How Accountants Help a Client Get Funded Before Year-End (and What Lenders Ask For)

Why Year-End Requests Pile Up

Three things converge in the last quarter. Equipment placed in service by December 31 can be expensed under Section 179 in the current tax year, subject to the annual limits.1 Retailers and distributors buy inventory ahead of the season. Payroll, bonuses and the January tax payments all land within weeks of each other.

The result is predictable: a client who has been fine all year calls in November needing capital by mid-December. In the Federal Reserve Banks’ 2024 Small Business Credit Survey, fewer than half of employer firms that applied received the full amount they sought,2 and a rushed, incomplete file is the most common reason a request comes back smaller or later than the client needed.

What Lenders Ask For

As the client’s accountant, you are usually the fastest source of the financials. A year-to-date P&L and balance sheet sent with the referral is the single biggest time saver on a larger request.

Where the Calendar Bites

• Section 179 is about placed in service, not ordered. Equipment has to be delivered and in use by December 31. Lead time on the equipment matters as much as the funding.
• Lenders slow down in the last two weeks of December. A file submitted on December 20 competes with everyone else’s.
• Bank statements run a month behind. A November referral is underwritten on August through November deposits, so a weak summer shows.
• Returns are last year’s. For term and SBA products, the most recent filed return is what the lender sees. If the current year is much stronger, year-to-date financials carry the story.

The practical rule: a client who needs money by mid-December should be referred in the first half of November.

Which Clients to Refer

Best-fit clients usually have:

• 1+ year in business and $20,000+ in average monthly revenue.
• A business bank account with active deposits.
• The 3 most recent business bank statements (4 in NY, CA or VA), complete.
• A need of $10,000 to $500,000+ in working capital, up to $2 million on some products.
• A dated use for the money: equipment placed in service, a seasonal inventory buy, bonus payroll, a January tax payment.

Hold off when deposits are falling, when the client is not profitable at current volume, or when the purchase can wait for the new year without a tax consequence.

How the Referral Works, Step by Step

RAN Funding is a broker, not a lender. One application for our lender network and one dedicated specialist. You make the introduction; we handle the funding process.

1. Sign up on the partner page. Two minutes. Select CPA / Accountant. We call within one business day to walk through the partner agreement.
2. Make the introduction. The owner’s name and number, and a heads-up that we will be calling. No licensing is needed for a basic referral introduction.
3. The specialist reviews the file and calls the owner within one business day. If you want to be on the call, say so.
4. The owner sees the options the file supports, with every term explained before anything is signed.
5. The deal funds and you are paid the referral commission in the partner agreement. Renewals on your referrals pay you too.

Your client stays your client. RAN Funding contacts them only about the funding they asked for. No cross-selling, no marketing lists.

How to Raise It With the Client

Most owners wait until the gap is a week away. A question in October saves the rush:

• “Is there anything you want placed in service before December 31?”
• “What does cash look like in the second half of December?”
• “If you are going to need capital for the season, let me have someone look at the file now, while there is time.”

What to Keep in Mind

Get the client’s agreement before sharing anything. Do not describe yourself as a lender, and do not promise an approval. Nothing is guaranteed until underwriting reviews the file.

Disclosure rules vary by state. California, for example, requires a provider extending a specific commercial financing offer to give the recipient disclosures at the time of the offer. MCA disclosure laws by state is a starting point, not legal advice.

How to Start

Go to the RAN Funding partner program page and fill in the short form. Say so if you have a client who needs funding now.

For the program as it applies to your profession, see the guide for accountants and CPAs. You can also call 1-877-522-6045, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm ET.

Common Questions