Buying a business, the borrowing worked out
Acquisition finance calculator: how much can you borrow?
A lender sizes an acquisition loan two ways: what the price needs after your deposit, and what the target's profit can carry. Enter the price and EBITDA to see the loan, the repayment and what is left to find.
Source: Business purchase lenders' published loan ranges: every lender, with its own page
The result
- What you could borrow
- £450,000
- Your deposit
- £150,000
- Borrowing the deposit leaves to find
- £600,000
- What the profit supports at your multiple
- £450,000
- Still to find (more deposit, vendor finance or a second lender)
- £150,000
- Monthly repayment
- £9,017
- Repayments a year
- £108,205
- Times the EBITDA covers the year's repayments
- 1.39
- Stamp Duty on a share purchase (0.5%)
- £3,750
The lower of what the price still needs after your deposit and what the target's EBITDA supports at your multiple.
Email me this result
We will send you these figures and a link back to them. One email, nothing else unless you tick the box.
What UK lenders publish, and the government-backed terms
Last updated
Each lender's published loan range from its own page, and each scheme term and tax rate from the body that sets it.
Lender figures come only from the lender's own page; scheme terms from the British Business Bank, rates from the Bank of England and GOV.UK. Comparison sites and brokers are refused.
| Lender or scheme | Published figure | Source | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| iwoca | £1,000 to £1 million | iwoca | iwoca: its own loans page |
| Fleximize (acquisition loans) | £10,000 to £250,000 | Fleximize | Fleximize (acquisition loans): its own loans page |
| Clifton Private Finance | from £10,000 | Clifton Private Finance | Clifton Private Finance: its own loans page |
| Virgin Money | £30,000 to £10m | Virgin Money | Virgin Money: its own loans page |
| Mercia (NPIF II) | £100,000 to £2m | Mercia | Mercia (NPIF II): its own loans page |
| FW Capital | from £100,000 | FW Capital | Business purchase lenders' published loan ranges: every lender, with its own page |
| Shawbrook (buy-outs) | £3m to £25m | Shawbrook | Shawbrook (buy-outs): its own loans page |
| Growth Guarantee Scheme: maximum facility | £2m per business group | British Business Bank | British Business Bank: Growth Guarantee Scheme |
| Growth Guarantee Scheme: government guarantee to the lender | 70% | British Business Bank | British Business Bank: Growth Guarantee Scheme |
| Start Up Loans | up to £25,000 at 7.5% fixed over 1 to 5 years | Start Up Loans | Start Up Loans terms, as listed on this site's government-backed finance dataset |
| Bank Rate | 3.75% | Bank of England | Bank of England: Bank Rate |
Cite this page
“What UK lenders publish, and the government-backed terms”, Acquisition Finance Calculator, https://acquisitionfinancecalculator.co.uk/ (updated 2026-10-28). Lender figures come only from the lender's own page; scheme terms from the British Business Bank, rates from the Bank of England and GOV.UK. Comparison sites and brokers are refused.
Tell us what you want to buy
Behind the numbers
- The leverage cap. Spark Finance: the standard leverage multiple for UK SME acquisitions is 2 to 4 times EBITDA for senior debt, with some specialist lenders stretching to 5 times. The calculator lends the smaller of that cap and what the price needs after your deposit. Spark Finance: business acquisition finance in the UK
- The deposit. Novuna: in the UK, deposit requirements typically range from 10% to 30% of the purchase price. Capitalise puts lenders' share at between 70% and a maximum of 90% of the price for a well established, profitable target. Novuna: business loans for buying a business, a complete UK guide
- The repayment. A capital-and-interest loan repaid monthly over the term at the rate you enter: no arrangement fees, no interest-only period, no balloon. The default rate is the 7.5% the government's Start Up Loans charge, a reference point and not an offer. Start Up Loans terms, as listed on this site's government-backed finance dataset
- Stamp Duty and SDLT. A purchase of shares pays 0.5% duty. An asset purchase pays none on shares, but any freehold or lease in it pays SDLT at the non-residential rates (nothing up to £150,000, 2% on the next £100,000, 5% above £250,000), which the calculator does not add. GOV.UK: SDLT non-residential and mixed rates
- Not an offer. Lenders also weigh the target's customers, the buyer's experience and the security available. The figure frames the conversation with a lender; it is not a decision.
This calculator sizes a loan from the figures you enter; it is not financial advice and no lender has offered anything. An enquiry sent through the form is read and answered by Joe, who runs this site; no firm receives it.
Common questions
How much can I borrow to buy a business?
Spark Finance puts senior debt for UK SME acquisitions at 2 to 4 times EBITDA, and Novuna says deposits typically run 10% to 30% of the price. The loan is the smaller of the two limits; the calculator works out both. (Spark Finance: business acquisition finance in the UK)
Can a government scheme fund a business purchase?
The Growth Guarantee Scheme gives accredited lenders a 70% government guarantee on facilities up to £2m per business group; Start Up Loans lend up to £25,000 at a fixed 7.5%. (Government-backed finance and the taxes on a business purchase: every row, with its source)
Which lenders publish their loan sizes?
Seven of the lenders read for this site publish a range on their own page, with minimums from £1,000 (iwoca) to £3m (Shawbrook's buy-out loans) and a median of £30,000. (Business purchase lenders' published loan ranges: every lender, with its own page)
Is there tax to pay when I buy a business?
A purchase of shares usually pays 0.5% duty. An asset purchase pays SDLT on any property in it at the non-residential rates. (GOV.UK: tax when you buy shares)
Sources
This site's own datasets, every figure quoted from its source and dated:
- The Acquisition Loan Terms Index carries 7 published figures read from 7 sources' own pages, from 1,000 to 3,000,000 GBP, read 28 October 2026.
- The Government Backed Acquisition Finance carries 5 published figures read from 4 sources' own pages, from 2 to 70 percent, read 28 October 2026.
Put this on your site
<script src="https://acquisitionfinancecalculator.co.uk/embed.js" async></script>