What information do you need to apply for a revolving credit facility?
One of the biggest anxieties about applying for business finance is the paperwork. Traditionally, applying for a credit facility meant gathering months of bank statements, digging out management accounts, producing forecasts, and waiting for someone to process it all. That experience puts a lot of business owners off applying at all, even when they clearly need the finance.
The good news is that applying for a revolving credit facility through an alternative lender like Juice is much simpler. This guide covers exactly what information you'll need, why it's needed, and what to expect if additional documents are requested.
The short answer
For most Juice Flex applications, you'll need:
- Your Companies House registration number (or equivalent for non-limited businesses)
- Access to your business bank account (to connect via open banking)
- Your personal details as a director — name, date of birth, home address
- Your business contact details — email address and phone number
That's it for the majority of applications. Because Juice uses open banking to access your financial data, you won't need to manually produce bank statements, cashflow spreadsheets, or paper-based documentation in most cases.
What's required — in detail
1. Business registration details
Why it's needed: Lenders use your Companies House registration number to verify that your business exists, is actively registered, and to cross-reference director information. It also confirms the date your company was incorporated, which forms part of the trading history assessment.
What to provide: - Company registration number (for limited companies and LLPs) — find this at find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk - Registered business name and address
Sole traders: You won't have a Companies House number. You'll typically provide your National Insurance number and confirmation of your trading name and address instead.
2. Director information
Why it's needed: Lenders conduct a credit check on the director(s) of the business as part of the assessment. For Juice Flex, this starts as a soft search (which doesn't affect your credit score) at the eligibility stage, and moves to a full credit check if you proceed with the application.
What to provide: - Full legal name - Date of birth - Current home address (and previous address if you've moved in the last three years) - Contact email address
Multiple directors: If your business has multiple directors, you may be asked to provide information for all directors with a significant shareholding (typically 25% or more). Juice will guide you through this if it applies to your business.
3. Business bank account access (open banking)
Why it's needed: This is the most important piece of information in the application, and it's also the step that replaces most traditional paperwork. By connecting your business bank account via open banking, Juice can directly assess:
- Your monthly revenue patterns and trends
- How your cash flow moves through the business (timing of payments in and out)
- How you manage your working capital cycle
- Any indicators of financial stress (consistent overdraft use, returned payments, etc.)
What open banking is: Open banking is a secure, FCA-regulated technology that allows you to share read-only access to your bank data with authorised lenders. You connect through your bank's own secure login interface. Juice never sees your login credentials and cannot make transactions on your behalf. You can revoke access at any time.
Which accounts to connect: Your primary business current account is essential. If you have multiple business accounts, for example a trading account and a savings or reserve account, connecting all of them typically gives us a fuller picture and may support a stronger facility offer.
What if I bank with a provider that doesn't support open banking? While open banking is now widely supported by UK banks, some smaller or newer providers may have limited compatibility. In these cases, we may ask you to provide recent bank statements as an alternative. We'll let you know if this applies to your application.
4. Contact information
Why it's needed: To communicate with you throughout the application process and to verify your identity.
What to provide: - Business email address - Business phone number (mobile is fine)
When additional documents may be required
For most straightforward applications, the above is sufficient. In some cases, particularly for larger facilities or businesses with more complex structures, we may request additional information.
Management accounts
When: Typically for facility applications above a certain threshold, or where the open banking data alone doesn't give a full picture (for example, if you've recently switched banks).
What to provide: Profit and loss account and balance sheet for the last three to six months. These don't need to be audited. Management accounts produced by your accountant or accounting software (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage) are fine.
VAT returns
When: For businesses that are VAT-registered (which most businesses above the £90,000 VAT threshold will be). VAT returns provide an independent, HMRC-verified view of your revenue that can corroborate the open banking data.
What to provide: Your most recent two or three VAT returns, downloadable from your HMRC business tax account.
Filed accounts
When: For limited companies, we may cross-reference your most recently filed accounts at Companies House, particularly for longer-established businesses. You don't typically need to provide these. We can access them directly via Companies House.
Personal bank statements
When: Occasionally, for sole traders or where personal and business finances are closely intertwined (which can happen in owner-managed businesses). This is less common and we'll only ask if it's genuinely necessary for the assessment.
What you won't need to provide (at least initially)
One of the common frustrations with traditional business loan applications is the extensive documentation requested upfront, sometimes before a lender has even indicated whether you're eligible. With Juice, we've removed that friction:
- No business plan required — we assess your current trading data, not a projected future that may or may not materialise
- No cashflow forecast required — open banking gives us real data; we don't need a projected spreadsheet
- No collateral or security documentation — Juice Flex uses right-sized security to fit your business, so you won't need to provide a property or specific asset as collateral. We'll be transparent about the security required for your application before you commit
- No audited accounts required — management accounts are sufficient for most applications
Preparing for a smooth application
A few practical steps that can help your application move as quickly as possible:
1. Make sure your business banking is clean and dedicated. If you run business transactions through a personal account, it can complicate the open banking assessment. A dedicated business account makes the cash flow picture much clearer.
2. Check your Companies House details are up to date. Outdated director information or an old registered address on Companies House can slow down verification. It's worth a quick check at find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk before you apply.
3. Know your company registration number. You'll need this at the start of the application. It's an eight-character number on your certificate of incorporation or your Companies House profile.
4. Have your bank login details accessible. You'll need these to connect your account via open banking. If you use app-based authentication (which most business banking apps do), make sure your phone is nearby.
A note on data security and privacy
All information you provide during the Juice Flex application is handled in accordance with UK GDPR and our privacy policy. Open banking connections are FCA-regulated, and the data we access is used solely for the purpose of assessing your credit application. We do not sell your data to third parties.
Ready to apply?
Most Juice Flex applications can be completed with nothing more than your company registration number, your bank login details, and a few minutes. No paperwork. No branch visits.
Start your application — check your eligibility with no impact to your credit score
For more on this topic, explore our How To Apply For Revolving Credit Facility Uk resource hub.
Subject to status and lending criteria. Juice Flex is provided by Juice Ventures Limited, registered with the Financial Conduct Authority.