MCA cost calculator
A merchant cash advance is a lump-sum advance against your future card and online takings, repaid as a fixed share of each day's sales. The price is quoted as a factor rate — a multiplier on the amount advanced — rather than as an APR. That means the same headline factor can feel cheap or expensive depending on how quickly you actually repay it. This calculator shows you the shape of the deal: total repayable, the effective fee, how many trading days it would likely take to clear, and what the same total cost would look like expressed as an annualised rate.
£1,000 to £500,000.
A factor of 1.30 means you repay £1.30 for every £1.00 advanced.
Percentage of each day's card takings the provider sweeps.
Average daily card / POS takings across a typical trading week.
Indicative outputs
- Total repayable
- £32,500.00
- Total cost
- £7,500.00
- Effective fee
- 30.0%
- Estimated days to repay
- 181 trading days
- Illustrative APR equivalent
- 70.0%
Illustrative APR equivalent — MCAs are not APR-priced. Merchant cash advances are sold at a fixed factor and repaid as a share of takings, not as interest accruing over time. The figure above shows what the same total cost would look like expressed as an annual rate, purely so you can compare like-for-like with traditional lending. It is not an offered rate.
How to read these numbers
- Total repayable
- Advance amount multiplied by the factor rate. This is the full amount that gets swept from your card sales, including the cost of the advance.
- Total cost
- The total repayable minus the original advance — the cash you'll pay for the facility, in pounds.
- Effective fee
- Total cost expressed as a percentage of the advance. A factor of 1.30 always produces a 30.0% effective fee, regardless of how long it takes to repay.
- Estimated days to repay
- Total repayable divided by the daily holdback take. If your card revenue dips, days extend; if it climbs, days shorten — the factor never changes either way.
- Illustrative APR equivalent
- What the same total cost would look like if you projected it onto a 365-day year. This is for comparison with traditional lending only — it is not a rate any MCA provider would quote you.
What this calculator doesn't include
- Origination, documentation or set-up fees — some providers charge these, some roll them into the factor.
- Early-settlement quirks. Most MCAs have no discount for paying early, so paying faster increases the effective annualised cost rather than reducing it.
- Top-up or renewal mechanics. Many providers offer a top-up once a portion is repaid; the new factor applies to the new total balance.
- Card processor changes, holdback resets or seasonal lulls — anything that changes daily takings will shift the repayment timeline.
- VAT treatment, where applicable. The calculator works on the headline cash figures only.
Decide if an MCA actually fits
The calculator tells you what an MCA would cost. The eligibility checker tells you whether MCAs are even the best route given your trading profile, or whether something cheaper would likely look at your case.
Important — educational guidance only
- Not regulated by the FCA and not a credit broker.
- Not financial, legal or tax advice.
- Not a loan offer and not a guarantee of approval.
- Subject to lender underwriting — criteria can change.
Lendrly provides general eligibility guidance only. It is not financial advice, a loan offer, or a guarantee of approval. Provider criteria can change and final approval is subject to lender underwriting, affordability checks, credit assessment, and documentation. Lendrly is not a regulated credit broker; we do not submit applications on your behalf.