Time in business is how long a company has been operating — one of the core factors lenders use to judge financing risk. Most products set a minimum: revenue-based financing often accepts 4–6 months, lines of credit typically want 12+ months, and bank term loans and SBA loans usually expect 24+ months. Newer businesses aren't shut out — they're routed to the products built for them.
Lenders treat time in business as a proxy for stability and survival odds (a large share of new businesses close in their early years), so it sits alongside credit and revenue as a primary qualification factor. How it's measured varies by lender: some count from the business formation/registration date or EIN issuance, others from first revenue or the date the business bank account opened — which is why the same business can show a slightly different 'age' to different lenders. Typical minimums by product: revenue-based financing / merchant cash advance often accept 4–6 months; a business line of credit typically wants 12+ months; bank term loans and SBA 7(a) loans generally expect 24+ months with full documentation. These are network-level ranges, not promises — the actual bar depends on the lender and the rest of the file. Newer businesses still have paths: revenue-based products underwrite on recent deposits rather than tenure, SBA microloans (via nonprofit intermediaries) and CDFIs serve early-stage businesses, and strong personal credit can offset limited time in business. The Federal Reserve's Small Business Credit Survey (https://www.fedsmallbusiness.org/) documents how younger firms face tighter approval odds, and the SBA (https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans) lists programs aimed at newer businesses. ClearValue Lending evaluates time in business alongside the full file and routes to the one partner whose minimum fits.
It depends on the product: revenue-based financing often accepts 4–6 months, lines of credit typically 12+ months, and bank term loans and SBA loans usually 24+ months. These are network ranges — the rest of the file (credit, revenue) matters too.
Lenders vary — some count from the business formation/registration date or EIN issuance, others from first revenue or when the business bank account opened. That's why the same business can present a different 'age' to different lenders.
Yes. Revenue-based products underwrite on recent deposits rather than tenure, SBA microloans and CDFIs serve early-stage businesses, and strong personal credit can offset limited time in business.