In this article, you will learn the fundamentals of invoice factoring and accounts receivable financing. We will look at what is invoice factoring, what is accounts receivable financing and their key differences. We will also look at some of the benefits and drawbacks of both invoice factoring and accounts receivable financing.
Definition of Invoice Factoring and Accounts Receivable Financing
Invoice factoring, or accounts receivable factoring, is a strategic financial service that helps companies whose business model is to sell their goods or services on credit. The process involves selling outstanding invoices to a finance company, also known as a factoring company, and receiving an advance in cash, a certain percentage of the invoice’s value.
This transaction is an excellent source of working capital because it reduces the amount of time a firm must wait for a payment. Factoring makes sense for firms that have accounts receivable, which refers to uncollected accounts from sales made on credit and is classified as a current asset on the balance sheet. The balance remaining after the initial advance is paid is settled by the factoring company when the principal payer clears the invoice, less the factoring fee.
Accounts receivable financing, sometimes called receivable financing or invoice financing, is a type of financial service where businesses can leverage outstanding invoices to get quick cash without having to wait for the invoices to be paid. While an accounts receivable factor with a bank would sell your receivables to the bank in exchange for a percentage of their value, accounts receivable financing would use outstanding invoices as collateral for a loan. Often, a business could expect to borrow an amount between 70 and 90 percent of the value of its receivables.
This kind of finance charges interest on the amount drawn against the invoices and continues as long as the loan is outstanding. Depending on the structure of the transaction, it can be either a loan or the sale of an asset. The corporate borrower has the freedom to choose a structure that best suits his company’s financial strategy and requirements. As it is a loan against an asset, the asset here is the accounts receivable or sales invoices, which are owned by the companies.
Key Differences Between Factoring and Financing
Cash flow is a key concern for businesses. Since a company is not paid until its customers pay, it needs to find ways to bridge the gap between providing goods and services and receiving payment. To solve this problem, a company can use invoice factoring or accounts receivable financing. However, each has its own benefits and trade-offs.
Invoice factoring also gets money fast. Under an invoice-factoring arrangement, a business sells its outstanding invoices to a factor for an immediate advance. That advance could be as much as 95 percent of an invoice’s value, as opposed to the slower but safer route of accounts receivable financing, which uses invoices as collateral for a loan.
Another difference is who picks up the collection burden. With invoice factoring, the factor assumes the responsibility for collecting invoice payments so the business can focus on essential activities. With accounts receivable financing, the business retains the collection burden, meaning it will keep on following up with customers for payment.
The terms vary financially, too. Factoring costs are often a percentage of an invoice’s value and can vary widely; accounts receivable financing costs are often a flat fee and are, therefore, predictable in amount for businesses no matter how many invoices are paid or borrowed against.
Additionally, the types of providers for these services are different; banks are more likely to provide accounts receivable financing, whereas alternative lenders or specialist factors more commonly provide invoice factoring. Factoring arrangements are also typically marketed as having less demanding underwriting standards than traditional bank loans, making them attractive to many businesses.
Ownership of Invoices
Another point of divergence between factoring and financing is the ownership of invoices. In accounts receivable financing, a business borrows money against its invoices, but is still the debt owner. The business is borrowing against the value of its accounts receivable, but still has the responsibility of chasing payments and is on the hook if invoices don’t get paid.
Meanwhile, in accounts receivable factoring, a company sells its invoices to a third-party factor. The sale of the invoices transfers ownership of the debt to the factor, allowing the invoices to be removed from the original supplier’s balance sheets. The factor then becomes the entity chasing down the customer payments.
Access to Cash
One of the advantages of accounts receivable factoring is that it provides prompt cash flow. A company that wishes to sell its invoices will receive the money immediately, which can be used for daily business operations, financing projects, or expansion.
What is different about factoring is that there is no requirement for further collateral and also no effect on the business’s credit rating, which may make it an attractive source of cash in a hurry for businesses without the restrictions of a regular bank loan.
Factoring can be a lifeline for small businesses in particular, keeping them afloat while they wait for customers to pay. It allows them to finance their activities without a steady cash flow from customer payments, representing a much more nimble approach to financial management.
Impact on Customer Relationships
The fact that a business has to use a factor to collect unpaid invoices can also affect its relationships with its customers. A factor will usually alert the customer to her involvement; customers who have been officially notified of a company’s use of a factor might then start to think the business is in financial trouble, which could, in turn, affect its standing.
Because a factoring company assumes responsibility for collecting invoices, it can alter the nature of a business’s relationship with its customers. While the business may still play an active role in certain aspects of customer relationships, the factor’s notice can complicate such interactions.
A longer-term agreement with a factor would allow the factor to check a wider range of books when the business might need cash. This could consequently limit the business’s flexibility in managing customer relations and in collecting its customers’ debts at any given time.
In short, while both factoring and financing help overcome a lack of funds and deal with cash flow problems, selecting the most appropriate for a company depends on knowledge of how each changes ownership of an invoice, how it gives access to cash, and the impact it has on customer relationships.
How Does Invoice Factoring Work?
Invoice factoring is a form of financing where businesses sell their invoices to a financing company, or factor, to convert accounts receivable to cash. Companies can avoid waiting days or weeks for customer payments by selling invoices. Here’s how it works.
There is a downside to factoring in that when a factor buys a company’s receivables, the business loses control over how its collections are handled. This can, in turn, affect its future business with clients if the way in which the factor relates to them reflects poorly on the business.
Recourse vs. Non-recourse Factoring
Factoring accounts receivable can come in many flavors, and establishing the different types of factoring agreements can help you choose the one that’s best for your business.
In recourse factoring, the business sells its invoices but agrees to repay the factoring company for any invoices that their customers do not pay. This adds a level of protection for the factor company, which is often reflected in lower fees for the service.
Recourse factoring usually involves lower fees but puts the risk of customer non-payment on the company selling the invoices. In these agreements, if the invoice becomes delinquent and the customer doesn’t pay, the business has to buy back that invoice from the factoring company.
By contrast, non-recourse factoring frees the business from worrying about unpaid invoices. Since the factoring company is on the hook for the credit risk, the fees are higher to reflect this additional risk. Even though more costly, non-recourse factoring can be a strategic play for businesses that want to be financially secure.
Distinguishing between these two factoring options is critical to choosing the right solution to address your working capital needs and manage your credit risk.
Notification vs. Non-notification Factoring
The delivery of information to the customer is also an essential component of the factoring process.
Customers are notified that their invoice has been sold to the factor and are instructed to pay to the factor, not the company from whom they purchased the goods or services. This notification keeps the payment process clear.
Under non-notification factoring, on the other hand, the existence of the factoring agreement remains a private matter between the business and the financing company. Customers continue to pay the business directly, at least on the surface; all payments go to the factoring company’s bank account, which is kept under lock and key to protect confidentiality.
Whether the business opts for a system of notification or non-notification factoring will have a vital bearing on how it manages its customer relationships and how its clients view its transactions and financial obligations with those customers.
If a business is looking at ways to boost cash flow, it may want to contrast recourse versus non-recourse factoring. With both, the business is selling its outstanding invoices to a factoring company in exchange for a cash advance. But they differ in how they handle risk.
Recourse Factoring: The business owner is liable for unpaid invoices. If a customer does not pay according to the invoice terms, the business must buy back those invoices. Because the factoring company has less credit risk under this arrangement, the cost to the business (usually in the form of factoring fees) can be lower.
Non-recourse Factoring: the risk of having a customer’s cheque bounce is transferred to the factor. This is a big deal for business owners who want to protect themselves against the risk of bad debts, owing to unpaying customers. It also tends to be the most expensive kind of factoring.
It is critical to know whether to opt for recourse or non-recourse factoring, largely based on familiarity with these risk and fee structures and which best suits your company’s financial strategy and risk tolerance.
How Does Accounts Receivable Financing Work?
Accounts receivable financing is a form of financial engineering that allows a business to turn unpaid invoices into an actual loan. It allows you to convert your receivables into immediate cash flow, which can be useful for funding day-to-day operations, expansion, or paying for an unexpected expense. Here’s how it works:
Assessment: A financing company evaluates the available accounts receivable.
Cash advance: If approved, the company gives the business the money upfront, usually 75 to 90 percent of the total invoice value.
Purchase: The company buys the items from the producer.
Collection: The business can then use the funds before the customer’s payment arrives.
Payment and Fees: Once the customer pays, the finance company returns the remainder of the invoice, less its factoring fee and the original advance, to the business.
Structure of AR Financing
AR Financing can be structured as an asset sale or a loan. When businesses enter into an AR financing agreement, they aggregate their receivables on a borrowing base similar to a traditional line of credit. In contrast to invoice factoring, however, factoring is not the aggregation of receivables.
The finance company usually advances 75% to 85% of the invoiced amounts, and there is always a minimum monthly charge even if the financing is unused.
This funding model is particularly advantageous in evening out the financial ups and downs of late customer payments, in effect filling a gap that helps companies maintain business continuity and efficiency.
Interest Rates and Fees
The rates of accounts receivable financing are strongly correlated with current interest rates, and lower interest rates usually translate into better advance rates. The factoring fees themselves typically range between 1 percent and 6 percent, with a frequency of recurrence depending on the customary payment terms in the industry, until the client eventually pays off the invoice. In contrast with interest charged by standard bank loans, which is treated as a reduction of net income throughout the loan, factoring fees are booked as business expenses.
The distinction between recourse and non-recourse factoring is important: with recourse factoring, the company remains liable if a customer fails to pay, which reduces the fees that the factor will charge (since the factor is taking less risk). Under non-recourse factoring, the factor assumes bad debts (but the fees he or she takes will be commensurately higher).
The cost of this borrowing is the interest charged on the borrowed money, plus possible mark-ups to compensate for a business’s credit risk. Crucially, in the event of default, the financing company has the right to seize the outstanding receivables, much as a bank could claim any collateral pledged against an unpaid traditional loan.
Benefits of Invoice Factoring
Factoring is a quick way for a business with outstanding invoices to smooth its cash flow. By taking its invoices to a factoring company in exchange for immediate cash, an enterprise can avoid extended waiting periods for payment and better control its finances. This instant influx of cash gives a company the ability to more effectively manage its day-to-day expenses and invest in its growth.
Another benefit of factoring invoices is that the task of collection is passed on. This enables businesses to concentrate on their core business activities without being distracted by the low-value, time-consuming task of chasing up every customer payment. Spending time on activities that increase a company’s productivity and add real value – ie, not collections – can be a way to supercharge your business.
It can be a struggle for a seasonal business to keep the operation going when business slows down. Invoice factoring provides a continuing flow of capital to cover the overhead, even when revenues fall off.
If your business is trying to expand or introduce a new product, the cash flow issues that this might entail can be eased by the immediate money that invoice factoring can provide. You can then put this money into enhancements and growth opportunities that might otherwise be unavailable to you because of your company’s financial restraints.
Immediate Cash Availability
Invoice factoring represents a harbinger of financial light for businesses in need of cash. Briefly, it involves a company selling its unpaid invoices to a factoring company, which advances the company a portion of the value of those invoices to be paid by the customer. Often, this is far faster than if the company were to attempt to access the funds through a bank loan or other traditional financing.
Factoring’s quick setup also makes it one of the best options for firms that need to liquify their assets quickly. Unforeseen expenses or opportunities that require a fast financial reaction are common, and factoring’s ease of access makes it a good match for such needs.
In a typical factoring arrangement, a business receives about 80-90 percent of the invoice’s value up front, which provides much-needed liquidity to alleviate cash flow constraints. With this cash injection, the business can make new investments or begin new projects that will increase sales and generate more cash flow.
No Debt Accumulation
The most important distinction of invoice factoring is that it does not create any debt. Getting cash from a bank loan means a company incurs more debt, but when a receivable is factored, the outstanding receivable is just exchanged for cash and no balance sheet liability is created. An exchange is not a borrowing, and the financial frame stays healthy and unleveraged.
No debt on the books means business owners can access vital working capital without creating a vicious cycle of financial obligations. It also means that they can retain full owner stakes rather than diluting their control, an often-overlooked benefit over other approaches that require equity in exchange for funding.
The way factoring agreements are structured avoids the monthly repayment schedule associated with loan agreements and is instead dependent on customer payments of the outstanding invoices. This can also significantly reduce the cash flow variability that typically plagues businesses, smoothing the way for day-to-day operational expenses.
Simplified Cash Flow Management
By allowing rapid conversion of invoices into sales cash, invoice factoring can be a powerful tool to smooth existing cash-flow management for many businesses, enabling them to undertake new operational or growth initiatives.
Using accounts receivable factoring to improve cash flow can also improve customer relations, enabling finance teams to allow clients more time to pay without fear of jeopardizing payment and helping to re-focus the teams away from tactical collection activities to more strategic goals.
Factoring is a financial solution often crucial for small and mid-sized enterprises (SMBs) that are inaccessible to traditional line-of-credit or bridging loans. It provides a more flexible, accessible avenue for financing that accommodates and adjusts to a business’s unique cash flow requirements.
Remember that factoring, in terms of costs, might end up being higher than that of a standard business loan. How much the fees will ultimately amount to depends on the factoring company’s terms, the type of factoring you choose, and the general creditworthiness of the customers you invoice. But for many businesses, the advantages of factoring – and the control it provides over the receivables process – make it a sound strategic financing decision.
Drawbacks of Invoice Factoring
Sure, invoice factoring can quickly help manage a business’s cash flow by transforming unpaid invoices into cash. But it’s not all pretty. One of the major downsides is cost. The factoring fees, typically somewhere between a few percentage points of the invoice value, can be higher than the interest rates on most loans. On top of that, many factoring companies add charges for origination fees, service fees and credit checks.
A second area of concern is the loss of control over the collections process. Once an invoice is sold off to a factoring company, it will typically take over collecting outstanding invoices from customers. This can potentially lead to damaging instability in existing client relationships. In particular, the involvement of the factoring company in collections can make clients wary—they might wonder why a business would require a loan if it is doing well.
Another potential pitfall is the advance rate which, as a general rule, equates to around 80 per cent of the total invoice value, with the remainder (less factoring fees) paid out once invoices have been collected. This can often mean receiving far less cash than the invoices are actually worth.
Cost Comparisons
Assess the total amount of fees you’ll incur in your financing and compare these costs to other forms of financing. Factoring generally has higher fees than traditional financing mechanisms such as bank loans. Fees are typically between 1 percent and 5 percent of the value of an invoice, and the rates are often based on industry standards and levels of credit risk.
To arrive at a true factoring price, one should also factor in the ‘extras’ – the service fees, processing charge and any other administrative costs – which typically raise the total cost to a level that is higher than the other options.
By contrast, although accounts receivable financing can provide more flexibility and higher advance rates, the cost is usually higher than what a bank line of credit could offer. Interest rates on factoring can vary widely, depending on customer creditworthiness, invoicing volume and other factors, with spreads ranging from 1 per cent to as much as 5 per cent per month.
It is also worth stressing that the factoring fees are an expense recorded on the income statement of the business, whereas traditional loans generate interest over the loan term, which impacts the net income of the company. The accounting differences can impact the perception of profitability and financial condition of a business.
Potential Impact on Customer Relationships
Hiring a factoring company to take care of accounts receivable can unintentionally affect client relationships. Having a third party in the collections process can intimidate clients, especially if the company enforces different terms and practices than the business had in place already. A client could see the third-party intervention as a sign that business is in trouble, and could lose faith in and loyalty to the company.
Customers generally know when a factoring company takes over collections, which can put the company’s cash flow into the spotlight, and which can put relationships on the line. At the same time, if clients receive stricter payment terms from the factor, this too will disrupt their customer experience, which could also lead to dissatisfaction.
The business might be tempted to persistently rely on invoice factoring, with the risk that it will cede some control over its relationships with customers, and over some of the terms of its engagement with them. The risk could gradually increase over time, affecting the way that customers see the business and their willingness to engage with it – with consequent risks for the business’s ability to grow and develop a strong customer base.
Benefits of Accounts Receivable Financing
Accounts Receivable Financing can provide a quick cash injection to your business through your existing invoices. This infusion of money can empower your business to have the finances readily available for urgent needs or to take advantage of new opportunities. For companies that sell to other businesses (B2B), this financing option often provides a steady foundation of revenue to soften the ebbs and flows of earnings.
Retain Ownership of Receivables
The key to accounts receivable financing is that the company maintains control over its invoices. It secures the financing by posting the invoices as collateral. It does not sell its invoices. Rather it uses the invoices as collateral to get the cash it needs and then repays the loan as its customers settle their accounts. The key to this financing is that it is not a factoring arrangement. In factoring, the company selling the invoices gives up control over collections.
Borrowers also need to perform, maintaining the collections themselves, a point that differentiates accounts receivable financing. The loan is secured by your receivables, but you continue to control the collection process. In a recourse factoring, you retain the collection, but the responsibility for invoices that go unpaid returns to the business if the customer fails to pay, usually within a short period of time, driving home that the financial stability of your customers is the foundation to a successful financing experience.
Flexible Funding Options
Due to the relatively straightforward nature of a factoring arrangement and the fact that it can be set up quickly, businesses can quickly receive the money they need. With immediate cash flow from factoring, businesses can avoid the financial lag associated with long payment terms. In addition, because the factoring company handles the collections, a business’s ability to devote resources to strategic operations can be maximised.
Credit Line Accessibility
A bank line of credit will typically advance up to 75% of good accounts receivable. Factoring arrangements are often even more liberal, advancing between 75% to 90% of invoiced values; as a form of financing that offers cash flow on demand, they are not only highly attractive but also quick and easy to arrange. Lines of credit run the gamut from a few weeks to well over a year, ensuring that there is always a line of credit appropriate to the need.
Owning its invoices enables the company to retain control over a financial asset that can help it get more credit. Typically, factoring can have a more lenient qualification process for borrowers than the more rigorous financial scrutiny generally necessary for a bank line of credit. This makes factoring a more flexible loan option for a business looking to boost its cash flow on a fast-track basis without the rigours of a bank loan.
Drawbacks of Accounts Receivable Financing
While accounts receivable financing provides a quick influx of cash to a business, it is not without drawbacks. For starters, a business will need to have a good credit standing to be approved for such financing. This requirement, in itself, could be a deterrent from some business owners who may not have the kind of credit history that would grant them access to these funds.
The other major disadvantage is cost. In general, invoice finance is a more expensive way to raise funds than a normal business loan – and the extra cost can eat into your company’s bottom line. A business needs to think through the trade-offs between a cash injection upfront versus the long-term financial impact of the decision.
Furthermore, accounts receivable financing requires unpaid invoices as collateral, which can also limit the amount of ‘immediate cash flow’, to use the language of the industry. You might not get as much money up front as you would with invoice factoring, where the factoring company buys the whole invoice. In accounts receivable financing, only part of the value of the invoice is made immediately available; the rest is payable in full upon the settlement of the invoice by your customer.
Plus, interest on the money you access through accounts receivable financing can compound – so it costs more to borrow over time. The longer your customer pays you, the more interest can stack up, which inflates costs.
Finally, as a caveat, you should know that, in contrast to invoice factoring – which involves the actual sale of your unpaid invoices to a factoring company – accounts receivable financing gives you the cash more slowly. And that can be a problem for a business that needs to pay its bills or take advantage of a new opportunity right away.
Higher Interest Rates
You have to be willing to pay a premium on your interest or fees for accounts receivable financing, especially with invoice factoring arrangements. Those firms will charge you more if they feel that the risk is high; and if they feel the risk is high, you will pay a premium.
For instance, non-recourse factoring has higher rates than recourse factoring, since in the non-recourse agreements the factor assumes the full risk of a customer’s non-payment. This risk has to be compensated by higher fees in order for it to be a viable commercial arrangement.
Interest rates in the general economy. High prevailing interest rates can reduce the bang you get for your buck in factoring, since the cost of funds for a factoring company is generally higher. That means less cash upfront for your receivables is available in a high-interest rate environment.
However, it is worth noting that fees associated with factoring are not simply recorded as interest expense as occurs with a business loan. Rather, they are recorded as a separate factoring expense which, as we can see, operates differently than interest on a profit-and-loss statement.
Finally, customer creditworthiness is a factor: in many cases, factoring companies will charge companies a better (lower) rate for invoices for goods and services sold to creditworthy customers. A creditworthy customer suggests that the sale is likely to get paid on time, reducing risk and so reducing costs.
Dependence on Customer Creditworthiness
When it comes to customers, factoring and receivable financing is all about who owes the money. As with any loan, the creditworthiness of a client is critical. Factoring companies are digging deep into the customers’ payment histories and financial healths because they want to make sure their lending decisions are securely anchored. A business can be great, but if its customers are considered to be shaky, it’s going to have a hard time getting financing.
Things become even more complicated when the business has a large and diverse customer base. Across more customers, lenders have more difficulty in accurately evaluating portfolio returns and risk.
The terms of the factoring agreement also influence the role of customer creditworthiness. Agreements without recourse shift the risk of non-payment to the factoring company, which reinforces the emphasis on customer credit risk management.
Moreover, every factoring company runs credit checks on prospective customers, as a guarantee that they will pay and to minimise the risk of bad debts – which can hurt the selling business as much as the factor. It’s not just your customers’ profitability that matters; it’s directly related to your own profitability and your ability to manage financial risk.
Factors to Consider When Choosing
Finding the right factoring company is perhaps the most important thing you can do for the short- and long-term health of your company. Look at their experience in your industry: a company with experience in your industry will be able to provide you with a more tailored service, which could mean a faster and easier start up.
If cash flow is your god, remain flexible, because that is golden. You want to partner with someone who lets you choose which invoices to factor, so your capital matches your needs. If the setup process is fast, you’ll be able to procure the capital faster. A quick agreement means quick capital, which means that your business is not hindered by unnecessary delays.
And it’s not just the deal, either. Watch out for collateral requirements that could raise your cost of funds or limit access to your cash. Finally, consider ongoing support. A good factoring company is about more than just your money; it’s about supporting your credit management skills. Ongoing support helps ensure that your receivables are managed properly for the long term.
