Contractors use working capital or lines of credit for materials, payroll and mobilization between progress payments; equipment financing covers machines.
Check my optionsConstruction
Commercial jobs pay well but pay slowly. Draw schedules, retainage and pay-when-paid clauses mean contractors often front materials and labor for weeks. The right funding mix bridges that gap without eating the margin.
Amount to request
$85,000.00
Funding range$25K to $5M
*Sample amounts shown. Your actual offer depends on your business and is reviewed before approval.
You can apply at 500; stronger credit opens more products.
Net cash, total payback and payment shown before you sign.
A person reviews your revenue, time in business and bank activity, often within hours.
Your file goes to funders that fit it, so offers can be compared.
Fast decisions. Applying takes about 5 minutes.
A short application. A soft credit pull to start.
We review revenue, time in business and bank activity, not just a credit score.
You see the amount, the schedule and the full repayment amount before you sign.
Funding in as little as 24 hours for qualified businesses.
On a typical commercial project, the contractor submits a pay application monthly, the owner or general contractor reviews it, and payment arrives 30 to 60 days later, minus retainage of 5% to 10% held until completion. Meanwhile payroll runs weekly and suppliers expect payment within 30 days. The larger the job, the larger the gap between costs out and cash in.
Several tools address this. A business line of credit covers recurring gaps between draws. Equipment financing handles machinery without draining working capital. Invoice factoring can advance cash on approved pay applications, though some factors avoid construction because of lien and retainage complexity. Revenue-based funding and merchant cash advances can fund materials and payroll quickly based on bank deposits, considering credit from 500.
Price each funding option against the job margin. If a $400,000 subcontract carries a 15% gross margin, that is $60,000 of profit; a funding cost of a few thousand dollars to keep the job moving can be worth it, while one that consumes half the margin is not. Ask for payment structures that align with your draw schedule, such as weekly payments rather than daily ones.
Keep documentation tidy: contracts, schedules of values, approved pay applications and lien waivers make underwriting easier for contractors. Through MFE, one application can bring offers from funders familiar with construction cash cycles.
Bonding capacity is closely linked to financing for commercial contractors. Surety companies review working capital and net worth when setting bonding limits, so a contractor that uses short-term funding wisely, keeping balance sheets healthy and paying obligations on time, can support larger bonded projects over time. Funding that weakens the balance sheet can limit bonding instead.
Here is how an advance might bridge materials and payroll between draws. Illustrative numbers.
| Amount funded | $75,000 |
| Factor rate | 1.38 |
| Total payback (amount × factor) | $103,500 |
| Fees deducted at funding (4%) | $3,000 |
| Net cash you receive | $72,000 |
| Weekly payment over 44 weeks | $2,352 |
| Same total as daily debits (~220 business days) | $470/day |
Illustrative numbers only. Your offer depends on your file; always compare net cash and total payback in writing.
| Monthly draw delay | Line of credit or advance |
| Retainage held to completion | Reserve or line of credit |
| Large material orders | Advance or supplier terms |
| Heavy equipment | Equipment financing |
| Approved pay applications | Factoring, where available |
Good fit:
Probably not yet:
Common options are lines of credit, revenue-based funding and supplier terms.
A percentage of each payment, often 5% to 10%, held until the project is complete.
Some factors fund approved pay applications; many avoid construction due to lien complexity.
Ask for weekly or structured payments rather than daily debits.
Revenue-based options begin at 500.
Contracts, schedules of values, pay applications, lien waivers and bank statements.
Example uses for illustration only.
Before you apply:
One secure application. A soft credit pull to start. No obligation to accept an offer.
Apply for Funding