Fast business funding is money arranged quickly for a specific job in your business, and the job decides the right product. A wages gap, a supplier order, an ATO balance and a new machine are four different problems, and treating them as one “fast loan” is how owners end up with the wrong structure. This page starts from the purpose and works back to the funding, so you can see what each need calls for before you apply. For the wider landscape of products, see our overview of fast business loans.
What can fast business funding be used for?
Fast business funding can be used for almost any genuine business purpose, as long as the money is not for personal or consumer spending. The common ones fall into six groups, and each has a natural fit.
| Purpose | Typical product | What the lender wants to see | Natural exit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wages and super | Short-term secured loan, or a line of credit | Payroll records, what is owed in | Customer payments, a contract milestone |
| Stock and supplier orders | Short-term loan, invoice or sales-based funding | The order, the supplier terms | Sale of the stock, incoming invoices |
| Tax debts | Secured loan, unsecured loan, or an ATO payment plan | The ATO statement, lodgement status | Refinance, sale, trading cash flow |
| Equipment and vehicles | Equipment finance, term loan | A quote or invoice for the asset | Asset earnings over its life |
| Expansion and fit-outs | Term loan, or equity released from property | A plan showing how the site pays back | Trading income, refinance |
| Deposits and settlement gaps | Bridging or caveat loan | The contract and the settlement date | Sale proceeds or refinance |
Every row ends with an exit, because that is the question lenders ask first. A clear one makes the rest of the file easier.
How do I fund wages and super quickly?
The quickest way to fund wages is a short-term loan sized to the gap, paid into your account in time for the pay run. Payroll is a timing problem more often than a profit problem: customers pay in sixty days and staff in seven.
If you own property, a short-term second mortgage or caveat loan can cover the gap without disturbing your bank’s first mortgage. If you do not, an unsecured loan or line of credit sized on your turnover may work, assuming your bank statements show a steady business. Keep the term as short as the gap. Wages funded on a long, expensive loan become a permanent cost rather than a bridge. Our page on working capital loans covers sizing for ongoing cash-flow cycles.
How do I fund stock and supplier orders?
Fund stock with something that repays when the stock sells, so the loan and the goods move on the same clock. If a large order is waiting on a deposit, a short loan paid directly to the supplier can unlock it, and the written approval alone is sometimes enough to hold the order.
When the real issue is that customers have not paid you yet, invoice financing advances cash against those invoices and often fits better than a loan. For retail and hospitality businesses with steady card takings, the merchant cash advance flexes repayments with sales.
Can fast funding clear an ATO debt?
Yes. Funds can be paid directly to the ATO at settlement, which clears the balance and stops further charges building. The ATO says debts of $200,000 or less can usually be set up on a payment plan online, with larger debts needing a call, so a plan is worth checking first. A loan wins when the plan terms do not fit, when you want to stop the ATO’s interest charge accruing, or when you need a clean position quickly to refinance or sell.
There is also a cost point. The ATO’s general interest charge and shortfall interest charge are no longer tax deductible for charges incurred on or after 1 July 2025, so ATO interest is now a pure cost. Our detailed pages on loans for tax debt and the ATO payment plan vs business loan walk through the decision.
How do I fund equipment and vehicles?
Fund equipment with finance that is secured on the equipment itself, because the asset itself backs the loan and the term can match its working life. That means equipment finance, a chattel mortgage or a lease rather than a short-term loan that must be repaid in weeks.
Tax timing matters here. Small businesses with turnover under $10 million can write off eligible assets costing less than $20,000 each, a threshold the ATO lists as permanent from 1 July 2026. Below that threshold, buying outright with a short loan can make sense. Above it, a term arrangement spreads the cost. See equipment finance for how each structure works.
What about expansion, fit-outs and a second site?
Expansion is a longer-term need, so it pairs with funding that has a longer runway or releases equity you already hold. A fit-out or new site is usually funded in one of two ways:
- Equity release: a property-secured loan against a property you own, with a defined exit such as a refinance once the new site is trading.
- Term loan: an unsecured loan sized on your existing turnover, repaid from the combined business.
Lenders will ask how the new site pays for itself and what happens if it opens slowly. A realistic ramp-up plan and a second source of repayment, such as the original site’s cash flow, strengthen the file. For general comparisons see business finance.
How do I choose between secured and unsecured funding for my purpose?
Choose on whether you have property equity and how long you need the money. Secured funding suits larger amounts, short deadlines and files where trading records are thin, because the lender leans on the property. Unsecured suits owners with a steady bank record who do not want property involved.
Property-secured funding commonly runs from $20,000 to $5,000,000, and the initial assessment of a private mortgage may not call for business cash-flow records. Unsecured funding commonly runs from $5,000 to $500,000 and generally needs bank statements. If your trading record is rough, bad credit can still be considered where there is suitable property security.
Illustrative example: a purchase order and a wage run in the same week
Illustrative example: a manufacturer has a $90,000 materials order due for deposit on Thursday and a $40,000 wage run on Friday. A customer owing $200,000 will pay in four weeks. The owner holds a commercial property with $800,000 in equity behind a bank loan.
A short-term second mortgage of $130,000 covers both needs. The supplier is paid directly at settlement and the balance lands in the business account for payroll. The exit is the customer payment in four weeks, and interest can be prepaid or added to the loan so cash stays free in the meantime. The same owner with no property would be steered to invoice funding against the $200,000 owed instead.
What should I have ready before I ask for fast funding?
Have the purpose, the amount, the date and the exit written down, plus ID and, for secured funding, the property details. Then add the one document that proves the purpose: a quote, a supplier invoice, an ATO statement or a contract.
For unsecured funding, add recent bank statements. The more your paperwork matches what you tell us, the faster the file moves. If you are unsure, our guide to documents needed for a business loan has a checklist for each product. Private money is dearer than bank funding, so keep the term tied to the need.
Start with one application
You do not need to choose the product before you apply. Give us the purpose, the amount and the date, and we will point you to the funding that suits the job, with several lenders to draw on. It takes minutes to complete. If it is urgent, read how same day business loans work first, then apply now or call 03 4059 1829. If you are still weighing up the options, tell us what you need and we will narrow them for you.