Existing vs new
Two different questions with two different kinds of underwriting. Here is how to tell which one you are asking, and where each one is answered.
✓ Merchant Fund Express starts with a soft credit pull. Terms depend on your business's revenue and history.
Updated October 21, 2026 · Merchant Fund Express
Merchant Fund Express funds operating franchise units on their deposits, so we need an operating history. We do not offer startup, acquisition, SBA or real-estate products. If you are buying or opening your first franchise, start with the buying and startup guides linked below; if you already run a unit and want another, that request is reviewed on your current units.
Funding for an operating unit looks backward: months of deposits, royalty debits, balances and existing payments show what the store can carry. Funding for a franchise that does not exist yet looks forward: projections, the buyer's net worth and liquid capital, and often collateral. The questions, the documents and the products are different, which is why a single application rarely fits both.
Merchant Fund Express works only on the first kind. The rest of the franchise funding section is written for that owner.
| Existing operating unit | New or purchased unit | |
|---|---|---|
| What is reviewed | Bank deposits, balances, royalty debits, current payments | Business plan, projections, buyer's personal finances |
| Minimum history | 6+ months (revenue-based) or 3+ years (Tier 1) | None; the unit has not opened |
| Typical documents | 3 months of bank statements as PDFs | Franchise disclosure document, plan, personal financial statement |
| Typical uses | Payroll, equipment, remodel, inventory, another unit | Franchise fee, build-out, purchase price, real estate |
| Products | Working capital, line of credit, term loan, equipment financing, revenue-based financing, merchant cash advance | Outside what Merchant Fund Express offers |
| Where to read | Requirements | Buying a franchise |
Saying this plainly saves time. A franchise disclosure document, a lease letter of intent or a franchisor approval does not change it, because none of them is operating revenue. A file without deposits cannot be sized under our published requirements, and submitting one only delays your search elsewhere.
An owner who already operates one or more units is not a startup. The request is reviewed on the deposits of the units already open, entity by entity, with royalties and existing payments counted. If the new unit sits in a new LLC, that entity has no history of its own, so the file rests on the operating entities. The multi-unit guide covers this in detail.
Example: an owner runs one unit depositing $70,000 a month and plans a second. Merchant Fund Express reads the first unit's statements, counts its royalty and ad fund debits and one existing advance, and sizes a payment the first unit can carry on its own, without counting any projected sales from the second.
Figures in this example are illustrations of the arithmetic, not an offer, quote or approval. Real terms depend on the file and the funder.
A transfer resets the clock in practice: the deposits belong to the new owner's entity only from the transfer date. Once that entity has about 6 months of statements, revenue-based financing becomes a possibility (with FICO 600+ and $60,000 in verifiable revenue). Tier 1 products need 3+ years. Until then, the transfer guide above is the better reference. Keep the seller's statements if you have them; they describe the store, but they are not the new entity's history, and the review will rest on deposits into your own account.
No. We fund operating businesses and need an operating history. Buyers and first-time franchisees should start with the buying and startup guides.
No. Merchant Fund Express does not offer SBA, acquisition, startup or real-estate products.
The request is reviewed on your current unit's deposits, royalties and existing payments. Projected sales from the new unit are not counted.
Usually not yet. Revenue-based financing starts at 6 months in business under your entity. Read the transfer financing guide in the meantime.
It confirms the plan, but the review still rests on deposits. What sizes the offer is what your current units can carry.
Merchant Fund Express reviews your location's revenue, deposits and existing payments. Same-day decision on a complete file; funding often the next business day. About five minutes to apply.
