Stated income
Owners still search for a loan where they can simply state their income. What exists today is close to that in speed, but the proof comes from your bank account, not your word.
✓ Checking what you qualify for does not affect your credit score.
Updated October 13, 2026 · Merchant Fund Express
A stated income loan let a borrower write down an income figure without tax returns or pay stubs to back it. After 2008 that model largely disappeared, because the number on the form often had little to do with reality.
In small business funding the need behind the search is real: owners whose tax returns understate cash flow, whose books are behind, or who simply want a decision without an accountant. The modern answer is bank-statement underwriting.
A revenue-based funder does not ask you to declare income and trust it. It reads three or more months of business bank statements and calculates revenue from actual deposits, after removing transfers between your own accounts, loan proceeds and refunds.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Revenue on last tax return | $180,000 |
| Deposits, last three months | $22,000, $26,500, $24,000 |
| Less transfers from savings | $3,000 in month two |
| Verified monthly average | About $23,170 |
| Annualized from statements | About $278,000 |
The tax return reflects last year and every deduction the accountant could find. The statements show what the business deposits now. For a revenue-based file, the second number is the one that counts, and you never had to state it; the bank did.
All figures in worked examples are illustrations of the arithmetic, not offers or quotes. Real terms depend on your file and the funder.
See funding with bank statements only and funding without tax returns for more detail.
Owners are often surprised when the revenue a reviewer confirms is lower than the figure they wrote on the application. It is almost always one of a few things: transfers in from a personal or savings account, a loan or advance deposit counted as sales, a large refund that reversed a sale, or a second account that holds part of the revenue but was not sent. Each one is fixable before you apply, and fixing it means the first number a reviewer calculates is also the final one.
If your returns are strong and you can wait several weeks, a bank or SBA loan usually costs less. Bank-statement funding trades a higher cost for speed and less paperwork. When speed is the priority, check your fit or apply.
True stated income products are rare. Bank-statement funding gives a similar experience: no tax returns for a typical first review, with income verified from deposits.
About three months is often enough to start. Larger requests can need more history.
For a typical revenue-based first review it is not requested. Larger amounts can bring a request for financials.
You state an average on the application, and the statements confirm it. The confirmed number is what the file is read on.
Same-day decision. Applying takes a few minutes and will not affect your credit score.
