Who built this: Published free by T.A.G. Business Funding (Towers Asset Group LLC), an independent business-funding ISO in Chagrin Falls, Ohio — not a direct lender. Educational tool; results are estimates based on your inputs, not offers or guarantees.

Reviewed by Carlos Torres, Founder — T.A.G. Business Funding. Last updated August 14, 2026.

Your job numbers

Total job value ($) Customer deposit you'll collect up front (%)

Many residential jobs: 10–30%. Commercial/GC work: often 0%.

Materials you must buy up front ($) Weekly labor + overhead on this job ($) Weeks to complete the job Days after completion until final payment lands Cash you can commit from the business today ($)

Only what you can spend on THIS job without endangering payroll elsewhere.

Your cash-flow picture

Peak cash-flow gap (worst week)

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Cash out before final payment

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Weeks you'll be cash-negative

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Profit on job (value − materials − labor)

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Five ways contractors cover the gap — honestly compared

Ordered roughly from cheapest to fastest. Each fits a different situation; none is automatically right.

1. Restructure the contract itself (deposit + progress billing)

FreeNeeds negotiation leverage

The cheapest working capital is your customer's. A 30% deposit plus weekly progress draws can erase most of the gap you see above — try changing the deposit % in the calculator and watch the peak gap shrink. Many contractors under-ask here out of habit, not necessity.

2. Supplier terms (Net 30/60 on materials)

CheapLimits: credit approval, caps

Trade credit from your supply house shifts the materials hit until after money starts flowing. Costs little or nothing if paid on time. The catch: new accounts get small limits, and one late payment can freeze the account you depend on.

3. Bank line of credit / SBA

Cheapest borrowed moneySlow · credit-gated

If you have 680+ credit, 2+ years of history, and time to wait 30–90 days, this is the lowest-cost borrowed capital. It does not help with the job that starts Monday — set it up in the off-season, before you need it.

4. Invoice factoring (if you bill commercial GCs)

Moderate costDays to fund

Sell the receivable, get most of it now. Works when your customer is a creditworthy GC or commercial account; doesn't fit residential work where there's no invoice to factor until the job's done.

5. Revenue-based funding / MCA

Fastest · daysHighest cost

Underwriting typically weights your business bank deposits and cash flow more heavily than traditional bank underwriting (credit is still considered — programs in T.A.G.'s network start at 500 FICO with a soft-pull initial application). Priced with a factor rate: $40,000 × 1.30 = $52,000 repaid, fixed. That cost only makes sense when the job's margin clearly covers it — which is exactly what the calculator above helps you check. Model an advance against your job numbers →

The job's margin is there — the cash just isn't yet?

That's the exact situation revenue-based funding was built for. T.A.G. Business Funding connects contractors with working capital through its funding-partner network: typically 6 months of business bank statements and a one-page application to start, decisions usually within 24–72 hours after a complete file. Free to apply, soft-pull initial review, no obligation. Approval is never guaranteed — every file is underwritten by third-party funders.

See How Contractor Funding Works →

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