The best invoice finance provider depends on your turnover, debtor book and how much control you want to keep. Bibby is the most flexible starting point. Kriya suits selective funding for limited companies and LLPs. Skipton is strong on transparent, interest-free factoring. Close Brothers and NatWest suit established businesses. Pulse and IGF focus on larger, relationship-led facilities. We compared current product facts, fees, eligibility and public review data.
- Bibby is the most accessible starting point - its factoring route has no fixed minimum turnover and accepts newer businesses
- Kriya suits selective funding - eligible Ltd companies and LLPs can fund chosen invoices at 1% to 3% per invoice
- Skipton Select is interest-free - the product uses a service charge instead of a discount fee, subject to minimum fees
- Close Brothers and NatWest target established firms - their standard turnover guides are £500,000 and £300,000 respectively
- IGF is for the mid-market - structured facilities run from £2 million to £25 million, not small-ticket funding
Best Invoice Factoring Companies UK 2026: Quick Comparison
There is no single best provider. Bibby is the broadest fit for smaller or newer B2B businesses. Kriya is more selective but only accepts limited companies and LLPs. Skipton offers a transparent interest-free product. Close Brothers and NatWest expect a larger, established sales ledger. Pulse and IGF are better suited to complex or mid-market funding. Check the business finance hub for related guides before requesting quotes.
| Provider | Turnover guide | Best for | Funding position | Review signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bibby Financial Services | No fixed minimum for factoring; about £100,000 discounting guideline | Start-ups, sole traders and flexible facilities | Up to 90% | 4.7/5 Trustpilot, 934 reviews |
| Kriya | £100,000 selective product | Ltd companies and LLPs funding chosen invoices | Up to 90%; within 24 hours | 4.1/5 Trustpilot, 580 reviews |
| Skipton Business Finance | About £300,000 general guide; flexible | Transparent fees and smaller facilities | Up to 90%; £25,000-£5m facilities | 98% internal satisfaction; no provider Trustpilot profile |
| Close Brothers | £500,000 standard guide | Established firms and asset-based lending | Up to 90%; £500k-£5m standard facilities | 3.7/5 group-wide Trustpilot signal |
| NatWest FacFlow | £300,000 discounting | Bank-backed confidential discounting | Up to 90% within 24 hours | No standalone invoice finance rating |
| Pulse Finance | About £350,000-£1m projected for some start-ups | Relationship-managed mid-market factoring | Up to 90%; up to £5m | 4.3/5, 9 reviews |
| IGF Invoice Finance | Usually above £5m turnover | Structured £2m-£25m ABL facilities | Receivables up to 90%; selective up to 80% | No public Trustpilot profile; internal survey data |
Invoice Factoring vs Invoice Discounting
Factoring transfers credit control and collections to the provider. Customers know about the arrangement and pay the finance company. Discounting is usually confidential. You keep control of collections and customers may not know a lender is involved. Factoring suits businesses without a dedicated credit-control team. Discounting suits established businesses with a reliable ledger and in-house controls.
| Feature | Factoring | Discounting |
|---|---|---|
| Credit control | Provider manages collections | You manage collections |
| Confidentiality | Customers are notified | Usually confidential |
| Typical fit | Growing SMEs without a credit team | Established firms with credit controls |
| Cost structure | Service fee plus discount fee | Usually lower service cost plus discount fee |
How Invoice Finance Costs Work
Most facilities have two charges. The service fee covers administration and, for factoring, credit control. The discount fee covers the money drawn against invoices. Bibby records factoring service fees of 0.5% to 3% of turnover. Close Brothers records 0.5% to 2%. Kriya’s selective product charges 1% to 3% per invoice. These figures are guides, not offers. Risk, debtor quality, payment terms, turnover and facility size all change the quote.
Ask for a worked annual example. Include the service fee, discount fee, minimum monthly charge, setup fee, audit fee, bad-debt protection and termination terms. A lower margin can still cost more if the facility has a high minimum fee or restrictive concentration cap.
Who Is Invoice Finance For?
Invoice finance is for a B2B business that has delivered goods or services and invoices another business. It can smooth cash flow when customers take 30, 60 or 90 days to pay. It is common in recruitment, construction, manufacturing, transport, wholesale and professional services. It is less suitable for B2C sales, cash-on-delivery models or invoices raised before work is delivered.
Eligibility depends on the lender. Bibby can consider newer businesses and sole traders. Kriya requires a UK limited company or LLP for its selective product. Close Brothers and NatWest expect larger, established ledgers. IGF is a mid-market provider, not a small-business factor. Ask each provider to confirm its current turnover and debtor requirements before applying.
Provider Reviews
Bibby Financial Services
Bibby is the broadest starting point in this comparison. Its factoring route has no fixed minimum turnover. It can consider newer businesses and sole traders, and it offers specialist construction, recruitment and forward-finance products. Factoring and discounting can advance up to 90%.
Kriya
Kriya’s selective invoice discounting is designed for Ltd companies and LLPs with at least £100,000 annual turnover and one year of trading. It can fund chosen invoices rather than the whole ledger. The pay-as-you-go fee is 1% to 3% per invoice, with funding within 24 hours and no long-term contract.
Skipton Business Finance
Skipton offers factoring, confidential discounting, LedgerLite and Skipton Select. Select uses a simple service charge and no interest. The provider’s current product page says costs depend on turnover and the facility, while our July 2026 check records a 2% to 3.5% service-charge range subject to minimum fees. Skipton can consider sole traders and newer businesses.
Close Brothers Invoice Finance
Close Brothers targets established B2B businesses with a £500,000 standard turnover guide. It offers up to 90% advances, factoring, discounting and asset-based lending. Standard facilities run from £500,000 to £5 million. Its group-wide Trustpilot score is not a clean measure of invoice finance because it covers other Close businesses.
NatWest FacFlow
NatWest’s FacFlow product is operated through RBS Invoice Finance. Our July 2026 check records a £300,000 minimum turnover for discounting, up to 90% advances within 24 hours and no requirement to hold a NatWest business current account. It is a B2B product for established businesses. Sole-trader and start-up eligibility is not confirmed.
Pulse Finance
Pulse offers factoring and discounting up to £5 million. Our July 2026 check records up to 90% advances within 24 hours, optional debtor protection and projected-turnover routes for some start-ups. Discounting requires a larger, established business and a positive balance sheet. Its 4.3/5 Trustpilot score is based on only nine reviews, so treat it as a small sample.
IGF Invoice Finance
IGF is an independent specialist for larger businesses. Our July 2026 check records structured facilities from £2 million to £25 million, typically for businesses above £5 million turnover. Receivables can be advanced up to 90%, while selective invoice funding can reach 80%. IGF also lends against stock, plant, machinery and property. It has no public Trustpilot profile, so internal survey figures should not be presented as independent ratings.
How We Chose These Providers
We compared minimum turnover, advance rates, products, fee structure, funding speed and customer-review evidence. We used provider pages where available and our own July 2026 fact checks for figures that providers do not publish in a standard rate card. Parent-company ratings and internal satisfaction surveys are labelled separately from independent Trustpilot scores.
We removed Aldermore as a standalone recommendation because its Working Capital Finance division was acquired by Bibby and the Aldermore invoice finance entity is recorded as dormant. Re-check every quote before signing because eligibility and pricing change by customer.
For the underlying product definitions, see the Close Invoice Finance product guide and Skipton Select fee guidance. Then compare providers by total annual cost, not just the headline advance percentage.
Related guides: invoice factoring, invoice discounting, recourse versus non-recourse factoring and working capital finance.
