Direct answer
Invoice factoring converts money you have already earned but not yet collected into cash now, typically advancing 85 to 90 percent of an outstanding invoice. A line of credit is a standing pool of capital you can draw from at any time, paying interest only on what you draw. Factoring fits a receivables problem: the work is done, the invoice is out, and the customer pays slowly. A line of credit fits an unpredictability problem: you want capital available before you know exactly what it is for.
How to choose between them in one question
Ask whether the money you need already exists somewhere.
If it does, sitting in an unpaid invoice from a customer who is good for it, factoring is usually the cleaner answer, because the lender is underwriting your customer's ability to pay rather than putting more debt on your balance sheet. If it does not, and you are trying to be ready for something you cannot fully predict, a line of credit is the better structure, because it is available before the need arrives and it costs nothing to keep undrawn.
That single question resolves most of these decisions. The rest of this page is what to do when the answer is "both, sort of."
Comparison table
| Invoice factoring | Business line of credit | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Slow-paying receivables in industries like construction, trucking, healthcare, and legal | An unpredictable or recurring need where you want capital standing by |
| Typical amount | 85 to 90 percent of the outstanding invoices you factor | Commonly around 10 to 15 percent of annual revenue as the line size |
| Speed to fund | Often about a week for the first invoice, faster once set up | Commonly around two business days to open, then immediate on every draw |
| Term | Formally 6 to 12 months, used dynamically over 1 to 3 months | Commonly 10 to 24 months |
| What underwriting leans on | Your customer's credit and a delivered, invoiced job | Your own financial picture |
| Cost structure | A fee against each invoice factored | Interest on the drawn balance only, not the full line |
| Main tradeoff | The factor typically contacts your customers to collect | Requires a fuller financial review, and it works best if opened before you need it |
Figures above are typical market ranges, not offers or commitments. What any particular business qualifies for comes out of a document review.
When is invoice factoring the right call?
Factoring earns its keep when the gap between doing the work and getting paid is the actual problem. A commercial construction company that has delivered on a $200,000 job and is waiting on a 60-day payment cycle does not have a revenue problem. It has a timing problem, and factoring solves timing directly.
It works particularly well when your customers are creditworthy, because that is what the underwriting leans on. A business with strong customers and thin financials of its own often qualifies for factoring when it would struggle to open a line of credit. Details on the invoice factoring page.
The honest downside: the factor typically collects from your customers directly, and plenty of owners dislike a third party touching that relationship. Fund use can also be more restricted than with a line. Those are real tradeoffs, and if the customer relationship is fragile, factoring may not be worth it even when the math works.
When is a line of credit the right call?
A line of credit is the better tool when you cannot name the expense in advance. It is the safety-net product: an unexpected repair, a supplier who suddenly wants payment up front, a short payroll gap, a chance to buy inventory at a discount. You pay interest only on what you draw, so an unused line is cheap to hold.
The catch is timing, and it is the single most useful piece of advice in this category: open the line before you need it. Opening one takes a full financial review and commonly a couple of business days. Drawing on one that already exists is immediate. Almost nobody does this, and it is why so many businesses end up reaching for a more expensive product under time pressure. See the business line of credit page.
Can you use both?
Yes, and for some businesses it is the right structure. Factoring handles the predictable receivable cycle, while a modest line covers the things receivables do not, such as payroll timing or an equipment repair. They solve different problems, so they stack sensibly rather than redundantly.
One caution worth stating plainly: layering financing is only sensible when each piece has a specific job and the combined payments fit your actual cash flow. If a business is already carrying multiple outstanding advances and is looking for one more product to cover the last one, more capital is not the fix, and we will say so rather than place a deal. That conversation is not fun, and it is the one that protects the business.
Which is cheaper?
It depends on how you use them, which is an unsatisfying answer but the accurate one. A line of credit that sits mostly undrawn is usually the lower-cost structure, because you only pay on what you take. Factoring is priced per invoice, so the cost tracks volume. A business that factors continuously can pay more over a year than a business that draws a line occasionally, and a business that maxes a line and holds the balance can pay more than one that factors a handful of invoices.
The comparison that matters is your real usage pattern against your real margins, not a headline rate. That is the calculation to do with an advisor and your actual numbers in front of you, before you commit to either.
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
Not sure which one your situation calls for?
Bring us the shape of the problem and we will tell you which tool fits, including when the answer is neither. We are a brokerage, so we are not trying to sell you the product we happen to carry. No rate or approval is promised before your documents are reviewed.