The amount you ask for is one of the inputs the decision engine uses alongside the trading picture it can read from your company. A higher request is not penalised for being large, but it does need to be supported by a trading position that makes the repayments comfortable. The two have to be in proportion.
How affordability and amount fit together
When the assessment looks at your request, it asks one core question: can this company meet the repayments on this amount, on this term, from its normal trading? If the request is well within what the trading picture shows is manageable, the path to an offer is clearer. If the request stretches repayments to the edge of what the company's income could sustain, the result may be a lower offer, a referral for closer review, or a decline. Read more in what affordability means for a business loan.
Asking for more than you need does not help
Some applicants assume requesting a larger figure gives room to negotiate. It does not work that way. The decision is driven by what is affordable for the company, not by what was asked, so a request that sits beyond your trading position is more likely to result in a smaller offer or a decline than to anchor a higher one. There is no benefit to padding the request.
Asking for too little can also be relevant
If the amount you request is significantly below what your trading could support, it is likely to work in your favour — the repayments will look well within reach and the assessment should reflect that. The key is to request the amount the company genuinely needs, sized to what it can comfortably repay.
Why an offer may differ from your request
Where we can lend but not at the requested level, we will issue an offer for the amount the assessment supports. That figure reflects what the data shows is sustainable, not an arbitrary reduction. You can read more about why that happens in why was I offered less than I asked for and why your offer amount can change.
What helps the assessment read your request fairly
- Connect your main business bank account so the full, current trading picture is visible
- Give a clear, specific business purpose for the borrowing
- Choose an amount that genuinely matches the purpose and the company's capacity
These steps are the same ones covered in what can strengthen your application.
Important to know
Credicorp lends only to UK limited companies and LLPs for business purposes, and we do not take personal guarantees from directors. As an exempt business lender we sit outside the FCA consumer-credit regime, so the Financial Ombudsman Service and FSCS do not apply.
See also: What affordability means for a business loan, Why was I offered less than I asked for?, How much should my business borrow?.