What if my offer is quoted as a factor rate?

Multiply the amount by the factor rate to get the total you'd pay back, then enter that. The checker shows the factor rate equivalent so you can confirm it matches.

Are the verdict bands market averages?

No. They are Sterling's rule of thumb for reading an APR, not market data and not advice.

Why does the checker ask how many advances I already have?

Because stacking, taking a new advance while others are running, is how a manageable cost turns into a cash-flow problem. Two or more running triggers a warning.

My offer has no total payback figure. What now?

Ask for it in writing, along with the amount you'll receive and the payment schedule. An offer that can't be written as those numbers isn't ready to sign.

Business Funding Offer Checker: Find the Real APR

Enter the figures from any funding offer, loan, advance or revenue-share deal, and the checker shows what you actually receive, the cost of the money, the APR after up-front fees, and a verdict band. It also flags the terms worth questioning. Use it on the written offer, not the phone pitch.

What each input means

Amount on the offer. The headline figure.
Up-front fees. Origination, admin, "processing" or broker fees: anything deducted so you don't receive it.
Total you'd pay back. Every payment added together. For an advance, the amount × the factor rate.
Term and frequency. How many months, and whether payments are daily, weekly or monthly.
Advances or loans already running. Count each one.
Early payoff discount. Whether paying early reduces the total, in writing.

The method

Amount received = amount offered − up-front fees.
Number of payments = months × 21 (daily, business days), × 52 ÷ 12 (weekly) or × 1 (monthly), rounded.
Payment = total payback ÷ number of payments.
APR = the periodic rate at which those payments are worth exactly what you received, × 252, 52 or 12. It is a nominal annual rate on the money you actually get.
The verdict uses Sterling's rule-of-thumb bands: under 20% APR "priced like bank lending", 20–50% "in line with many online term loans", 50–100% "expensive short-term money", over 100% "very expensive".

Worked example

An offer of $100,000 with $3,000 of up-front fees, $135,000 to pay back over 6 months, daily debits, one advance already running, early payoff "not sure":

You receive $97,000; the cost of the money is $38,000.
126 daily payments of $1,071.43.
APR about 140%: very expensive, on Sterling's rule of thumb.
Flags: daily debits come out on quiet days too; a short term with a high payback is the dearest shape money comes in; ask in writing whether early payment cuts the total.

Compare a $100,000 loan with no fees, $119,817.84 repaid in 24 monthly payments: 18% APR, priced like bank lending, no flags.

Limitations

It assumes equal payments. Holdback and revenue-share deals vary with sales; use an estimated term.
Fees charged later, such as late or returned-payment fees, aren't included.
The verdict bands are a rule of thumb, not market data or advice.
It can't read the contract. Look for confessions of judgment, blanket liens and personal guarantees yourself; see merchant cash advances and funding scams for what to watch.

Offer checker: is this funding offer any good?