What we are, how we are paid, and what our numbers mean.

1 Not a lender or a bank

We are a broker and ISO. We connect you to funders.

AI Cash Advance operates as a business funding broker, also called an ISO, or independent sales organization. Our job is to understand what your business needs, package your request well, and place it with the funding partner most likely to approve it on fair terms. We have done this for US business owners since 2019.

We are independent. We are not a bank, we are not a government program or agency, and we are not affiliated with the Small Business Administration. When we help with an SBA 7(a) loan, we help you reach and prepare for a participating SBA lender. The SBA itself does not endorse us, and no part of this site should be read as a government or bank affiliation.

Because the funder makes the decision, we cannot promise that you will be approved or that you will receive any particular amount, rate, or term. Not all applicants qualify. What we can do is review your situation honestly and tell you what we think fits before anything moves forward.

2 How the broker model works

From your request to a funder's offer.

Here is the path your request takes, start to finish, so there are no surprises.

1. You tell us what your business needs and share basic details. No credit pull is required to start. We look at revenue, not just credit, to begin.
2. We review and qualify the request, then submit or refer it to one or more third-party funding partners in our network whose criteria it fits.
3. A funder underwrites the file. At this funder stage a hard credit inquiry may occur, and the funder may ask for bank statements or other documents. A hard inquiry can affect your credit score. You will know before it happens.
4. If approved, the funder issues its own offer and contract, with all rates, fees, amounts, and repayment terms set by the funder. You review those documents and decide.
5. If you accept and the deal funds, the funder may pay us a commission or referral fee. See section 3.

3 Affiliate & referral compensation

How we are paid, and what that means for you.

We want you to understand exactly how we earn so you can weigh our recommendations with full information.

• On many funded transactions, a funding partner or lender pays AI Cash Advance a commission or referral fee. This is standard in the funding-broker industry.
• That compensation comes from the funder, not from a separate charge to you for submitting your request. Amounts vary by funding partner, product, and deal size.
• Because we may be paid when a deal closes, we have a financial interest in transactions funding. We disclose that openly here so you can factor it in.
• Compensation may differ from one funding partner to another, which is a conflict of interest we manage by aiming to place you with the funder we believe fits your situation, not simply the one that pays the most.

4 A merchant cash advance is not a loan

It is a purchase of your future receivables.

This distinction matters legally and financially. A merchant cash advance is the purchase of a portion of your future receivables at a discount. It is not a loan. It does not carry an interest rate or an APR. Its price is a factor rate, a flat multiplier applied once, so the dollar cost is fixed the day you sign and does not compound over time.

Other products we help with are loans and are quoted differently. The table below summarizes how each is structured.

5 About the calculators and estimates

Tools show estimates, not contractual terms.

The calculators on this site exist to help you understand and compare the cost of financing. They are educational. Every figure they produce is an estimate based on the numbers you enter, and none of them is an offer, an approval, or a commitment to fund.

• Any APR figure shown for a merchant cash advance is an APR-equivalent, an estimate for comparison only, not a contractual APR. An advance has no APR; we annualize the cost of the payment stream only so you can compare it to loan products.
• Outputs such as payback, daily or weekly payment, payoff timing, and cost are estimates that assume the inputs you provide. Real numbers depend on the funder's underwriting.
• Actual products, amounts, factor rates, interest rates, fees, and terms come only from a third-party funder after review and may differ from any estimate here.

If you want to see the exact math we use and a fully worked example, read how we calculate the true APR-equivalent. We show our work on purpose.

6 Credit checks

No credit pull to start. A hard inquiry may come later.

You can begin a request with us without a credit pull. To get started we look at your business revenue and basic details, not just your credit score. That is genuinely how the first step works.

If your request moves forward to a funding partner, that funder may run a hard credit inquiry at the underwriting stage. A hard inquiry is recorded on your credit report and can affect your credit score. This happens at the funder stage, not when you first reach out to us, and you will know before it occurs.

7 Representative figures and examples

Illustrative only, not promises of results.

Across this site you may see figures such as funding from $10,000 to $5,000,000, funding in as little as 24 hours, and a typical requirement of at least six months in business. These describe the general range of what funders in our network may offer. They are representative, not guarantees.

• Any dollar amount, factor rate, APR, timeline, or savings figure used as an example is illustrative and reflects a sample scenario, not an offer to you.
• Speed-to-funding such as "as little as 24 hours" describes a fast-case possibility, not a typical or promised timeline. Funding speed depends on the funder, your documents, and underwriting.
• Eligibility thresholds such as time in business or revenue are general starting points. Each funder sets its own criteria, and meeting a threshold does not guarantee approval.
• Your actual amount, rate, term, and timing depend on your business and the funder's decision, and may be more or less favorable than any example.

8 State commercial-financing rules

Where required, you will receive state-mandated disclosures.

A growing number of states regulate commercial financing and the brokers who arrange it. These laws can require specific cost disclosures, and in some cases broker registration, for small-business financing such as merchant cash advances and other sales-based financing. Examples include California's commercial financing disclosure law and Texas House Bill 700, a sales-based-financing law affecting brokers that took effect on September 1, 2025, among other state measures.

Where a state requires a formal financing disclosure, that disclosure is provided by the funder in connection with its offer, in the form and at the time the law requires. We reference these laws generally to be transparent. We do not claim any particular registration status here. For questions about how a specific state's rules apply to your transaction, please consult your own legal or financial advisor and review the funder's contract.

9 Calls and text messages

How we reach out, and your consent.

When you submit a request or ask us to contact you, you agree to receive follow-up communications, which may include calls and text messages about your funding request. Message and data rates may apply, message frequency varies, and you can opt out of texts at any time by replying STOP. Consent to receive marketing calls or texts is not a condition of any service or funding.

Full details are on our SMS and calling consent page.

10 Who we are and how to reach us

Questions about any of this? Ask.

AI Cash Advance is a US-based business funding broker serving business owners nationwide since 2019. If anything on this page is unclear, or you want to know how we would be compensated on your specific deal, contact us. We would rather you ask than wonder.

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