It depends on the finance. Our help with a Start Up Loan is free. On growth and acquisition finance that needs our advice, you pay bizbritain nothing unless a lender on our panel issues an Agreement in Principle (AIP) and you sign our engagement letter. Simple deals that need no advice may be paid for by the lender instead, with no fee to you.
At a glance
- Start Up Loans: free. The Start Up Loans Company pays us a fixed fee for each completed loan. See Is bizbritain paid for Start Up Loans?.
- Growth finance (advisory): a retainer if you sign our engagement letter, and a success fee on drawdown. No abort fees.
- Acquisition finance: a retainer if you sign, a success fee on drawdown, and a capped abort fee only if you decide not to proceed after a lender has issued a credit-approved offer. Every acquisition is an advisory transaction.
- Franchise finance: it depends on the route. See What does bizbritain charge for franchise finance?.
- Simple start-up and growth deals: no fee to you. The lender may pay us a commission, which we disclose in writing, including the amount. See When can a lender pay bizbritain?.
Our advisory fee schedule
The same schedule applies to growth and acquisition finance, from £25,000 to £10 million.
- Success fee: a marginal-rate scale, from 3% on the first £250,000, falling to 1.25% on the part above £5 million. Each rate applies only to the part of your facility within its band. It's payable only when your facility is drawn down.
- Retainer: £500 to £5,000, set by your facility size. It's payable if you sign our engagement letter, non-refundable once paid, and credited in full against the success fee.
On a £350,000 facility, the success fee is £10,000. You pay a £1,500 retainer on signing, so £8,500 is due on drawdown. Try your own figures with our fee calculator.
When you pay us nothing
- no lender issues an AIP
- a lender issues an AIP, but you don't sign our engagement letter
- your deal is a simple, commission-funded deal, whatever the outcome
For every stage, including what happens if a deal doesn't complete, see When do I pay a fee, and is it refundable?.
Who our advisory fees apply to
Our advisory fees and engagement letters apply only when the borrower is a limited company. Individuals applying for a Start Up Loan pay us nothing.
Lender costs are separate
"Nothing to pay" means nothing to pay bizbritain. A lender may charge interest, an arrangement fee and other costs, and these are set out in its offer. See What other costs should I expect from a lender?
More detail
- How much does bizbritain charge for a business growth loan?
- How much does bizbritain charge for acquisition finance?
- our commission policy
Last reviewed: 10 October 2026