Sole traders and partnerships

From 23rd February 2026, Funding Circle will lend solely to Limited Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships. Find out more information below.

Sole traders and partnerships

Find the most commonly asked questions about our decision to no longer offer funding to sole traders and partnerships.

Why is Funding Circle no longer funding sole traders and partnerships?

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Having proudly backed sole traders and partnerships for over a decade, Funding Circle took the difficult decision to focus solely on Limited Companies (LTD) and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP) from 23rd February 2026.

As the market shifts towards open banking and automated finance, we’ve adapted so we’re able to deliver the best possible service levels for all of our LTD and LLP customers. This means moving away from the manual, legacy assessments we had in place for sole traders and partnerships.

What happens next?

• Existing loans: Rest assured that if you have a current loan with us, your repayment terms remain unchanged. We’ll carry on servicing your loan as normal until it’s been fully settled.
• New applications: From 23rd February 2026, we’ll no longer be able to accept new applications from sole traders and partnerships

Will my existing agreement be cancelled?

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No, this change will not affect any existing loans with us. Sole traders and partnerships will continue to repay in the same way as before and we’ll be on hand to provide support whenever needed.

Will my monthly repayments change?

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No, there'll be no change to your current repayments.

Can I still access my online account?

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Yes, you’ll have access to your account for the rest of your existing loan term.

What if I become a Limited Company in the future?

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We’ll carry on working with Limited Companies (LTD) as we do today. If you eventually decide to set up a LTD or Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), your new company will be eligible to apply for new finance with us after at least 12 months of trading.

What happens if I’ve already started a loan application with Funding Circle?

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If you’ve submitted your application, we’ll continue to assess it and get back to you with a decision. Should you receive an offer, you’ll have 30 days from the point of that offer to proceed with your funding.

If your application’s rejected or offer expires, you’ll be unable to start another application. Please get in touch if you have any questions and we’ll do our best to help.

What’s the final date I can submit a new application?

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We expect that sole traders and partnerships will be able to apply for new finance until 23rd February 2026. If you’d like to secure a new loan with us as a sole trader or partnership, make sure you apply before then. After that, we won’t be able to accept your application.

If we've not been able to answer your question above you can find out how to contact us on our support homepage.