Compare Invoice Finance Providers UK 2026

Market Invoice is an independent UK invoice finance comparison site that compares the top 10 active UK invoice finance providers across cost, advance rate, setup speed and sector fit.

The leading UK invoice finance providers in 2026 are Close Brothers and Skipton Business Finance (joint-cheapest at 0.5% starting service charge), Ultimate Finance (fastest at 3-day setup, 95% advance), Bibby Financial Services (largest UK independent, sector specialist), Aldermore (£1m+ confidential discounting), IGF Invoice Finance (bad credit / CCJs), and Kriya (now Allica Bank — startups, no minimum turnover). Market Invoice tracks 85 active UK providers; the top 10 below cover ~80% of UK SME invoice finance use.

Last updated: 5 May 2026. Source: Market Invoice analysis of 85 verified UK providers.

Quick Reference

Direct Answer

The top UK invoice finance providers in 2026 are Close Brothers (cheapest 0.5%), Ultimate Finance (fastest 3-day setup, 95% advance), Bibby (largest independent, sector specialist), Aldermore (£1m+ confidential discounting), IGF (bad credit specialist), and Kriya (startups, no minimum turnover). Skipton joint-cheapest at 0.5% from £100k turnover.

Summary

Market Invoice compared 85 active UK invoice finance providers across six criteria: starting service charge, advance rate, setup speed, sector specialism, contract terms, minimum turnover. Cheapest: Close Brothers / Skipton (0.5%). Fastest: Ultimate Finance (3 days). Most flexible: Kriya (no minimum, day-one trading). Largest: Bibby (7,000+ UK clients). Best for bad credit: IGF. Best for £1m+ confidential: Aldermore.

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Side-by-side comparison of top 10 UK invoice finance providers across cost, advance, speed, contract, sector, and minimum turnover

Not Covered Here

Individual provider deep-dive reviews (see /providers/), interactive cost calculator (see /calculator/), industry-specific guides (see /industries/), best-of category pages (see /best/)

Top 10 UK Invoice Finance Providers Compared

Service charges shown are starting rates for each provider's lowest-risk client profile. Discount charge (Bank of England base rate 3.75% + 1-3% margin) is charged separately on the cash advanced.

Provider Type Min Turnover Advance Fee from Setup Best for
Close Brothers Merchant bank £50k Up to 90% 0.5% 5 days Cheapest established
Skipton Business Finance Building society £100k Up to 90% 0.5% 7 days No-PG facilities
Ultimate Finance Independent £50k Up to 95% 0.8% 3 days Fastest setup
Bibby Financial Services Independent (largest) £50k Up to 90% 0.75% 5 days Sector specialist
Aldermore Challenger bank £250k Up to 90% 0.7% 7 days £1m+ confidential discounting
Novuna Business Finance Bank-owned (Mitsubishi UFJ) £100k Up to 90% 0.7% 7 days Stable longer contracts
IGF Invoice Finance Independent £50k Up to 85% 1.0% 5 days Bad credit / CCJs
Kriya (Allica Bank) Fintech No min Up to 85% Variable Same-day decision Startups / day-one trading
Sonovate Fintech (recruitment) No min Up to 100% 1.0% 5 days Recruitment payroll
Time Finance Independent £50k Up to 90% 0.8% 7 days Mid-market multi-product (invoice + asset)

How to compare invoice finance providers in 5 steps

  1. Define your priority — cheapest cost, fastest setup, no personal guarantee, sector specialism, or startup acceptance. The "best" provider depends on which one matters most.
  2. Filter by minimum turnover — most providers require £50k+ annual turnover; Skipton and Aldermore want £100k+ and £250k+ respectively. Below £50k, look at selective providers (Kriya, Hydr, Triver).
  3. Compare total cost, not headline rate — service charge plus discount charge plus arrangement fees plus minimum service charges. Always ask for a fully-loaded effective rate over 12 months.
  4. Get 3 quotes minimum — let each provider see the others' headline rates. This typically extracts 15-30% better terms than a single direct quote.
  5. Check the contract exit — minimum service period (3-6 months typical), notice period, refactoring fees on overdue invoices. The cheapest headline can become expensive if you outgrow it.

By specific need

Cheapest UK invoice finance

Lowest service charges from 0.5%

Fastest setup invoice finance

3-day setup, 95% advance, online onboarding

Best for small business

From £50k turnover, top 5 SME-focused providers

Best for bad credit / CCJs

Distressed and turnaround specialists

Best confidential discounting

Customer-invisible facilities from £500k turnover

No personal guarantee

Providers offering no-PG facilities for low-risk profiles
OM

Oliver Mackman

Director, Market Invoice

Oliver leads Market Invoice's editorial and comparison research. With a background in UK commercial finance, he oversees provider analysis, rate verification, and industry reporting across all verticals.

Last reviewed: 5 May 2026

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Compare UK Invoice Finance Providers FAQ

How do you compare invoice finance providers in the UK?

Compare UK invoice finance providers across six criteria: starting service charge (0.5-3% of invoice value), advance rate (70-95%), setup speed (3-10 days), sector specialism, contract terms (notice period, minimum service fee, personal guarantee policy), and minimum turnover (£50k-£500k). Get quotes from at least 3 providers and let each see the others' headline rates — brokers typically extract 15-30% better terms than direct deals because lenders compete harder for introduced business.

Which UK invoice finance provider has the lowest rates?

Close Brothers and Skipton Business Finance are joint-cheapest with starting service charges of 0.5%. Skipton requires £100k+ turnover, so for businesses between £50k and £100k, Close Brothers is the cheapest practical option. Discount charge (Bank of England base rate plus 1-3%) is charged separately on cash advanced, so 'cheapest' depends on advance utilisation, not just headline service rate.

Which UK invoice finance provider is fastest?

Ultimate Finance leads UK setup speed at 3 working days from application to first drawdown, with up to 95% advance. Close Brothers and Bibby typically take 5 days. Skipton and Aldermore take 7 days. Fintechs (Kriya, Hydr, Triver) advertise same-day in-principle decisions but require signed paperwork before funds release, so realistic end-to-end is 24-72 hours.

Which provider should I choose for bad credit or CCJs?

IGF Invoice Finance specialises in distressed and turnaround facilities, accepting CCJs, defaults and adverse company credit history. Invoice finance is fundamentally secured against your debtors, not your business credit, so the underwriting question is whether your customers will pay. IGF, Reward Finance Group and several independent factors regularly approve businesses that high street banks decline.

Which UK provider is best for recruitment agencies?

Sonovate is the leading UK recruitment specialist with integrated payroll, weekly invoicing fluency, timesheet processing, and up to 100% advance on contractor invoices. Bibby Financial Services has a dedicated recruitment team with 30+ years sector experience. For NHS supplier and care-sector recruitment, all major providers compete because debtor quality is uniformly strong.

Which UK provider is best for construction and trades?

Bibby Financial Services has a dedicated construction team that handles the sector-specific complications (stage payments, applications for payment, retentions, contra charges). Close Brothers also has specialist construction underwriters. For sub-contractors with high retention, IGF and Reward Finance are more flexible than the bank-owned providers.

Are these UK invoice finance providers regulated by the FCA?

Invoice finance for limited companies is not a regulated activity in the UK because it falls outside the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 for business lending. Most named providers on this list are not FCA-authorised for invoice finance specifically. Some (HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, Aldermore) hold FCA authorisations for other regulated products. Sole-trader and partnership invoice finance is occasionally treated as regulated lending — check the FCA Register if you trade as a sole trader.

How does Market Invoice rank these providers?

Market Invoice is operated by Best Business Loans Ltd (company number 16833937) as an independent comparison service. We assess all 85 active UK invoice finance providers across six criteria using publicly disclosed rates and direct provider research. We earn a referral fee when an introduced business takes a facility, but a provider that pays nothing appears in the same rankings with the same methodology as one that pays a fee. Editorial rankings are not influenced by commercial relationships.