When are profits not really profits? This may sound like a trick question, but it’s not. Many small businesses run into issues with their cash flow where they technically have revenue from invoices but can’t do anything with funds because they haven’t been paid yet. This frustrating situation can make it hard to buy inventory, pay employees or take advantage of business opportunities.

This need for improved cash flow is why accounts receivable financing is popular with many small businesses. AR financing gives you a way to turn unpaid invoices into working capital for your business.

How Does AR Financing Work?

There are several types of accounts receivable financing — more on that in a second — but they all operate on a similar principle. They provide capital based on the value of unpaid invoices.

Generally speaking, you receive a larger percentage of an invoice’s value upfront, and the remaining amount after your customer submits payment on the bill. There are fees per invoice or transaction. The cost varies by lender, with some charging a flat fee and others choosing a percentage-based route.

What AR Financing Options Are There?

Alternative lenders may offer you one or more types of accounts receivable financing to choose from. The difference mainly comes down to volume.

Factoring

With conventional AR funding, also called factoring, you sell invoices on an individual basis to the factoring company. In other words, each invoice is a separate transaction. There may be a minimum financing amount, but not always.

This option may be a good fit for businesses that need a large amount of capital at irregular intervals. For example, a B2B or retail company may need a large infusion of capital only during certain times of the year. The business could sell a few large invoices to make sure it has the money for larger-than-normal inventory purchases. This one-off arrangement can also cover emergency needs such as equipment repairs or last-minute inventory orders from customers.

Full AR Financing

This option is essentially the same thing as outsourcing your company’s AR department. You sign a contract that requires the financing company to handle all AR tasks (but not billing or customer service). You receive capital immediately instead of waiting the normal 60 or 90 days. Many healthcare businesses choose to go this route instead of waiting on insurance companies to pay.

Selective Receivables Financing

This is a hybrid of the other two options. The program lets you choose which customers to use for AR financing. You can decide the scale and funding amount that is right for your business.