How Many Years Do You Have to Be in Business to Get a Loan?
How many years you have to be in business to get a loan depends entirely on the product: some lenders fund at 3 months, banks generally want 2 years or more.
Part of our guide to Business Loans.
Last updated · Reviewed by Cody Dreis
50+ Lenders|Funding in as little as 24 hours
The Full Answer
Here is the ladder. Revenue-based products like merchant cash advances fund businesses as young as 3–6 months, because they underwrite on deposits rather than history. Many online term loan and working capital lenders set their floor at 6–12 months. Equipment financing often works for newer businesses too, since the asset secures the loan. Banks and SBA lenders sit at the top, typically requiring 2+ years of operating history plus tax returns to prove it.
Why the gap? Time in business is a proxy for survival risk. Most business failures happen in the first two years, so lenders who fund younger companies price that risk in or secure it with collateral and revenue.
How Quordx Helps
If you are under two years, the practical question is not "can I get a loan" but "which lenders fund businesses my age." Quordx answers that with one free application: it matches your time in business, revenue, and credit to the 3–7 best-fit lenders in a 50+ network, including lenders with genuine appetite for young businesses.
Find lenders that fund at your stage: apply online free in about 10 minutes.
Estimate your funding
Answer a few questions about your business to see a likely range.
Apply for Funding
No obligation · Initial inquiry doesn't impact credit · Takes about 10 minutes
Written by
Cody Dreis
Founder, Quordx Capital
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Quordx Capital is a business funding broker, not a lender. Lenders make every credit decision and set the rate, fees and terms, and not every business qualifies. Quordx may be paid by a lender when a deal funds. Full disclosures