Business finance during and after an IVA
An Individual Voluntary Arrangement is a formal insolvency arrangement that most lenders treat as a decline trigger while it is in force. After completion it stays on the credit file for six years from the start date. During that window, specialist lenders pricing on card flow or owned assets are the realistic route for a director who needs business finance.
How an IVA is treated
An IVA is a formal arrangement under which an individual agrees to pay creditors a fixed sum over a period, typically five to six years, and is bound by its terms throughout. Where a director-shareholder is in an IVA, lenders that run a director search will see it, and most decline categorically while it is in force, partly because taking on new credit usually breaches the arrangement anyway. The IVA shows on the credit file for six years from the start date, so even after completion it remains visible for a time.
During the IVA
While the arrangement is live, new commercial credit needs the supervisor's permission, which is rarely granted for anything non-essential, and any application is likely to be a breach. This is why "engages with IVAs" almost always means post-completion. A company whose director is mid-IVA usually has very limited room, and the cleanest path is to wait for completion while keeping the company's own trading and filings in good order.
After completion
Once the IVA completes, the supervisor issues a completion certificate, though the arrangement still shows on the file until six years from the start date. Specialist post-decline lenders engage in this period; mainstream lenders generally wait until the IVA drops off. The realistic options are a merchant cash advance against strong card flow, asset finance against owned assets, and specialist term loans at higher rates. FundBiz works with limited companies, LLPs and partnerships of four or more, and matches each enquiry to lenders whose criteria the profile can satisfy.
Practical steps
Get the completion certificate, then pull all three credit files and confirm the IVA is recorded as completed with the right dates. Build clean trading evidence after completion and avoid new credit events that would complicate the picture. A broker who soft-searches the market matches your profile to the lenders currently engaging before any hard search is run, which protects the credit file from unnecessary footprints. If a mainstream application has already been declined, the post-decline routing shows the alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Can a director take on business finance during an IVA?
Almost never. An IVA's terms typically prohibit new credit without the supervisor's permission, which is rarely granted for non-essential borrowing, and taking on credit anyway usually breaches the arrangement and risks bankruptcy. Lenders that say they engage with IVAs generally mean after completion, not during.
What if my IVA was a long time ago?
If it has completed and is more than six years from the start date, it falls off the credit file and mainstream criteria apply as if it had never happened. Until then, specialist lenders are the realistic route, with stronger options the further you are past completion.
Does asset finance work after an IVA?
Often yes. Because the asset is the security, the personal credit history weighs less in the decision. Specialist asset finance lenders may engage post-completion against a clean, owned asset, which makes asset-backed routes one of the more accessible options while the IVA still shows on the file.
How do I confirm my IVA is recorded correctly?
Get the completion certificate from your supervisor, then pull all three credit files, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, and confirm the IVA shows as completed with the correct dates. Errors are common and worth correcting before any application, because a misrecorded arrangement can block underwriting unnecessarily.
Check what you qualify for
Tell us where you are with the arrangement, your card flow and any assets, and we will match you to lenders that engage after completion before any hard search.
Open the eligibility checker →Director, FundBiz
Oliver leads FundBiz's specialty finance comparison and matching engine. With a background in UK commercial finance, he oversees lender partnerships, eligibility logic and post-decline routing.
Last reviewed: 29 June 2026
This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Last reviewed: 29 June 2026.