Online lenders such as OnDeck, Bluevine and American Express ask for about a year in business, a personal FICO score of 625 to 660 and $3,000 to $10,000 in monthly revenue. Banks can take younger businesses if the owners have stronger credit. SBA lines carry more paperwork, and each lender sets its own credit and collateral rules.
Those three groups do not just set different numbers. They look at different things. An online lender reads your bank statements. A bank reads your credit report and, for bigger lines, your receivables and inventory. An SBA lender reads all of it and a stack of forms. Knowing which group you fit saves you from applying where the answer is already no. To check your numbers against several lenders at once, see what your business qualifies for on Loanistry.
The five things every lender checks
Every line of credit application comes down to time in business, personal credit, revenue, business structure and what the lender can claim if you stop paying. What changes from lender to lender is the cutoff on each one, and which one decides the file.
- Time in business. Counted from when the business started, not from when you opened the bank account. Most published floors are 6 or 12 months.
- Personal credit score. Lines for small businesses are almost always personally guaranteed, so the owner's FICO score carries real weight. Published floors run from 625 to about 680.
- Revenue. Online lenders state it as a monthly or annual minimum and check it against bank deposits.
- Entity type. Some lenders will not lend to a sole proprietorship at all.
- Collateral and guarantees. Unsecured lines rely on a personal guarantee. Larger bank lines take a lien on receivables, inventory and equipment.
The Federal Reserve Banks' survey of employer firms shows how often those checks end in a yes. In the 2026 Report on Employer Firms, 45% of business line of credit applicants were fully approved, against 35% for business loans. Among firms that were turned down for at least some financing, the most common reasons given were that lender requirements were too strict (46%), the firm already had too much debt (37%), a low credit score (30%) and not enough collateral (29%) (full report, PDF).
Published minimums by lender, November 2026
The table below is each lender's own published floor, checked November 8, 2026. Meeting it gets an application read. It does not decide the limit or the rate.
| Lender and product | Type | Line size | Min. FICO | Min. time in business | Min. revenue | Other conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OnDeck line of credit | Online | $6,000 to $200,000 | 625 | 1 year | $100,000 a year | Business checking account; not available in North Dakota |
| Bluevine line of credit | Online | Up to $250,000 | 625 | 12 months | $10,000 a month | Corporation or LLC only; not available in Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota or U.S. territories |
| American Express Business Line of Credit | Online | Up to $250,000 on qualification | 660 | 1 year | $3,000 average a month | Score floor may be higher depending on your Amex relationship and credit history |
| Wells Fargo BusinessLine | Bank, unsecured | $10,000 to $150,000 | 680 (typical for guarantors) | 6 months | Not published | Personal guarantees from owners of 25% or more, covering at least 51% combined |
| Wells Fargo Prime Line of Credit | Bank, secured | $100,000 to $3,000,000 | Not published | Not published | $2 million to $25 million a year | Lien on receivables, inventory and equipment; Wells Fargo business deposit account |
| SBA Express line | SBA | Up to $500,000 | Set by lender | Set by lender | Set by lender | Revolving term up to 10 years |
| SBA 7(a) Working Capital Pilot | SBA | Up to $5 million | Set by lender | 12 full months of operations | Set by lender | Timely financial statements, agings and inventory reports; annual review |
Sources: OnDeck, Bluevine, American Express, Wells Fargo lines of credit, Wells Fargo Prime Line, SBA types of 7(a) loans. The Wells Fargo Prime Line page states the revenue range as $2 million to $25 million in its text and $2 million to $10 million in its page summary; we use the figure in the text.
For a ranked list built on these terms, see our best business lines of credit.
Online lenders: what the bank statements have to show
Online lenders approve on recent deposits, so revenue and time in business are the hard cutoffs. A strong credit score will not move OnDeck past its one-year minimum, and Bluevine says plainly that a sole proprietorship "cannot qualify" for its line.
The revenue floors look similar until you put them on the same basis. American Express asks for $3,000 a month on average, which is $36,000 a year. OnDeck asks for $100,000 a year, or about $8,333 a month. Bluevine asks for $10,000 a month, or $120,000 a year. A business doing $6,000 a month clears only the first of the three.
What the lender sees in the statements matters as much as the total. Deposits that come from customers count. Transfers from the owner's personal account, loan proceeds and refunds generally do not, and an underwriter will back them out. Frequent negative balances and returned items are the other thing they look for.
The price for that speed is real. OnDeck reports an average APR of 59.8% on lines originated in the half-year ending June 30, 2026, and says its rates generally run from about 7% to over 60% APR, with the lowest rates going to the strongest borrowers (OnDeck). Bluevine advertises rates "as low as 7.8% for top qualifying customers" and does not publish a range (Bluevine). American Express prices with monthly fees of 0.55% to 1.55% of principal instead of an interest rate (American Express). Ask any lender that quotes fees this way for the APR.
Banks: credit score first, then collateral
Banks lean on the owner's credit and, above a certain size, on business assets. That is why a bank can be more flexible on age than an online lender. Wells Fargo's unsecured BusinessLine accepts businesses six months old, but guarantors typically need a FICO score of at least 680, and owners of 25% or more must sign personal guarantees (Wells Fargo).
The pricing reflects that. BusinessLine runs from the prime rate plus 1.75% to prime plus 9.75%, depending on personal and business credit. The annual fee is waived the first year, then $95 for lines of $10,000 to $25,000 and $175 for larger lines (same source). With prime at 7.00% on November 5, 2026 (Federal Reserve H.15), that is 8.75% to 16.75%.
Larger bank lines become asset-based. Wells Fargo's Prime Line of Credit, for businesses with $2 million or more in annual revenue, is "secured by business assets," with a first-priority lien on receivables, inventory, equipment and other non-cash business property. It starts at prime plus 0.10%, with a 5.00% floor and a 0.25% annual fee, and lines over $750,000 renew each year (Wells Fargo Prime Line). For a secured line, the lender will want aging reports and sometimes a borrowing base certificate showing what the collateral is worth each month.
Small banks were the friendliest lenders in the Fed survey: 57% of applicants there were fully approved, the highest of the lender types reported (Fed report).
SBA lines: more paperwork, longer terms
SBA-backed lines let the lender share the risk with the government, which can bring longer terms and capped rates in exchange for more documents. Three options matter for revolving credit (SBA):
- SBA Express loans go up to $500,000, carry a 50% SBA guarantee, and can be set up as revolving lines for up to 10 years.
- CAPLines cover seasonal, contract, builders and general working capital needs. Except for Builders CAPLines, the maximum maturity is 10 years.
- The Working Capital Pilot goes up to $5 million and requires 12 full months of operations, plus timely financial statements, receivable agings and inventory reports. Lenders must collect updated financials every year.
SBA sets the floor rules and leaves the credit score to the lender. Lenders "may use a business credit scoring model, credit score, or credit history," along with cash flow, equity or collateral. On collateral, SBA does not require any on 7(a) Small loans of $50,000 or less, and lenders may not decline a 7(a) Small loan solely for inadequate collateral. The business must also be unable to get the credit "on reasonable terms" elsewhere (SBA terms and eligibility). Variable rates are capped at the base rate plus 3.0% to 6.5%, depending on the loan size (same source).
Three businesses, three different answers
The same requirements produce very different results depending on which floor a business misses. Here are three made-up businesses run against the published minimums in the table above.
| Business A | Business B | Business C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile | LLC, 8 months old | Sole proprietor, 3 years old | Manufacturer (corporation), 6 years old |
| Revenue | $15,000 a month | $9,000 a month ($108,000 a year) | $4 million a year |
| Owner's FICO | 690 | 640 | 740 |
| OnDeck | No: under 1 year | Yes: clears 625, 1 year and $100,000 | Yes, but capped at $200,000 |
| Bluevine | No: under 12 months | No: sole proprietor, under $10,000 a month | Yes, but capped at $250,000 |
| American Express | No: under 1 year | No: under 660 | Yes, but capped at $250,000 |
| Wells Fargo BusinessLine | Possible: 6 months and 680 met | No: under the typical 680 | Yes, up to $150,000 |
| Wells Fargo Prime Line | No: under $2 million revenue | No | Possible: secured by receivables and inventory |
| SBA Working Capital Pilot | No: under 12 months | Possible, lender's call | Possible, lender's call |
The lessons are specific:
- Business A is held back only by age. In four months, three online lenders open up. Until then, a bank where the owner already has an account is the realistic place to start.
- Business B has one door at the online lenders, and it is the most expensive one on the list by reported average APR. Forming an LLC would remove one of Bluevine's two barriers but not the revenue gap. Raising the score past 660 would open American Express.
- Business C outgrows the online caps. A secured bank line or an SBA line fits its size, and the receivables it already has are the collateral.
What the difference in requirements costs
Clearing a tougher requirement is often worth a lot of money. Take a $30,000 balance carried for six months, priced as simple interest for comparison:
| Option | Annual rate used | Interest on $30,000 for 6 months |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo BusinessLine, best published rate (prime 7.00% + 1.75%) | 8.75% | $1,312.50 |
| Wells Fargo BusinessLine, highest published rate (prime + 9.75%) | 16.75% | $2,512.50 |
| OnDeck, reported average line APR | 59.8% | $8,970.00 |
The math: $30,000 × rate × 0.5 years. The bank figures exclude the $175 annual fee that applies after year one on lines over $25,000. The OnDeck figure uses an average APR as a stand-in for the rate any one borrower would get, which could be higher or lower. Lenders set the actual price, and real lines amortize, so your number will differ. Our line of credit calculator runs the figures with your own draw and payments.
The point is the gap. On the same $30,000, the difference between the bank's best published rate and the online average is about $7,660 in six months. For a business that is close to a bank's requirements, getting there first can be worth more than getting money this week.
How to raise your odds before you apply
- Find your binding requirement. Put your numbers against the table. Usually one floor stops you, not all five.
- Clean up the last three to six months of statements. Fewer overdrafts, customer revenue flowing into the business account, and no personal transfers dressed up as sales.
- Pull your own credit report and fix errors before a lender sees it. A move from 640 to 660 changes which lenders will read the file.
- Check the structure. If you are a sole proprietor, ask whether the lender takes one before applying.
- Start at a bank where you already deposit, especially a small bank, where the Fed survey found the highest full approval rate.
- Apply before you need the money. A line is easiest to get when revenue is steady and nothing is overdue.
If your score is the problem, our guide to a line of credit with bad credit covers what is open below 625. You can also compare your options with Loanistry to see which minimums you already meet.
Sources
- OnDeck: Business line of credit, checked November 8, 2026
- Bluevine: Business line of credit, checked November 8, 2026
- American Express: Business Line of Credit, checked November 8, 2026
- Wells Fargo: Business lines of credit, checked November 8, 2026
- Wells Fargo: Prime Line of Credit, checked November 8, 2026
- SBA: Types of 7(a) loans, checked November 8, 2026
- SBA: Terms, conditions, and eligibility, checked November 8, 2026
- Federal Reserve Banks: 2026 Report on Employer Firms, checked November 8, 2026
- Federal Reserve Banks: 2026 Report on Employer Firms (PDF), checked November 8, 2026
- Federal Reserve Board: H.15 Selected Interest Rates, checked November 8, 2026