this size from any lender if your business has been around for less than a year or you have a credit score below 670.
Banks can offer some of the largest term loans to business owners, especially if you work with a large national bank. You might be able to borrow $1 million or more, though you'll need strong business finances to qualify for a large amount.
Microloan lenders like Kiva and Accion also provide loan solutions that could work for small businesses without any revenue. Online lenders like Funding Circle, Fundbox and OnDeck offer loans to small businesses, though many will require some revenue.
However, a credit score of 680 or higher is generally considered good and will make you eligible for most small business loans. A credit score of 720 or higher is considered excellent and will give you access to the best interest rates and terms.
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