Fast growth
Your best month is your latest month, and the offer seems to ignore it. Here is why funders average, how a jump month is treated and how to size a request that still works if growth slows.
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Updated October 13, 2026 · Merchant Fund Express
Funders read revenue from about three months of business bank statements and look at the average, not the peak. A business that went from $38,000 to $71,000 in a quarter is read closer to the middle of that range, and a single jump month is often given less weight until it repeats. That is not a penalty for growing. It is a check that the payment you sign for can be carried by revenue you will still have in month six of the term.
The practical answer is to size the request to sustainable revenue, the level you are confident holds, and treat the extra as upside. If growth continues, a larger amount is easier to justify a few months later on a longer record.
A funder adds up qualifying deposits and divides by the months reviewed. Transfers from your own accounts, loan proceeds and refunds are taken out, which is explained in what deposits count as revenue. Then the trend is read. A steady climb across three months reads very differently from two flat months followed by a spike.
When the newest month stands far above the others, a reviewer may ask what drove it, ask for a month-to-date statement to see if the new level is holding, or read the jump month at something closer to the prior level. You cannot control which, but you can make the answer easy: show the contracts, the new location or the repeat customers behind the jump.
A wholesale bakery supplying cafes. Deposits: July $38,000, August $52,000, September $71,000. The owner wants money for a second oven and flour bought in bulk.
| Way of reading revenue | Monthly figure |
|---|---|
| Three-month average ($161,000 ÷ 3) | $53,667 |
| Average if September is read at the August level ($142,000 ÷ 3) | $47,333 |
| September run rate | $71,000 |
Two ways to size the request, both with an illustrative 1.28 factor, a 3% fee and 40 weekly payments:
| Sized to the run rate | Sized to sustainable revenue | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount approved | $90,000 | $45,000 |
| Net proceeds after 3% fee | $87,300 | $43,650 |
| Total repayment | $115,200 | $57,600 |
| Weekly payment | $2,880 | $1,440 |
| Monthly equivalent (weekly × 52 ÷ 12) | $12,480 | $6,240 |
| Share of $47,333 sustainable revenue | About 26% | About 13% |
With the smaller request, funded on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the first payment would fall on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 and the 40th on Wednesday, July 28, 2027. If September’s level holds, the payment is about 9% of deposits. If revenue slips back to the August level, it is still about 12%. The larger request only works if every month from here looks like September.
All figures in worked examples are illustrations of the arithmetic, not offers or quotes. Real terms depend on your file and the funder.
Tax returns are not part of a typical first review, and full financials are usually requested only above $250,000. That matters for a fast-growing business, because last year’s return understates where you are today.
If the growth is one month old, three more months of statements can change the average more than any explanation can. In the example, three more months at $71,000 would put the average at $71,000. Another option is to take the smaller amount now and come back for more on the stronger record; see renewal vs new funding. And if growth is squeezing your balance, read keeping fast growth from breaking your finances before adding a payment.
Check your numbers with the payment burden calculator using your sustainable revenue, not your best month. Then run the eligibility check, which starts with a soft pull, or apply with three months of statements ready.
Offers are sized from an average of recent statements, and a single month far above the rest may be read with less weight until it repeats.
About three months for a typical first review. Larger requests and longer terms can need more history.
It can. Late in a month it shows whether the new level is holding, which is exactly the question a jump month raises.
Ask for what sustainable revenue can carry. If growth continues, a larger amount is easier to support on a longer record.
Revenue is one Tier 1 line ($25,000 a month or $300,000 a year). Time in business, credit, deposits, balances and ownership must also clear.
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