Merchant Cash Advance for Healthcare Businesses
By Joshua Giles, Founder and Director · Reviewed by the CoreFi credit team
Last updated 20 July 2026
CoreFi is a broker, not a lender. We do not set rates and lenders make all credit decisions.
In short: £10k - £500k over 6 - 18 months. A merchant cash advance is not a loan in the conventional sense.
A merchant cash advance is not a loan in the conventional sense. The lender buys a portion of your future card takings, advances you a lump sum today, and then takes a fixed percentage of each card transaction until the agreed amount is repaid. There are no monthly invoices and no balloon payment at the end.
For healthcare businesses, the mechanic works well because patient card revenue tends to be consistent and year-round. A busy dental practice or aesthetic clinic processing £30k a month in card payments can typically access 80-150% of its monthly card turnover in one advance. We have placed MCAs for practices using the capital to fund a CBCT scanner, a full-clinic refurb, and treatment-room expansion where a bank said the security profile was too thin.
One thing to be clear about: the factor rate (the multiplier that sets the total repayment) is set by the lender, not us, and it reflects how the lender reads your card history and sector risk. Healthcare typically attracts a rate somewhere between 1.15 and 1.45 of the advance, meaning for every £100,000 drawn, you repay between £115,000 and £145,000 in total. We put the cost in cash terms in front of you before you sign anything.
The repayment percentage, usually 10-20% of daily card settlements, drops automatically during slower periods. For a private dentist, that might mean quieter school holidays or a January dip. The lender keeps collecting the agreed share of whatever actually comes through the terminal. If you take less, you repay less that month.
NHS BACS payments do not count toward the revenue base. Only card terminal receipts are included. If your practice is majority NHS, the advance available to you will be much smaller than the total practice revenue suggests, so we size expectations against your private card book from the start.
Key Benefits
- Card terminal history is the underwriting basis, not property equity or NHS contract complexity
- Repayments are a share of actual daily card settlements, so a quiet fortnight costs you less that fortnight
- No first charge required on the practice premises, so existing property finance is unaffected
- Capital can be drawn and deployed within days of approval, useful when equipment suppliers or landlords want speed
Frequently Asked Questions
Does NHS revenue count toward the MCA?
No. Standard MCAs are based on card terminal revenue only. NHS payments arrive via BACS and are excluded from the calculation. If your practice runs a mixed NHS and private list, only the private card-paying side counts toward the advance size. We assess the card revenue split before applying so you know the realistic maximum before any credit search is run.
Can I fund a practice acquisition with an MCA?
Not well. MCAs are sized against an existing card revenue history, which a newly acquired practice cannot yet show. For practice acquisitions the more appropriate routes are commercial mortgages secured against the freehold or a purpose-built practice acquisition loan, both of which can be structured over a longer term and at a lower total cost than an MCA. We place both and will tell you upfront which route makes more sense for your numbers.
What about CQC-regulated businesses?
CQC registration is not a barrier. MCA lenders are assessing your card revenue history, not your regulatory standing. Some lenders do ask about your CQC rating as part of standard due diligence, but a Good or Outstanding rating is not a condition of funding. We have not seen a practice declined solely on CQC grounds.
Can treatment plan payments be included?
If patients pay treatment plan instalments directly by card through your terminal, those transactions count. Treatment plans collected by direct debit through a third-party finance provider such as Denplan or Practice Plan do not, because those are BACS payments not card settlements. If you are unsure how your plans are collected, check with your practice manager before we run the revenue analysis.
Merchant Cash Advance calculator
Move the sliders for an instant estimate. Free to use, no sign-up.
Total repayable
£62,500
Total cost
£12,500
Per month (approx)
£6,000
Est. months
10.4
Illustrative estimate only, not a quote or financial advice. A broker will confirm exact terms based on your circumstances and lender appetite.
Work out your numbers
Related Funding Options
Merchant Cash Advance UK
A merchant cash advance repays from a percentage of your card sales, not a fixed monthly payment. We place MCA for UK businesses that need working capital fast and cannot tie up property.
Unsecured Business Loans for Healthcare Practices
Unsecured business loans for UK dental practices, clinics, pharmacies & private healthcare businesses. No charge on your premises. We place loans from £10k to £500k.
Asset Finance UK: Rates, Providers, HP & Leasing
Asset finance rates and providers for UK limited companies: hire purchase, lease and asset-backed loans. We are a broker, placing your case with lenders that fit.
Merchant cash advance by location
Lender appetite varies by city and region. If you would rather start from where your business is based, these local guides cover the same funding with the local picture.
Researching Merchant Cash Advance? Get the free guide
Plain-English, UK-specific. What it costs, who qualifies, and how to get the best terms, straight to your inbox.
- How merchant cash advance works and what it really costs
- Eligibility and the documents lenders ask for
- How CoreFi matches you to the right lenders from our panel
Ready to Get Funded?
Submit your details and we'll match you with the right lenders from our panel. No obligation, no fees.
Get matched with lendersCoreFi is a trading name of JG Core Ltd (Company #16218779, England & Wales). CoreFi acts as a commercial finance broker and does not provide regulated financial advice. All products described are unregulated business-to-business finance. Information on this page is for general guidance only and does not constitute a formal offer of finance. Terms, rates, and availability are subject to lender criteria and may change without notice.