# Documents Needed for Franchise Funding

> The franchise funding document pack by situation: single unit, multi-unit, equipment and remodel requests, with entity, statement, ownership and quote checklists.

Source: https://mfebusinessloans.com/franchise-funding/documents/ (Merchant Fund Express, updated 2026-10-21)

## The short answer

For a typical first review, Merchant Fund Express needs about 3 months of business bank statements as PDFs from the bank, the entity details and a short list of current payments. Equipment and remodel requests add a quote or bid, multi-unit owners add statements for each entity, and requests above $250,000 usually add full financials.

## What goes in every franchise funding document pack?

Bank statements: the last 3 months for the account the unit's sales land in, downloaded as PDFs from the bank, not screenshots or spreadsheets
Entity details: legal name, entity type and the state it is registered in, matching the bank account
Owner details: government ID, plus an ITIN or SSN for the soft credit pull
Ownership: each owner's percentage; Tier 1 products need the applicant to hold at least 50%
Brand: the franchise name typed into the application
Current payments: every advance or loan, its payment and frequency (a simple debt schedule works)
Thresholds that sit behind these papers are on the requirements page. This page is the practical pack.

## Which documents change by situation?

Situation | What to send | Often helpful |
Single unit, working capital | 3 months of statements, entity, owner ID | Processor statements if card sales settle elsewhere |
Multi-unit, one entity | Statements for the shared account | A list of units on that account |
Multi-unit, entity per store | Statements for each entity | An ownership chart linking the entities |
Equipment purchase | Core pack plus a vendor quote | Make, model and expected useful life |
Remodel or refresh | Core pack plus a contractor bid | Scope of work and timeline |
Request above $250,000 | Core pack plus full financials | Interim profit and loss, balance sheet |

## How should single-unit owners prepare?

A single-unit owner usually needs the core pack and nothing else. Download statements straight from online banking so the PDF keeps its text layer. If card sales settle into a different account, add processor statements so the reviewer sees full revenue. Keep the file names plain (account, month) so a reviewer can find each one quickly, and include every page of each statement, even the blank ones. Note on the application which deposits are not sales (owner transfers, refunds, a loan), because not every deposit counts as revenue.

## What extra do multi-unit owners send?

Statements for each entity that will appear on the file, same three months for all
An ownership chart: who owns what percentage of each entity
A one-line note per unit: brand, city, and which account it deposits to
Payments that one entity makes on behalf of another, flagged so they are not double-counted
Merchant Fund Express reviews multi-unit files entity by entity and counts the obligations of the whole group. The multi-unit guide explains the structure choices.

## What do equipment and remodel requests add?

Equipment: a dated vendor quote with item, price and delivery; the item's useful life; whether it replaces or adds capacity. See equipment financing.
Remodel: a contractor bid with scope, cost and schedule; whether the store stays open during the work. See remodeling.
Both: the core pack, because deposits still decide whether the payment fits. A quote older than a few weeks may need refreshing before funding.

## Is the franchise agreement part of the pack?

It can be requested, so keep a PDF ready. It confirms that the entity on the statements is the franchisee for that unit, and it shows whether royalties are a percentage or a flat amount. Royalty and ad fund debits are read as recurring obligations either way. Do not send personal tax returns unless asked; a typical first review does not need them. If the agreement was assigned to you in a transfer, include the assignment page too, so the reviewer can see when your entity took over the unit and which months of deposits belong to it.

## Which mistakes slow a file down?

Statements missing a month, or cut off mid-month
Screenshots or edited files instead of bank PDFs
An entity name on the application that differs from the bank account
An existing advance left off the payment list
A second entity's statements arriving a day after the rest
Each of these restarts the complete-file clock. Merchant Fund Express decides the same day on a complete file, and funding often follows the next business day.

## Keep reading

Franchise funding requirements: the thresholds behind each document
Bank statements guide: what reviewers look for line by line
First document pack: for owners who have never applied
Franchise funding hub: all franchise pages in one place

## Common questions

### How many months of statements does a franchise owner need?

About three months of business bank statements for the account the unit deposits into. Multi-unit owners send the same three months for each entity.

### Do I need tax returns?

Not for a typical first review. Full financials are usually requested only above $250,000.

### Can I send screenshots of my bank account?

Send PDF statements downloaded from the bank. Screenshots and spreadsheets slow the review because they cannot be read the same way.

### What if my units are in different LLCs?

Send statements for each LLC and a short ownership chart. Each entity is read on its own deposits, and the group's obligations are counted.

### What extra goes with an equipment request?

A dated vendor quote, the item's useful life and a note on whether it replaces existing equipment. The core statements are still needed.

### Can ITIN holders submit documents?

Yes. ITIN applicants are accepted, and Spanish-speaking support is available while you gather the pack.

Apply with Merchant Fund Express: https://merchantfundexpress.com/current-application.html?utm_source=mfebusinessloans.com&utm_medium=franchise&utm_campaign=franchise-funding&utm_content=documents