Guide · Published 30 October 2026
Can a contractor get funding with bad credit?
Yes. Jobsite Funding sets no minimum credit score on working capital, the Drawline line of credit or invoice factoring, because those products are underwritten on cash flow. You need 6 months in business and $180,000 in trailing-12-month business deposits. SBA and bank term loans are different: they require 650+, and the partner lender sets that floor.
$0 to apply · Soft credit pull · No impact to your credit score · 4-minute application
Who funds what. Working capital and the Drawline line of credit are underwritten and funded in-house by Jobsite Funding. Invoice factoring is placed with specialty construction factors, and term loans and SBA loans are placed with our bank and SBA lending partners. On a partner product we underwrite the file and name the partner before you sign anything.
What "no minimum credit score" actually means
It means your score is read but it is not a gate. On our in-house products the decision turns on trailing-12-month deposits, how consistent those deposits are, any existing positions, and your job documents. A contractor with thin or damaged personal credit and a healthy trailing twelve is exactly the file this was built for.
Applying uses a soft credit pull that does not affect your personal credit score. A hard pull only happens if you accept an offer on a product that requires one, and you are told before it happens. Every file is read by a human underwriter; we do not issue automated declines, and no automated system approves, declines or prices a file.
Which products are open to you
| Product | Minimum credit score | Other key gates | Underwritten by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working capital | None | 6 months in business; $180,000 trailing-12-month deposits | Jobsite Funding, in-house |
| The Drawline | None | Same base gate; $10,000–$500,000 line | Jobsite Funding, in-house |
| Invoice factoring | None — priced on your GC's credit | Approved pay apps; notice of assignment to the GC | Specialty-factor partner |
| Term loan | 650+ | 2+ years in business; 1.25x DSCR | Bank partner |
| SBA loans | 650+ | 1.25x DSCR; 1–2+ years operating by program | SBA lending partner |
What actually gets a contractor declined
Not the score. Our published decline list is short: businesses under 6 months old, files with 3 or more open advances already in place, federal or state tax liens without a payment plan, and applicants in open bankruptcy. If one of those applies, we tell you on the phone, the same day, and we tell you why.
Notice what is missing from that list: a credit score floor, a prior late payment, a collections account, a past-due card. Those may affect pricing. They do not end the conversation on working capital, the Drawline or factoring.
What bad credit does change
Price, mostly. On working capital the cost is one fixed total in dollars, disclosed in the 2-page agreement before you sign. What pushes it higher is 6–12 months in business, an existing open position, prior NSF activity, or a trailing twelve we can only partially verify. What pushes it lower is 24+ months in business, clean statements, first position, and supporting documents — approved pay applications, a signed subcontract with a schedule of values, or a retainage schedule. On a construction file those documents move pricing more than a credit report does.
Two months under $5,000 in your last 12 do not raise the price; that is a published allowance. And a personal guarantee from an owner of 20% or more is required on in-house products regardless of credit.
How to strengthen a bad-credit file
Send the job paper. Approved pay apps, schedules of values and retainage receivable count as earned-not-paid revenue. Link the bank account if you can; the 12-month deposit summary usually helps a seasonal file. Name your slow months at application instead of hoping nobody notices them. Disclose open advances on the first call. Get a payment plan on any tax lien before you apply.
And if your GCs have strong credit, factoring shifts the credit question onto them: the factor is buying the GC's obligation to pay, so your lien position, contract terms and billing accuracy matter far more than your score.
What you'll need
- Your EIN and business legal name. Sole proprietor, LLC, S-corp, C-corp and partnership are all eligible.
- 6 months of business bank statements — PDF upload, or link the account securely in about 60 seconds, which also lets us pull a 12-month deposit summary.
- A driver's license and a voided business check.
- Approved pay apps, signed subcontracts with a schedule of values, or a retainage schedule — the documents that matter more than a score on a construction file.
- A list of any open advances and, if you have a tax lien, the payment plan that goes with it.
Keep reading: working capital · invoice factoring · term loans · funding with an existing cash advance · the Contractor Standard · all guides
Questions that usually follow
- What is the lowest credit score you accept?
- There is no minimum credit score on working capital, the Drawline or invoice factoring at Jobsite Funding. SBA and bank term loans through our partners require 650+.
- Will applying hurt my credit even more?
- No. The application uses a soft credit pull, which does not affect your personal credit score. A hard pull only happens if you accept an offer on a product that requires one, and you are told before it happens.
- I have a tax lien. Can I still get funded?
- Federal or state tax liens without a payment plan are on our decline list. A lien that is on a documented payment plan is not part of that rule, so set up the plan and send it with the application.
- Can I get an SBA loan with bad credit?
- Generally not. SBA programs through our lending partners expect a 650+ owner score and a 1.25x debt service coverage ratio. Below that, in-house working capital carries no credit minimum and needs 6 months in business.
- Do I still need a personal guarantee with bad credit?
- Yes. In-house products require a personal guarantee from an owner of 20% or more, whatever your credit. No other collateral is required on working capital or the Drawline.
Your score is not your business. Your deposits are.
$0 to apply · Soft credit pull · A person calls you the same business day