“How fast can I get funded?” has one honest answer: it depends entirely on the product. The same business can get cash in a day or in a month based purely on which product it chooses. Here is a realistic timeline for each — and what actually controls the clock.
Fastest: revenue-based products (same day to 48 hours)
A merchant cash advance and short-term loans are the speed champions. Because they underwrite on your recent bank deposits rather than a deep document review, decisions commonly land within the same day to 48 hours, with funding shortly after. If speed is the constraint, this is the lane.
Fast: lines of credit (about 1 to 3 days)
A line of credit is quick to set up and, once approved, even faster to use — you draw instantly whenever you need it. Initial approval typically runs about one to three business days. Setting one up before you need it effectively makes future funding same-second.
Moderate: term loans and equipment financing (days to ~2 weeks)
A term loan usually funds within a few business days to about a week, depending on the amount and documentation. Equipment financing is similar but can take a little longer when the equipment and vendor have to be verified. Both are still fast compared with the bank route.
Slowest but cheapest: SBA loans (about 2 to 6 weeks)
An SBA 7(a) loan is the lowest-cost money and the slowest process — generally two to six weeks because of the documentation and underwriting involved. It is never an emergency tool, but for a planned, low-cost need it is worth the wait.
What controls the clock: across every product, a clean file is the accelerator. Recent bank statements ready, few negative days, and accurate numbers turn days into hours; missing documents and messy statements do the opposite.
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See What I Qualify For →The bottom line: Speed is a product choice: revenue-based products fund in same day to 48 hours, lines of credit in 1–3 days, term and equipment loans in days to ~2 weeks, and SBA loans in 2–6 weeks. A clean file is the accelerator on all of them.