Business loans for tradies, as easy as knocking off at 3pm

At a glance

• Funding for tools, utes, trailers, materials, wages and progress payment gaps.
• Own property? Anywhere from $20,000 to $5 million, and your tax returns can stay in the drawer.
• No property? Six months on your ABN can open the unsecured route.
• Suits sole traders, crews and companies across every trade.
• The form takes about 60 seconds. Fill it in on smoko.

Can tradies get business loans without the paperwork?

Yes. Business loans for tradies are available through specialist and private lenders who understand that a busy tradie's paperwork usually lives in the glovebox.

Banks tend to want neat financials and two years of lodged returns. Most tradies are too flat out on the tools to have all that polished and ready. The lenders we work with focus on what matters instead: property equity, or the money flowing through your business account.

What do tradies usually borrow for?

Everything that keeps the work rolling. Here's how the common headaches line up with the fix.

How do progress payment gaps work, and how does a loan fix them?

A progress payment gap is the space between spending money on a job and actually getting paid for it. For many tradies, it's the single biggest cash-flow squeeze.

Here's a typical timeline, just as an illustration:

1. Week 1: You win a job and order materials. Supplier wants payment on 30-day terms or upfront.
2. Weeks 2 to 4: You and the crew are on site. Wages go out every week.
3. Week 5: You submit your progress claim to the builder.
4. Weeks 6 to 9: The builder's payment terms kick in. You wait. And wait.
5. Week 10: Payment lands. Finally.

In the meantime, there's another job starting, more materials to buy and more wages to pay. A business loan covers that middle stretch so you're not turning down work or chasing the builder daily.

For property-secured loans, that incoming payment can form part of your exit plan. For unsecured loans, lenders look at whether your regular deposits comfortably cover repayments.

What's the simplest pathway for my situation?

If you own property

Your home, an investment unit, a shed on a block, a commercial yard: all can work, even with an existing mortgage, as long as there's equity.

• Borrow $20,000 to $5 million
• No tax returns, financials or cash-flow records
• Keep your home loan in place with a second mortgage
• Credit hiccups considered case by case

You'll need ID, property details, your current mortgage info, what the funds are for and how you'll repay.

If you don't own property

An unsecured business loan is assessed mostly on your business bank statements, shared through a secure read-only link that takes a few minutes.

• ABN plus at least 6 months of trading
• Loan size based on your turnover
• Weaker credit considered if cash flow supports repayments

Loan, supplier account or both?

Many tradies already run trade accounts with their suppliers, and that's great for everyday materials. The trouble starts when those accounts are maxed out, the supplier wants the balance cleared before the next order, or the cost isn't something a supplier sells, like wages or a ute.

That's where a business loan fills in. Think of it this way:

• Supplier account: handy for regular materials from one place
• Business loan: covers the stuff that doesn't fit, like wages, tax, vehicles, several suppliers at once or a larger machine

Plenty of tradies use both. The loan clears the pressure, the trade account keeps ticking over for day-to-day orders.

Tradies we see every day

Our lending partners fund every trade you can think of, including:

• Sparkies and data cablers
• Plumbers, gasfitters and drainers
• Chippies, builders and cabinet makers
• Tilers, painters and plasterers
• Roofers, concreters and bricklayers
• Landscapers and earthmovers
• Mechanics, auto electricians and panel beaters
• Air conditioning and refrigeration techs

A few examples from the job site

These are illustrations, not real customers.

The sparky in Townsville. Two years trading as a sole trader, no property. His van has 400,000 km on the clock and is making noises it shouldn't. His bank statements show a steady stream of client payments, so an unsecured loan funds a newer van with shelving.

The tiler in Perth. She's been offered a big apartment job but needs to buy materials for the first stage upfront. She owns a small unit with good equity. A second mortgage covers the materials, repaid when the builder's first progress payments come through.

The builder on the Gold Coast. Three crews, a company structure and an overdue BAS. His accountant is weeks behind on lodgements. A property-secured loan over his investment property clears the tax and covers a materials order, no financials needed.

What paperwork will you actually need?

Less than a council permit, that's for sure. For the full list side by side, check the business loan checklist. The short version:

• Property route: ID, property details, existing loan statement, purpose, exit plan
• Unsecured route: ID, ABN, business bank statements

As for the rate, every loan is priced on the individual circumstances of your business, and we chase the sharpest deal available for your situation.

Just get back on the tools

You'd rather be building than filling in forms, and we get it. Sixty seconds on the form, a quick chat with a real person, a short list of documents, and you're sorted.

If you're a one-person operation, our page on sole trader business loans is worth a squiz as well.

FAQs