Convert any merchant cash advance or revenue-based-financing factor rate to APR with the formula (factor − 1) × (12 ÷ term months) × 100 — plus a calculator, worked examples, and the math vendors don't show you.
A factor rate is a multiplier on the funded amount that determines total repayment. A 1.28 factor rate on a $50,000 advance means total payback of $64,000 — regardless of how fast you pay it back. It's the standard pricing convention for merchant cash advances (MCAs), revenue-based financing (RBF), and some short-term working-capital products.
Use APR ≈ (factor − 1) × (12 ÷ term in months) × 100. A 1.28 factor over 9 months = 0.28 × (12 ÷ 9) ≈ 37% simple-cost APR. This is the vendor-comparable number; true amortizing APR is typically ~2× that because daily debits pay down principal as you go and you're financing a shrinking balance.
Fixed daily or weekly debits pay down principal evenly across the term, so on average you only have ~50% of the original principal outstanding. The same factor charged against a smaller average balance is a higher effective rate. Revenue-share structures debit more slowly when revenue is highest, so the average outstanding balance is ~62% and the effective multiplier is closer to 1.6×.
Yes, materially. A 2.5% origination fee on a 9-month MCA at 1.28 factor adds ~3.3 points to the simple APR and ~6.7 points to the effective APR. Most MCAs charge origination and/or ACH fees on top of the factor — always add them into your cost calculation, not the headline factor.
Usually not. Total payback is fixed at funding (advance × factor), so paying off early just front-loads the same cost. A small number of products offer 'early discount' tiers — read the agreement. The cleanest way to lower MCA cost is to refinance into a longer-term lower-APR product, not to prepay.
MCA factor rates in 2026 typically run 1.15 – 1.55. Clean files (steady deposits, 6+ months operating, 500+ FICO, no recent stacking) price toward the bottom; thinner files price toward the top. Above 1.55 is unusually expensive and worth pushing back on or shopping elsewhere.
MCAs are legally structured as the purchase of future receivables, not loans, so federal consumer-credit law (TILA / Regulation Z) doesn't require APR disclosure. CA SB 1235, NY S5470B, VA, UT, and GA have all enacted commercial-financing disclosure laws that require APR-equivalent disclosure on MCAs in those states.
The simple-cost formula assumes a fixed term. Revenue-share structures float — slow weeks extend the term, raising the effective APR; busy weeks shorten it. Use the funder's projected payback window for the calculation, and recompute against the actual payback period if revenue underperforms by 20%+ for a full quarter.
Often yes — if a term loan APR is at least 15 points below the MCA's effective amortizing APR AND the new monthly payment is below your current monthly debit, the refi pencils on both axes. Below that delta, the savings can get eaten by closing costs and the time it takes to qualify.
Functionally similar, regulatorily distinct in some states. Both use factor-rate pricing and debit business deposits. RBF more commonly uses revenue-share holdbacks; MCAs more commonly use fixed daily debits. The APR conversion math is the same; the amortizing-APR multiplier differs (≈1.6× for revenue-share, ≈2× for fixed-daily).
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