Money for the costs of running or growing a trade business: materials before a progress payment, wages before invoices land, tools, a second crew or a slow season. Not for personal spending.
Business finance for Australian tradies
Finance that keeps your tools turning
Slow-paying builders, a BAS bill that landed early, a skid steer that can't wait for the next progress claim. Tradie Cash arranges business finance for tradies in plain talk, without the bank runaround.
- No credit check to enquire
- A real person, no spray and pray
- Business-use finance from $20k – $5m
Built for
- Electricians
- Plumbers
- Builders
- Carpenters
- Landscapers
- Concreters
- Mechanics
- Roofers
- HVAC
- Painters
- Tilers
- Earthmoving
- Plasterers
- Bricklayers
- Fencers
- Glaziers
- Handymen
Clean business statements, how long you've traded, what's in the pipeline and whether there's property or equipment behind the request carry more weight than a payslip.
Property-secured finance can be quicker for bigger amounts. Unsecured is simpler but sized on turnover. We'll explain the trade-off before you decide.
Start with your trade
Every trade gets paid differently, so we wrote for each one
Pick what you do and what's hurting. You'll land on a page written for how your trade actually earns, invoices and gets squeezed.
Pick your trade, then pick your problem
Every trade gets paid differently, so every trade page is written differently: progress claims, retention, weekly pay, wet weather, licences and the gear that earns the money.
Not sure where you fit? Start a 60-second enquiry. No credit check, and a real person reads it.
Choose by what you need to fund
Six ways to fund a trade business
Each hub explains the options, who they suit and what to have ready, written for people who quote jobs and run crews.
01
Cash Flow Loans for Tradies
The work is booked, the crew is flat out and the account is empty. These guides cover the gap between doing the job and getting paid.
28 guides inside → 02Bad Credit Business Loans for Tradies
A default, a bounced direct debit or a rough patch with the ATO doesn't have to end the conversation. Here is how lenders actually look at it.
17 guides inside → 03ATO and Tax Debt Finance for Tradies
BAS, PAYG withholding, super and director penalties are the debts that bite tradies hardest. Here is how to think about each one.
11 guides inside → 04Equipment and Tool Finance for Tradies
From a cordless kit to an excavator, here is how to fund the gear that earns your money, and how to work out if it will pay for itself.
23 guides inside → 05Ute and Work Vehicle Finance for Tradies
Utes, dual cabs, work vans, light trucks and trailers: what to know before you apply for vehicle finance.
10 guides inside → 06Business Loans for Tradies and Trade Businesses
Working capital, secured loans, startup money and everything in between, explained for people who run crews and quote jobs.
14 guides inside →The Tradie Toolbox
Six free tools, built for the job site, not the boardroom
Work out your cash gap, price a job properly, park the right amount for BAS, test whether a machine will pay for itself, price your ute and check you're loan-ready. All free, all instant, and nothing is stored.
Quick check: markup versus margin
You'd quote$5,000
You keep$1,000
That's a margin of20%
Markup and margin aren't the same thing. A 25% markup is only a 20% margin. The full calculator adds labour, contingency and GST.
Open the full quote calculator →- Cash Flow Gap PlannerWeekly money in and out with your invoice terms. See the gap, the lowest point and how many weeks of runway you have.
- Job Quote Margin CalculatorLabour, materials, markup versus margin, contingency and GST. Know what a quote really earns before you send it.
- GST and BAS Set-Aside PlannerWhat to park from each invoice so the quarterly BAS and PAYG never ambush you.
- Equipment Payback CalculatorKit cost against extra jobs and hours saved. How many months until it pays for itself?
- Ute Running Cost CalculatorFuel, rego, insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation into a cost per week and per kilometre.
- Loan Readiness ChecklistTick off the documents lenders ask for, answer a short quiz and get a readiness note.
How it works
From a 60-second enquiry to money in the account
No credit check when you first enquire. No box of paperwork before anyone has spoken to you. And no phone buzzing with strangers.
The full walkthrough →- 1
Tell us what you need
About 60 seconds on the form: amount, what it's for, your trade, your state and whether you own property.
- 2
A real person calls you
Someone who reads enquiries for a living rings to hear the full story, usually business hours, same or next business day.
- 3
Options that fit your job
Secured or unsecured, how fast, what it takes. You get a straight explanation, not a sales script.
- 4
Paperwork, then funding
Only once you say go. We tell you exactly what's needed and when the money lands in the account.
Myth-buster
What tradies hear about finance, and what's closer to the truth
"The bank said no, so I'm not fundable."
Closer to the truth: A bank decline usually means you didn't fit one bank's rulebook. Other lenders weigh bank statements, work in the pipeline and security differently.
"My credit file is rough, so there's no point asking."
Closer to the truth: Past credit issues are considered case by case. Asking costs nothing, because there's no credit check when you first enquire.
"I need a stack of paperwork first."
Closer to the truth: Begin with the 60-second enquiry. A real person tells you what's needed so you don't build a folder nobody reads.
"Equipment finance is only for big machines."
Closer to the truth: Power tools, a workshop compressor, a scanner or a trailer can all be financed. The question is whether the kit earns more than it costs.
Utes, vans and light trucks
The ute is the office. Fund it properly.
Vehicle finance is a specialist job with its own lenders and rules, so it has its own pathway. Read how it works for ABN holders, dual cabs, work vans and trailers before you apply.
Straight talk
Guides for tradies who'd rather read than ring around
Why lenders are tough on trades, how to prepare, what your bank statements say about you and how to keep a quote-to-cash cycle healthy.
Why Lenders Are Tough on Tradies, and How to Read Your File
Why banks and lenders get nervous about trade businesses, what they see in your statements, and how to make a lumpy-income business easy to say yes to.
Read the guide →Preparing to Apply for a Tradie Business Loan: The Checklist
The documents, numbers and tidy-ups that make a tradie business loan application smoother, from ABN history to a work-in-progress list, in plain English.
Read the guide →Bank Statements for Tradies: What Lenders Really See
Lenders read your bank statements like a diary of your business. See what they notice, what red flags to fix, and how low-doc routes work for tradies.
Read the guide →Quote to Cash: How Tradies Get Paid Faster
From the quote to the money in your account: deposits, variations, invoice terms, chasing slow payers and margin versus markup, explained for tradies.
Read the guide →Tradie Tax Time Survival Guide: BAS, GST, PAYG and Super
BAS, GST, PAYG instalments, super and EOFY made simple for tradies, with a set-aside habit that stops tax time from wrecking your cash flow.
Read the guide →How to Read Your Own Credit File as a Sole Trader
Get your free credit report, understand each section, spot errors and learn what defaults, enquiries and scores mean when you work for yourself.
Read the guide →Our promises
How we do it differently
No credit check to enquire
Ask what's possible without leaving a mark on your credit file. A credit check only comes up once you've decided to go ahead.
No spray and pray
Your details don't get blasted around a pile of lenders. One real person looks at your situation and matches it properly.
A real person on your job
Someone who reads enquiries for a living calls you back. Fill the form in accurately and we'll point you the right way first time.
Got a job on? Enquire in 60 seconds
About 60 seconds. No credit check when you first enquire, and a real person calls you back.
FAQ
Questions tradies ask before they apply
Can a tradie get a business loan without a bank?
Yes. Lenders outside the big banks look at your bank statements, ABN history, the work you have booked and any asset you can offer, not just a payslip. Unsecured cash flow options are typically sized between $5,000 and $500,000 on turnover, and property-secured loans run from $20,000 to $5,000,000.
Will enquiring hurt my credit score?
No. There is no credit check when you first enquire. We only talk about a credit check once you've heard the options and decided to go ahead.
I'm self-employed with lumpy income. Does that rule me out?
Not at all. Lumpy income is normal for a tradie, and lenders who work with trades know it. What helps is clean business bank statements, a clear explanation of the gaps and a sensible request that matches the work coming in.
Can I still get finance with bad credit or an ATO debt?
Past credit issues and ATO debt are considered case by case. The size, age and status of the problem matter, and so does what your account looks like now. We won't promise an approval, but we will give you a straight read on where you stand.
Do you send my details to lots of lenders?
No. That spray-and-pray approach is exactly what we avoid. One real person reads your enquiry and matches it to the option that suits your situation, so your phone doesn't light up with strangers.
What can I use the money for?
Business purposes only: materials ahead of a progress payment, wages, tools and equipment, a second crew, covering a BAS bill, seasonal gaps, or buying into a business. Vehicle, ute and work-van finance has its own pathway, which is explained in the vehicle finance section.
How fast can I get money?
It depends on the structure and how ready your paperwork is. Property-secured options can sometimes move faster than unsecured ones, and an accurate form plus recent bank statements ready to go are what stop a deal stalling. Your specialist will tell you a realistic timeframe on the first call.
What do I need to apply?
Start with the 60-second enquiry. After that, a real person will tell you exactly what's needed, which is usually your ABN or ACN, recent business bank statements and photo ID. The Loan Readiness Checklist in the Toolbox shows the full list.
Ready to get back to the job?
One short enquiry. No credit check when you first enquire, a real person reading it, and your details staying with us rather than going out to a pile of lenders.
No credit check to enquire
No spray and pray
A real person on your job