RLS vs CBILS vs BBLS

RLS vs CBILS vs BBLS Compared (Archive – All Schemes Closed)

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Last updated: August 11th, 2026

All three schemes are closed — this page is an archive. CBILS and Bounce Back Loans closed in March 2021; the Recovery Loan Scheme closed on 30 June 2024. The government-backed scheme available today is the Growth Guarantee Scheme. The comparison below is kept as a historical record.

The Recovery Loan Scheme launched on 6 April 2021, replacing CBILS and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme. The table below compares the three pandemic-era schemes side by side.

RLS vs CBILS vs BBLS

FeaturesRLS
Recovery
Loan
Scheme		CBILSBBLS
Bounce
Back
Loan
Loan
Amount		£1000
to
£10 Million		£50k
to
£5 Million		Up
To
£50k
TermMax
6 Years		Max
6 Years		Max
10 Years
First 12m
Interest
Paid
By Government		NoYesYes
Lender Fees
Paid By The
Government?		NoYesYes
Maximum
Interest
Rate		14.99%
Annual
APR		2%
Annual
APR
Government
Lender
Guarantee		70%80%100%
Personal
Guarantee
(PG)?		Until 30/6/22
None
Up To
£250k
From 1/08/22
Maybe
Required		None
Up To
£250k		None
Minimum
Trading
History		None1-2
Years		Trading
Prior To
1st March
2020
Can
You
Have
More
Than
One
Loan?		Yes:
Can
Apply With
Bounce Back
or CBILS		Repay BBL
To Access CBILS

Can Have
Multiple CBILS		Must Repay
Bounce Back
To Access
CBILS
When Did
the Scheme
end?		30th
June
2024		31st
March
2021		31st
March
2021
Historical record. All three schemes are now closed to new applications.

How The Growth Guarantee Scheme Compares

The Growth Guarantee Scheme is closest in structure to the later versions of RLS: a 70% guarantee to the lender, facilities generally up to £2 million per business group, minimums of £25,001 for term loans and overdrafts and £1,000 for asset finance, invoice finance and asset-based lending, and terms of up to six years.

The important differences: there is no pandemic or recovery eligibility test, no government contribution to interest or fees, a turnover limit of £45 million (rising to £54 million), and a principal private residence cannot be taken as security. As with all three earlier schemes, the borrower remains 100% liable for the debt — the guarantee protects the lender.

To discuss what is available to your business now, call 0161 546 9128 or get in touch.