Business loan declined by Time Finance, what next?
Time Finance has declined your asset finance, invoice finance or unsecured loan application. Time Finance is a UK challenger lender focused on asset-backed and invoice-backed SME finance, sitting between mainstream banks and specialist post-decline lenders. A decline usually signals an asset-class or trading-position mismatch rather than a hard credit issue, since Time Finance is more flexible than the high-street and more conservative than Bizcap or JPM Capital.
Why this triggers a decline
Time Finance's common decline drivers in order of frequency: sub-2-year trading on the Ltd company, asset class outside their preferred underwriting (very old vehicles, niche or specialist plant with poor secondary market, soft assets), sub-£25,000 ticket size (Time Finance has a soft floor), recent unsatisfied CCJs over £5,000, director credit issues beyond their threshold, sector exclusions (gambling, adult, regulated financial services), and unclean Companies House status (overdue accounts, recent striking-off threats).
Alternatives that work
- Aldermore or Close Brothers Asset Finance for an alternative challenger route on equipment deals
- Specialist asset finance for harder asset classes (Bolton Finance, Praetura)
- iwoca for working-capital flexi-loan if the underlying need was cash flow rather than asset-specific
- Specialist post-decline lenders (JPM Capital, Bizcap) for credit-driven declines
Lenders we route to
- Aldermore (challenger asset finance, similar profile)
- Close Brothers Asset Finance (specialist asset bank)
- Bolton Finance (specialist asset and bridging)
- iwoca (working-capital flexi-loan)
- JPM Capital (specialist post-decline if the issue was credit)
What to do first
- Ask the Time Finance underwriter for the specific decline reason in writing.
- If the issue is asset class, route to specialist asset finance lenders (Bolton Finance, Praetura) who price niche assets correctly.
- If the issue is sub-2-year trading, route to fintech lenders that engage at 12 months (iwoca) or wait until you cross the 2-year mark.
- If the issue is ticket size (sub-£25k), route to iwoca or Capital on Tap where smaller tickets fit the model.
- If the issue is recent CCJs, satisfy what you can and document the rest before approaching JPM Capital or Bizcap.
Not for
Sub-12-month trading, sole-trader applicants (FundBiz is Ltd-only), active winding-up petitions, or assets with no useful resale market. Those cases route to fintech, specialist post-decline lenders, or asset-class specialists.
Run the matcher
Tell us your sector, ticket size and trading time. We score each panel lender and surface the ones most likely to approve given the decline reason above.
Open matcher →Last reviewed: 2026-05-11.