What documents do I need for a business loan?

The core checklist

Short-term lenders keep the requirements light and predictable. For most applications you will be asked for:

• Business bank statements — usually the last three to six months, showing how money flows through the company
• Company registration details — your company number and registered name, which the lender verifies at Companies House
• Director identification — basic ID to confirm who is applying on the company's behalf

That is often enough for a decision on short-term working capital. The emphasis is firmly on the company's trading and cash flow, not on dissecting your personal accounts, which is why the list stays short and the turnaround stays fast.

What you might also be asked for

Depending on the amount and your circumstances, a lender may ask for a little more to build a fuller picture. This can include up-to-date management accounts or recent filed accounts, a short note on the purpose of the funds, or VAT returns if the figure is larger. For bigger facilities a lender might also want to see your aged debtor and creditor positions, simply to understand the rhythm of money coming in and going out. None of this is unusual, and most healthy companies have it readily available. A formal business plan is rarely required for short-term working capital — the recent trading record does most of the talking.

Why no personal paperwork

Because Credicorp lends to the company and takes no personal guarantee, you are not asked to hand over personal payslips, your personal credit history as the deciding factor, or security over your home. The assessment is about whether the business can comfortably service the facility from its own cash flow, so the paperwork follows the company rather than the director. Basic director ID is still needed to confirm who is acting for the company and to meet standard anti-fraud and know-your-customer checks, but that is identity verification, not a financial inquisition into your personal affairs. This is the practical difference of borrowing without a personal guarantee — explained in borrowing without a personal guarantee — and it keeps the document burden firmly on the business side.

What this means for your company

Gather the three core items before you start and the process is fast and frictionless. Many lenders now accept secure open banking access in place of uploading statements manually, which removes a step entirely and lets the lender read the company's trading directly from the source. If you trade as a sole trader rather than a limited company, note that Credicorp lends to UK limited companies only, so the documents above assume an incorporated business. The simplest rule of thumb is this: if you can show the last few months of how money moves through the company, you have most of what a short-term lender needs. When you are ready, you can submit through the client portal.