Bolton Business Finance is not PayPal
This page is published by Bolton Business Finance Ltd, an independent commercial finance broker in Bolton, England. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to PayPal in any way. We do not offer PayPal Working Capital, we cannot apply for it on your behalf, and we have no access to your PayPal account or to PayPal’s lending decisions. PayPal is mentioned on this page only to identify the payment service a business uses. If you want PayPal’s own product, go to PayPal directly.
Bolton Business Finance arranges merchant cash advances and revenue based finance for UK limited companies and partnerships that are paid through PayPal. The funding comes from independent lenders on our panel, not from PayPal, and is sized on your PayPal settlements and wider revenue. It suits businesses that have looked at PayPal’s own advance product and been offered less than they need, turned down, or want to compare it against the wider market before accepting.
PayPal Working Capital is PayPal’s own funding product for eligible PayPal business account holders. This page is not about that product. It is about the alternative: a merchant cash advance or revenue based loan from a third party lender, secured on the money PayPal pays into your bank account. The two are different products from different companies, and the differences are set out below so you can compare them yourself.
Written by Marcus Wright, owner and founder of Bolton Business Finance Ltd, in financial services since 2008 and a commercial finance broker since 2019. Last reviewed September 2026.
On this page
- What PayPal Working Capital is
- How an independent advance differs
- Who takes payment through PayPal
- How much you can borrow against PayPal sales
- What it costs
- Declined or offered too little by PayPal
- What lenders look at from a PayPal seller
- Eligibility
- How to apply
- Questions from PayPal sellers
- Trade marks and non-affiliation
The short version
- We are an independent broker with no connection to PayPal. The funding described here comes from third party lenders.
- Lenders on our panel advance 100% to 200% of average monthly settled sales, and for a PayPal seller they can count PayPal, Zettle, marketplace and card acquirer income together where PayPal alone might only count PayPal.
- Repayment is a fixed percentage of incoming revenue, typically 10% to 20%, until a fixed total is repaid. Cost is a factor rate of 1.15 to 1.40 across our panel, not an interest rate.
- A decline or a small offer from PayPal’s own product is PayPal’s view under PayPal’s criteria. Independent lenders use different criteria and different data, so the outcome is often different.
- Minimum criteria across most lenders: a UK limited company or partnership, three months of trading and around £3,000 a month in settled sales.
- Nothing changes on your PayPal account. You keep taking payments through PayPal exactly as before.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Provider | Third party lenders arranged by Bolton Business Finance. Not PayPal |
| Amount | £5,000 upwards, sized at 100% to 200% of average monthly settled sales across all channels the lender counts |
| Repayment | Fixed percentage of incoming revenue, typically 10% to 20%, collected by direct debit against bank receipts |
| Cost | Factor rate of 1.15 to 1.40 across our panel. No arrangement fee, no early repayment charge, no broker fee |
| Term | None fixed. Most clear in six to twelve months |
| Speed | Decision in principle same day with statements. Funds one to five working days after signing |
| Security | Future receivables plus a director’s personal guarantee. No property charge. No change to your PayPal account |
| Minimum criteria | UK limited company or partnership, three months trading, around £3,000 a month in settled sales |
What PayPal Working Capital is
PayPal Working Capital is a funding product offered by PayPal to some of its business account holders. In outline, it is an advance against future PayPal sales repaid as a percentage of each PayPal sale for a fixed fee, and eligibility, amounts, fees and terms are decided by PayPal alone. The current terms are published on PayPal’s own website and PayPal is the only source for them. We do not offer this product, we do not resell it, and we cannot apply for it, appeal a decision or change an offer on your behalf.
The reason PayPal sellers come to us is not that PayPal’s product is bad. It is that a single lender, working from a single data source, can only ever reach one decision. A business that sells through PayPal, a marketplace and a card machine has three revenue streams, and a lender that sees all three will often reach a different figure from a lender that sees one.
How an independent advance differs
An independent merchant cash advance and PayPal’s own product share a mechanism, a lump sum repaid as a share of future sales, but they differ in who is lending, what sales are counted and how the decision is made. Where a cell below says “set by PayPal”, that is because only PayPal can state its own terms.
| Feature | Independent advance via us | PayPal Working Capital |
|---|---|---|
| Who lends | A third party lender from a panel of 135+ | PayPal |
| Sales counted | PayPal plus other channels the lender accepts: Zettle, marketplaces, card acquirers, bank receipts | Set by PayPal |
| Repayment | Percentage of incoming revenue by direct debit from your bank account | Set by PayPal |
| Decision basis | Settlement reports, bank statements, trading history, director credit as a secondary factor | Set by PayPal |
| Cost | Factor rate 1.15 to 1.40 across our panel | Set by PayPal |
| Application | Through us, with statements. No PayPal login required | Through PayPal |
| Effect on PayPal account | None. Your PayPal account is untouched | Set by PayPal |
Who takes payment through PayPal
PayPal sits behind a broad range of UK small businesses, and the type of business shapes what a lender can count.
- Marketplace sellers. eBay, Etsy and similar sellers who settle through PayPal. The lender will usually want the marketplace sales report as well as the PayPal statement.
- Online retailers with PayPal at checkout. PayPal is one payment method alongside a card gateway. Both streams count, which is where an independent lender often reaches a larger figure.
- Service businesses invoicing through PayPal. Consultants, tradespeople and agencies sending PayPal invoices. Regular but lumpy income, which lenders read from the bank statement rather than the PayPal report.
- Zettle users. Zettle is PayPal’s card reader. In person card sales through Zettle settle through PayPal, and we have a separate Zettle page covering that case.
How much you can borrow against PayPal sales
Lenders on our panel advance between 100% and 200% of average monthly settled sales, with the top of that range for businesses with a long, steady history. The figure that matters is what lands in your bank account after PayPal’s fees, refunds and holds, not gross sales. Where a lender accepts more than one channel, it is the combined settled figure that is sized.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Monthly PayPal settlements | £7,000 |
| Monthly card gateway settlements | £5,000 |
| Combined settled sales counted by lender | £12,000 |
| Advance | £12,000 |
| Factor rate | 1.24 |
| Total to repay | £14,880 |
| Sweep | 12% of incoming revenue |
| Time to clear at £12,000 a month | About 10.3 months |
The cost in this example is £2,880, fixed on day one. A lender that saw only the £7,000 PayPal stream would have sized the advance on £7,000. Our factor rate calculator runs the same arithmetic on your own figures.
What it costs
Factor rates across our panel run from about 1.15 to 1.40. Multiply the advance by the factor rate for the total repaid; the difference is the cost. There is no arrangement fee, no early repayment charge and no broker fee, so the factor rate is the whole price. Online and marketplace sellers tend to sit in the middle to upper part of that range because refund and dispute rates run higher than for a shop with a card machine, and lenders price for it.
The comparison with a loan needs stating plainly. £2,880 to borrow £12,000 over ten months is roughly equivalent to a loan in the region of 45% to 50% APR, because you did not have the full sum for a full year. This is fast, flexible money, not cheap money. A business that qualifies for a term loan and can wait for it will usually pay less on the term loan. Our card machine loans page sets out the cost arithmetic in more detail.
Declined or offered too little by PayPal
This is the most common reason a PayPal seller contacts us, and the position is straightforward. PayPal’s decision is PayPal’s, made under PayPal’s criteria on PayPal’s data, and we have no visibility of it and no ability to change it. What we can do is put the same business in front of lenders who use different criteria and different data.
Why the outcome is often different
- An independent lender can count revenue PayPal does not see: card gateway sales, marketplace payouts made outside PayPal, bank transfers, Zettle sales.
- An independent lender reads three months of bank statements alongside the PayPal report, so a good business with a thin PayPal history can still qualify.
- Director credit is a secondary factor for most lenders on our panel. Defaults and CCJs are considered where the revenue is steady.
- A seller who has cleared a previous PayPal advance and been offered a smaller renewal can often be funded for more elsewhere, because the repayment history counts in their favour.
None of this is a criticism of PayPal. A single lender working from a single revenue stream is doing what single lenders do. The whole point of a broker is to widen that view.
What lenders look at from a PayPal seller
Lenders assess a PayPal seller from four documents, and having them ready is what turns a same day decision in principle into a same week completion.
- PayPal activity or settlement report, three to six months. Downloaded by you from your own PayPal account. We never ask for your PayPal login and no legitimate lender will either.
- Business bank statements, three months. These show what actually landed after fees, refunds and holds, and they show every other revenue channel.
- Marketplace or gateway reports where they apply. eBay, Etsy, Shopify, Stripe or a card acquirer statement, so the lender can count the full picture.
- Refund and dispute figures. Usually visible in the PayPal report. A refund rate under 5% and low dispute volume keep the factor rate towards the bottom of the range.
Repayment is collected by direct debit from your business bank account, calculated from your incoming revenue. Nothing is routed through PayPal, nothing is changed on your PayPal account, and PayPal is not informed of the facility. You continue taking payments through PayPal exactly as before.
Eligibility
Eligibility for an independent advance comes down to trading history and settled revenue, with the credit file a secondary factor.
Minimum criteria across our panel
- UK limited company or partnership, trading for at least three months. Some lenders want six.
- Around £3,000 a month or more in settled sales across the channels the lender counts, shown on statements.
- Online retail, marketplace selling, digital products, subscriptions and service businesses are all accepted by lenders in this space.
- Poor personal or business credit considered. Undischarged bankruptcy and live insolvency proceedings are not.
- No property security and no need to be a homeowner. Most lenders ask for a personal guarantee from the directors.
- Funds for any legitimate business purpose: stock, marketing, a new product line, tax bills, staff, or clearing a more expensive facility.
How to apply
Applying takes your PayPal report for the last three to six months, your last three months of business bank statements and any marketplace or gateway reports. We will say the same day which lenders will look at it and roughly what they will offer. There is no broker fee on merchant cash advance applications; the lender pays us. We do not need, and will not ask for, access to your PayPal account.
Tell us your monthly settled sales
Send the details and we will come back to you, usually within 24 hours, with the independent lenders that are realistic for your revenue and what each is likely to cost. This is not an application to PayPal.
Questions from PayPal sellers
Are you part of PayPal or working with PayPal?
No. Bolton Business Finance Ltd is an independent commercial finance broker in Bolton with no affiliation, partnership, endorsement or commercial relationship with PayPal. We do not offer PayPal Working Capital and cannot apply for it, appeal a decision or alter an offer on your behalf. PayPal is named on this page only to identify the payment service a business uses.
Can I get funding if PayPal Working Capital declined me?
Often, yes. PayPal’s decision is made under PayPal’s criteria on PayPal’s data. Independent lenders on our panel read bank statements and other revenue channels as well as the PayPal report, and treat director credit as a secondary factor, so a business declined by PayPal is frequently funded elsewhere. Each case turns on the statements, and we will say the same day whether it is realistic.
Do I have to stop using PayPal or move my payments?
No. Nothing changes on your PayPal account. Repayment is collected by direct debit from your business bank account, calculated on your incoming revenue. PayPal is not involved in the facility and is not notified of it. You keep taking payments through PayPal, Zettle and any other channel exactly as before.
Will you need my PayPal login?
No, and you should not give it to anyone who asks. Lenders assess a PayPal seller from the activity or settlement report you download yourself, together with business bank statements and any marketplace or gateway reports. No legitimate broker or lender needs access to your PayPal account, and we will never request it.
Can I have an independent advance and PayPal Working Capital at the same time?
Whether PayPal permits it is a question for PayPal and its terms. From the independent lender’s side, an existing advance is disclosed on the application and the lender decides whether to fund alongside it. Running two facilities on the same revenue is stacking, and combined sweeps can take a large share of every sale, so it is a decision to make with the figures in front of you.
What if my PayPal sales fall while I am repaying?
Repayments fall with revenue, because you pay a percentage of what comes in rather than a fixed amount. The total owed does not change, so the facility takes longer to clear. Some agreements include a minimum monthly payment, so check before signing. Where sales stop entirely, most lenders restructure rather than pursue, but the personal guarantee means the directors remain liable.
Trade marks and non-affiliation
PayPal, PayPal Working Capital, Zettle and Braintree are trade marks of PayPal Holdings, Inc. and its affiliates. eBay, Etsy, Shopify and Stripe are trade marks of their respective owners. These names are used on this page solely to identify the payment services a business may use and to describe the products those companies offer. Bolton Business Finance Ltd is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by or otherwise connected to any of them, and none of them has reviewed or approved this page. Descriptions of PayPal Working Capital are given in outline only; the current terms of that product are published by PayPal and PayPal is the only source for them.
About the author
Marcus Wright is the owner and founder of Bolton Business Finance Ltd. He has worked in financial services since 2008, beginning his career at Santander, and has been a commercial finance broker since March 2019.
He founded Bolton Business Finance in 2020 to give businesses access to the whole lending market rather than one bank’s own product range. The firm is a member of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers and works with a panel of 135+ lenders.
Marcus arranges commercial mortgages, bridging, development finance, business loans, asset finance, invoice finance and merchant cash advances. Call 0161 546 9128.
Marcus is also the author of UK Commercial Finance (2026), a commercial finance book for UK business owners and property investors.
Bolton Business Finance Ltd is an independent commercial finance brokerage, not a lender. We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and can only complete non-regulated introductions. All lending is for business purposes only. Figures on this page are illustrative and are not an offer or a quotation. We may receive a commission from the lender we introduce you to. Registered address: Westgate House, 1 Westgate Avenue, Bolton, Greater Manchester, BL1 4RF. Company number 12495909.