Updated August 2026 · Verified against BDC guidelines
✓ First-Timer Friendly Loan
Loan Federal Active

BDC Working Capital Loan

BDC
Loan Range
Not published. BDC sizes the loan case by case against your...
Continuous. No application deadline is published.
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Difficulty
Moderate
Payment
Loan
Trend
Stable
First-Timers
Friendly ✓
Financing share
Varies
BDC Working Capital Loan provides up to Not published. BDC sizes the loan case by case against your operating needs, cash flow and overall financial profile rather than applying a fixed formula. Term loan for day-to-day operations such as inventory, suppliers, marketing, hiring, certifications or green retrofits. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

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Eligibility & Details

What this program funds and who can apply

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Program Description

Term loan for day-to-day operations such as inventory, suppliers, marketing, hiring, certifications or green retrofits. Amount is determined case by case.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Canadian businesses based in Canada.
  • Must be generating revenue for 12 months or more.
  • Must be generating revenue and have a good credit track record.
  • Funds are for day-to-day operations such as inventory, suppliers, marketing, hiring, certifications or green retrofits.
  • All owners must be of the age of majority in their province or territory, and the business (or, for sole proprietors and partnerships, its owners) must be Canadian. The business must be a commercial enterprise — not a government body, union, religious or charitable organization or a fundraising vehicle. BDC's application asks you to attest the business has never been charged with, pled guilty to, or been convicted of tax evasion or a criminal offence of any nature. Ten industries and activities are excluded: market speculation, residential property financing, private schools, nursing/rehabilitation/personal care, cannabis, virtual currencies and NFTs, arms and ammunition, bars and lounges, gambling, and financing or cheque-discounting businesses.
Provinces
All Provinces
Industries
All
Business Stage
Startup Growth Established

Quick Assessment

Difficulty
Moderate
Competition
Moderate
First-Timer
Friendly

Funding Details

Amount
Not published. BDC sizes the loan case by case against your operating needs, cash flow and overall financial profile rather than applying a fixed formula.
Type
Loan
Level
Federal
Deadline
Continuous. No application deadline is published.

Program Scorecard

Competition, effort, and approval at a glance

Competition
Moderate
Deadline
Ongoing
Approval
Varies
Accessibility
3/5

Moderate — standard application process

Competition
3/5

Moderate competition — prepare a strong application

Difficulty
3/5

Moderate — standard requirements

Budget Trend
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How to qualify

Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like

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Insider Tip

Two levers make this loan cheaper to carry than its rate suggests.

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Rejection Pitfalls 4

  • Less than 12 months of revenue, or not currently generating revenue
+3 more pitfalls
Premium See the most common reasons applications get rejected — before you submit yours.

Success Profile

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Evaluation Criteria

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Premium All 4 pitfalls, the checklist and the reviewer notes are in the Playbook below. See what it includes ↓

How BDC judges your application

What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.

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Written answers2≈150 words from the funder’s limits
Judged on6 criteria
Can reject you12 rules
To attach2 documents

Distilled from 6+ source documents, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-04.

6 of the sources

What BDC favours

We look beyond numbers at team skills and idea potential◦

“We evaluate your project by looking beyond the numbers and analyzing your team's skills and the potential of your idea.”

2 more, in their words

The form2 prompts shown

Product requirements3 sections
  1. 1Minimum requirements (product page)checkboxesno limit
  2. 2What the money may be used forlistno limit
  3. 3Apply step 1 - Submit a loan request onlineshort answerno limit
Online request7 sections · ≈150 words
  1. 4Intake screen 0 - Financing requestselectionno limit
  2. 5Intake screen 1 - How much do you want to borrow?short answerno limit
  3. 6Intake screen 2 - How long has the business been in operation?selectionno limit
  4. 7Intake screen 3 - What type of loan are you looking for?selectionno limit
  5. 8Intake screen 4 - About your projectwritten answer · 1,000 characters

    Tell us about your project and how the loan will be used.

  6. 9Intake screen 5 - Business eligibility attestationscheckboxesno limit
  7. 10Intake screen 6 - Last step before seeing if your project is eligibleshort answerno limit
Client Space3 sections
  1. 11Information to have on hand before startinglistno limit
  2. 12Documents that may be requested after submissionlistno limit
  3. 13Client Space accountyes/no + writtenno limit

    Yes. A Client Space account is required to complete the online loan request process.

bar = length the funder allows, from its stated limits

11 more prompts, in the funder’s words

Judged against3 questions · 6 criteria

  1. 1

    Is the team and idea worth backing?

    Show them Show the skills behind the project and why the idea has potential beyond the ratios.◦

    In the funder’s words · 2
    • We evaluate your project by looking beyond the numbers and analyzing your team's skills and the potential of your idea.
    • We go beyond banking ratios when reviewing a project so solid teams with worthy ideas can get an opportunity to see their projects through.
  2. 2

    Can the business carry this loan?

    What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium

  3. 3

    Does the business pass BDC's gates?

    What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium

Where applicants failin BDC’s words

“The information provided above must be true and accurate. Otherwise, BDC has the right to decline your loan application, cease the disbursement of funds if the loan has already been authorized or even require the full repayment of any loan proceeds already disbursed.”
“Sorry. Based on the information provided, your business doesn't meet the eligibility criteria for this business loan. Our partners may have a program to support you.”

2 more, in the funder’s words

Premium · the rest of this brief

See all 12 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.

8 more rules that can reject you · 4 more criteria · 11 more prompts

$39 / month$299 / year save 36%Every program · Application workspace · 30-day money-backOr unlock this programme’s playbook alone · $19

Do you pass?12 checks

Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.

Your business

  • Business based in Canada

    Based in Canada

  • Revenue for 12 months or more

    Time generating revenue: 12 months +

  • Currently generating revenue

    Profitability: Generating revenue

  • No criminal or tax-evasion record

    The business has never been charged with, pled guilty to, or been convicted of tax evasion or a criminal offence of any nature.

8 more checks

1 thing this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.

Documents to attach2

Ticks are kept on this device.

The money

AmountFrom $10,000 up to several million

Requests of $10,000 or more; loans range from $10,000 up to several million dollars for large growth projects. The amount is based on your business's operating needs, cash flow, and overall financial profile rather than a fixed formula.

Interest rateFloating base rate + variance

Current floating base rate + variance based on your personal and business information = interest rate. Because the variance depends on your situation, interest rates will vary from one client to another.

FeesNo application fees up to $100K

No application or prepayment fees up to $100K; Certain fees apply over $100K.

Interest-only periodUp to 6–24 months interest-only

Up to 6 months interest-only payments up to $100K; up to 12 months over $100K and up to $350K; pay only interest for up to 24 months at the start of your loan.

Repayment term5–8 year amortization

5-year amortization period up to $100K; up to 8-year amortization period over $100K and up to $350K; take up to 8 years to repay your loan.

Down paymentNo down payment required

You don't need to put a down payment on a BDC business loan.

CollateralDepends on loan type

Collateral is dependent on the type of loan you select.

What it pays for · 9
  • Buy inventory
  • Pay suppliers
  • Expand into new markets
  • Develop new products
  • Protect intellectual property
  • Launch a marketing campaign
  • Obtain industry-specific certifications
  • Hire or train employees
  • Complete energy efficiency, green retrofit or sustainability projects

From application to money

  1. Call with a representativeCall with a representative
  2. Submit the requestTell us about your project
  3. Receive a loan offerReceive a loan offer
  4. Accept and signAccept and sign documents
  5. Repay the loanRepay over up to 8 years
In the funder’s words · 5
Call with a representative
We will call you to discuss your project in depth, including the documents needed for our analysis.
Submit the request
Tell us about your project and provide information about your business.
Receive a loan offer
If you're approved, we'll send you a loan offer based on your financial needs and capabilities.
Accept and sign
Accept the loan offer and sign the related documents, if the business qualifies for a loan.
Repay the loan
Match payments to your cash flow cycle to avoid using money needed for your day-to-day activities and take up to 8 years to repay your loan.

Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.

What's in this Playbook

Everything you need to secure BDC Working Capital Loan

Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.

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Application Playbook

Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses

Premium 3 steps 5 docs

Application Steps

1 Submit a loan request online Tell BDC about the project and provide information about your business. BDC states it is a few questions with no impact on your credit. A BDC Client Space account is required to complete the request; you can create one during the application. A BDC Client Space account is required to complete the request; you can create one during the application.

Required Documents 5

✓ Complete and up-to-date business information as listed in your business registry
✓ Names, email addresses, home address and mobile phone numbers for the company's owners, members of the board of directors, and shareholders (if applicable)

Eligible Expenses 9

Deadline Notes

Premium Get the step-by-step application guide — documents, timeline, and what to prepare.

Funding Stack Strategy

Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential

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Stacking partner data not yet available.

Combined Funding Potential See your total funding potential

Clawback Risk

Not-applicable Risk

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How BDC Working Capital Loan Compares

Side-by-side with similar programs

Free
Program Amount Difficulty Payment Deadline
BDC Working Capital Loan Not published. BDC sizes the loan... Moderate Loan Continuous. No...
Black Entrepreneurship Program Up to $250,000 Moderate Loan Ongoing
Canada Small Business Financing Program Up to $1.15 million Easy Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) Ongoing
Investissement Québec — Project Finan... Varies Hard Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) Ongoing
Futurpreneur Canada Startup Program Up to $75,000 Moderate Loan Ongoing

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about BDC Working Capital Loan

Free
How is the loan amount decided?
It is based on your business's operating needs, cash flow and overall financial profile. BDC assesses how the financing will support day-to-day operations and help maintain or stabilize cash flow, rather than applying a fixed formula.
What are the minimum requirements?
Based in Canada, generating revenue for 12 months or more, currently generating revenue, and a good credit track record. Each application is then reviewed individually against your financial situation, operating history and the purpose of the financing.
How long do I have to repay, and can I start with lower payments?
Up to 8 years, with payments matched to your cash-flow cycle. You can pay interest only for up to the first 24 months of the loan.
What can I use the money for?
Buying inventory, paying suppliers, expanding into new markets, developing new products, protecting intellectual property, launching a marketing campaign, obtaining industry-specific certifications, hiring or training employees, and energy efficiency, green retrofit or sustainability projects.
How is this different from a line of credit?
A working capital loan is a term loan with scheduled repayments, while a line of credit is typically revolving and can be reused as you repay the balance. BDC focuses on term loans that offer stability and predictable payments rather than revolving operating lines.
How does the loan show up on my balance sheet?
As a liability. The amount you must repay within the next 12 months is recorded as a current liability, and the remaining balance is classified as long-term debt.

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