Become a self-employed commercial finance broker with CoreFi
A self-employed commercial finance broker sources SME funding deals and keeps a share of the commission CoreFi earns from the lender. Your split starts at 55% on self-sourced deals and rises with your lifetime commission earned, with no cap. It is a self-employed arrangement, so income is variable and not guaranteed.
Self-employed means you run a business. Not a franchise. Not a salaried role with flexible hours dressed up as self-employment. You operate through your own limited company, source commercial finance deals for UK SMEs, package them to lenders, and keep a share of what CoreFi earns from the lender when a deal funds.
CoreFi gives you the infrastructure: a curated lender panel, a deal CRM, a lender-matching engine, document handling and broker training. You bring the client relationships and the deals. There is no salary and no guaranteed income. In months where you place nothing, you earn nothing. That is the model. Below we set out how the commission split works, what CoreFi provides, and the regulatory boundary you need to understand before you start.
- 1
Set up your limited company
Incorporate a limited company at Companies House. A formation agent can turn this around in a day. Operating through your own limited company is the foundation of this model and keeps your business separate from you personally.
- 2
Apply to join CoreFi
Complete the broker application. You will go through identity verification, a compliance review and a structured onboarding process covering your background, the products you plan to place and your target market. This is a self-employed arrangement, not a job application.
- 3
Complete training and sign the agreement
Work through CoreFi's broker training and sign the introducer agreement. The agreement sets out your commission split, your compliance obligations and how you represent lenders and CoreFi to borrowers. Once signed, you are cleared to place deals.
- 4
Source deals, package them and earn your share
Bring enquiries into the deal CRM, run the matching engine, package the submission and get your client's sign-off before it goes to the lender. When a deal funds, your share of the lender commission is recorded in the platform and paid on the standard schedule.
What self-employed actually means here
You are not a CoreFi employee. There is no salary, no guaranteed hours and no employee benefits of any kind: no holiday pay, no sick pay, no pension contributions. You operate through your own limited company, raise invoices for the commission you have earned, and handle your own tax and National Insurance.
The upside is control. You decide how many deals you pursue, which sectors you focus on and how you spend your week. The trade-off is simple. No deal, no commission. Brokers who arrive with a strong existing network tend to place deals sooner than those building from scratch. There is no typical ramp and no typical income. You're building a business here, so plan for it like one.
How you get paid: a share of the lender commission
When a deal you have worked completes, the lender pays CoreFi a commission. You keep a share of that commission. Not a percentage of the loan. Not a fixed fee per deal. A split of what CoreFi earns from the lender.
On deals you source yourself, the split starts at 55% and rises as your lifetime commission earned grows:
| Lifetime commission earned | Self-sourced split | |---|---| | From day one | 55% | | £50,000 | 60% | | £1,000,000 | 65% | | £2,500,000 | 70% |
There is no cap on total earnings. Where CoreFi provides the lead rather than you sourcing it, the split is lower: from around 45% on referrer-sourced leads and around 35% on organic platform leads. That lower rate reflects the fact that the lead came from us, not from your own work. The tier still rises with your lifetime commission earned in the same way.
A worked example, illustrative only
Take a bridging deal where the lender pays CoreFi a gross commission of around £7,500. On a self-sourced deal at the 55% entry split, your share of that one commission is about £4,125. Change the deal size, the product or the lender and that figure moves with it. Plenty pay less than this; some pay more. And clawback can apply if a deal cancels or defaults inside the clawback window, which reduces what you keep.
That is one example. It is not a forecast and it is not a typical figure. We show you the arithmetic so you understand the model, not to set a monthly earnings target.
What CoreFi provides
No franchise fee. No territory licence. What you get is the infrastructure that would take years and meaningful capital to build on your own.
Lender panel. A curated panel of specialist lenders across unsecured lending, asset finance, invoice finance, bridging and development finance. Per-product criteria are built into the platform. CoreFi's existing lender relationships carry you in.
Deal CRM. A pipeline that tracks every enquiry from first contact through submission to funding, with stage history and an action queue so nothing slips.
Lender-matching engine. Enter a deal's key parameters and the engine scores the panel against lender appetite and product criteria. You approach the right lender first and protect your client's credit file.
Document handling. Borrower onboarding packs, submission documents and file uploads are managed inside the platform. Your client signs one digital pack; you review and submit.
Broker training. Structured training on products, deal packaging, lender selection and the regulatory boundary. Commercial finance broking does not require CeMAP, which is a residential mortgage qualification and does not apply here.
If you are switching from another network or franchise
If you already broke deals through another network, an appointed representative arrangement or a franchise, read your existing agreement before you move. Check the notice period. Check for restrictive covenants and any client non-solicitation clause that limits which relationships you can take with you and for how long. Some agreements also restrict which lenders or products you can place elsewhere during a run-off period.
CoreFi will not ask you to breach an agreement you have signed. Honour your notice, respect any covenants that bind you, and take advice on your specific contract if the wording is unclear. A clean exit keeps your relationships and your standing intact; a breach puts both at risk.
The regulatory boundary
Broking unregulated commercial finance to limited companies does not require FCA authorisation. That covers the core products most SME brokers place: unsecured business loans, asset finance, invoice finance, bridging and development finance to limited company borrowers.
Where it changes: broking to sole traders or partnerships can require FCA permission even for otherwise-exempt business loans, under Article 36A(4) of the Regulated Activities Order. Regulated products, including consumer credit, residential mortgages and Start Up Loans, always require FCA authorisation or an appointed representative arrangement, whatever the borrower type.
CoreFi is a broker platform. It is not FCA-authorised and does not hold itself out as regulated. Training covers where the line sits. If you are unsure about a specific deal, ask before you place it.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a job or self-employment?
Self-employment. You are not a CoreFi employee. There is no salary, no guaranteed hours and no employee benefits. You operate through your own limited company, invoice for the commission you earn, and handle your own tax and National Insurance. Income is variable and depends entirely on the deals you place and complete.
How much can I earn?
There is no guaranteed figure. You keep a share of the commission CoreFi earns from the lender, starting at 55% on self-sourced deals and rising with your lifetime commission earned, with no cap. As one illustration, a deal generating £7,500 of gross lender commission pays about £4,125 at the 55% split. What you actually earn depends on how many deals you place and complete. Some months that is zero.
How is my commission split calculated?
You keep a split of the lender commission on each completed deal. Not a percentage of the loan, and not a fixed fee. Self-sourced deals start at 55% and rise to 60% at £50,000 lifetime commission earned, 65% at £1,000,000 and 70% at £2,500,000. Leads CoreFi provides carry a lower split, from around 45% for referrer-sourced and around 35% for organic leads.
Do I need FCA authorisation?
Not for the core model. Broking unregulated commercial finance to limited companies does not require FCA authorisation. Serving sole traders or partnerships, or placing regulated products such as consumer credit or residential mortgages, can require additional permissions. CoreFi is a broker platform, not an FCA-authorised firm, and broker training covers where the line sits.
Do I need CeMAP or another finance qualification?
No. CeMAP is for residential mortgage advisers and does not apply to commercial finance broking. CoreFi provides its own broker training covering product knowledge and the compliance boundary.
I already broke deals through another network. Can I move?
Read your existing agreement first. Check the notice period, any restrictive covenants and any client non-solicitation clause that limits which relationships you can bring and for how long. CoreFi will not ask you to breach an agreement you have signed. Honour your notice, respect any covenants that bind you, and take advice on your specific contract if the wording is unclear.
Is there a franchise fee or joining cost?
No franchise fee, no territory licence, no joining cost. You keep a share of the lender commission on the deals you complete and your split rises with your lifetime commission earned.
Work for yourself as a commercial finance broker
No franchise fee. No FCA barrier for the core model of broking to limited companies. Keep a growing share of the lender commission on every deal you complete, starting at 55% on self-sourced deals. Income is self-employed and not guaranteed; what you earn depends on the deals you place.
Apply to join CoreFi