How to Ask a Funder for the Total Repayment Figure (Before You Sign)
Ask directly: "What is the total dollar amount I will repay, and what is the exact factor rate this is based on?" A funder should be able to answer that in a single number before you sign — total repayment isn't a mystery that only reveals itself after funding, it's set at the moment your factor rate and advance amount are agreed. Ask that question of your underwriter or account representative directly (not a general sales line), and get the answer in writing as part of your funding agreement, not a verbal estimate.
Below: the exact questions to ask before signing, who at a funding company should be answering them, and what "disclosed up front" actually means in practice.
The Exact Questions to Ask Before You Sign
Total repayment on a merchant cash advance is calculated as the advance amount multiplied by the factor rate — a $50,000 advance at a 1.30 factor rate repays at $65,000, full stop, agreed before you accept the funds. That number doesn't change with time the way interest on a revolving balance would, which means a funder can and should state it plainly. Here's the specific set of questions worth asking, in order:
- "What is the total dollar amount I will repay?" Not the factor rate alone — the actual number. A factor rate without the total is like being quoted a percentage without the amount it's a percentage of.
- "What is the exact factor rate, and how was it determined?" This confirms the math behind the total figure and gives you the number to compare against other offers.
- "What is the remittance amount and frequency — daily or weekly, and what percentage of sales?" The total is fixed, but how you pay it down changes your week-to-week cash flow.
- "Are there any additional fees — origination, processing, or otherwise — on top of the factor-rate total?" Get a full accounting of every dollar involved, not just the headline number.
- "Is there a discount for paying early, and does it change the total I owe?" Some advances offer early-payoff terms that reduce the total repayment if you pay ahead of schedule — ask directly whether that applies to your offer.
- "Can I get this in writing before I sign?" A verbal number isn't a commitment. The written funding agreement should show the advance amount, factor rate, total repayment, and remittance terms as agreed-upon figures, not estimates.
Who to Actually Ask
The person who can give you a firm, contract-backed answer is your underwriter or the funding company's account representative assigned to your file — the person actually reviewing your bank statements and structuring your offer — not a general inbound sales line that's fielding a high volume of leads and may only be able to quote a range. With a direct lender, that's typically a single point of contact who has visibility into your actual file, because the underwriting decision is made in-house rather than passed between an originator and a separate funding source.
That distinction matters for how confidently you get an answer. When an application has been passed through multiple parties — a broker to a lead buyer to an eventual funding source — getting a firm number can take longer, and the person on the phone with you may not be the one who set the terms. Ask plainly, early in the process: "Am I speaking with the company that will actually fund and service this advance, or has my file been passed to someone else?" The answer tells you whether the person you're asking is positioned to give you a real number or just an estimate.
What "Disclosed Up Front" Actually Means
Total repayment on an MCA isn't something that gets revealed gradually as remittances are collected — it's a fixed figure set before funding, because the factor rate and advance amount are agreed before the money moves. That's structurally different from a revolving balance, where total cost depends on how long a balance is carried and can't be known in advance. On an MCA, the total repayment figure should be one of the first concrete numbers a funder gives you, alongside the factor rate that produces it — not something you have to extract with follow-up questions.
Some states also require standardized disclosure of financing terms at the point of offer. California's commercial financing disclosure law (SB 1235) and New York's DFS Reg 100.4(a) both require an APR-equivalent and other key-terms disclosure for financing offered to borrowers in those states — a separate, formal layer on top of the plain-language total-repayment conversation covered here. If you're in a state with disclosure requirements, you should receive that formal disclosure in addition to a direct answer to the questions above.
| What you ask for | What a straight answer looks like | Where it should appear |
|---|---|---|
| Total repayment | A single dollar figure (advance × factor rate) | Verbally, then in writing in the agreement |
| Factor rate | A specific number (e.g., 1.30), not a range | Verbally, then in writing in the agreement |
| Remittance terms | Daily or weekly amount and percentage of sales | In writing in the agreement |
| Additional fees | A full list, or confirmation there are none | In writing in the agreement |
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the single most important question to ask before signing an MCA agreement?
"What is the total dollar amount I will repay?" A factor rate alone doesn't tell you the real cost — ask for the full number, calculated against your specific advance amount, before you agree to anything.
Who should I ask for the total repayment figure — sales or underwriting?
Ask your assigned underwriter or account representative, the person with direct visibility into your file and the authority to confirm the number in writing — not a general sales line that may only be able to give a range.
Is the total repayment on an MCA the same as interest?
No. An MCA is a purchase of future receivables at a fixed factor rate, not a loan with an interest rate or APR. The total repayment is set at signing — advance amount multiplied by factor rate — and doesn't accrue over time the way interest on a revolving balance would.
Can I negotiate the factor rate or terms before signing?
Ask directly — terms are set based on your file's risk profile (deposit history, credit, time in business), and while there isn't a guaranteed negotiation outcome, it's a fair question to raise with your underwriter before you accept an offer.
Does paying early reduce the total I owe?
It can, depending on the offer — some advances include an early-payoff structure that reduces total repayment if you pay ahead of schedule. Ask specifically whether your offer includes this and get the exact terms in writing.
What's the difference between the factor rate and the remittance amount?
The factor rate determines your total repayment (a fixed dollar figure). The remittance amount is how that total gets collected — a daily or weekly percentage of sales. Two offers with the same factor rate can still feel different day-to-day depending on remittance frequency, so ask about both.
Are total repayment terms required to be disclosed in writing?
Some states, including California (SB 1235) and New York (DFS Reg 100.4[a]), legally require standardized commercial-financing disclosures at the point of offer. Regardless of state, a straightforward funder should put the advance amount, factor rate, and total repayment in your written funding agreement before you sign.
If a funder won't give me a clear total repayment number, what does that mean?
It's a reasonable reason to ask more questions or compare another offer. Since total repayment is a fixed, calculable figure on an MCA, a funder that can't or won't state it plainly before signing is worth pressing on directly — get the answer in writing before you commit.
The Bottom Line
Total repayment on a merchant cash advance is a fixed number, set before you accept the funds — not something you should have to guess at or extract after the fact. Ask your underwriter or account representative directly, get the total dollar figure and the factor rate that produces it, and confirm it in writing before signing. Byzfunder is a direct lender, funding directly from its own balance sheet with one underwriting decision made in-house, and discloses total repayment terms up front as part of every funding agreement.
<p><em>ByzFunder NY LLC funds small businesses directly from its own balance sheet. Approval and pricing are based on business deposit history, credit profile, and overall file fit — not guaranteed for any applicant, and credit score remains a factor in underwriting and pricing. Advance amounts, factor rates, and terms vary by file. Funding in as little as 24 hours describes our fastest complete files and is not a promise of timing for any specific applicant. This is educational content, not an offer or commitment to fund.</em></p>
For California, term loans are arranged or made pursuant to the California Financing Law — License Number: 6031098.