Factoring or Invoice Discounting
It is important to realise that this decision can be as much the lenders decision as it can be the borrowers.
Invoice discounting is typically confidential and as such the lender is further removed from the debtors. This is perceived as a higher risk for a lender and as such the lenders criteria will typically be much more stringent.
Some clients prefer invoice discounting because they feel that they have more control. For larger businesses with a lot of customers it can also be considerably cheaper.
Importantly your business will manage it’s own credit control and will typically be required to provide month end reconciliations.
Factoring is much more widely available to businesses of all sizes and in most situations as long as you meet the basic factoring criteria.
Factoring allows you to outsource the credit control function meaning you have more time to focus on growing your business. The administration burden is also reduced in comparison to an invoice discounting facility because no month end reconciliations are required.