Skipton Business Finance vs Accelerated Payments Invoice Finance

Skipton Business Finance, part of Skipton Building Society, focuses on providing invoice finance solutions to UK SMEs through products such as invoice factoring, invoice discounting and its Skipton Select facility, as outlined on its main site and dedicated invoice factoring and invoice discounting pages. Accelerated Payments Invoice Finance is a selective, international invoice finance provider that allows businesses to fund individual invoices without long term contracts, based on its invoice finance product page and how it works overview. Both lenders aim to improve cash flow by advancing a percentage of invoice value, but they differ in structure, eligibility and how closely they integrate with a client’s credit control processes, as described in Skipton’s invoice finance FAQs and Accelerated Payments’ about page. This comparison looks at each lender’s products, costs, service model and application journey using publicly available information up to 2026 to help UK businesses understand which might align better with their needs.

1. Products and terms at a glance

Skipton Business Finance specialises in invoice finance facilities for UK businesses, offering invoice factoring, invoice discounting and CHOCs (Customer Handles Own Collections) structures as described on its invoice factoring page and invoice discounting overview. It states that invoice factoring and discounting advance a percentage of each approved invoice value and are designed as ongoing working capital lines tied to a business’s accounts receivable, rather than one off loans, based on its invoice finance FAQs. Accelerated Payments Invoice Finance is a selective invoice finance provider that lets businesses choose individual invoices to fund rather than placing the whole sales ledger under a facility, as outlined on its invoice finance and how it works pages. It focuses on funding invoices owed by creditworthy buyers, including export debtors, and positions itself as a flexible, non bank alternative without long term contracts or obligations to finance every invoice, according to its product description on the same pages. From a legal entity perspective Skipton Business Finance operates in the UK as Skipton Business Finance Limited, a company registered in England and Wales, as confirmed by Companies House and referenced on its main site. Accelerated Payments is described as a global invoice finance provider headquartered in Dublin but serving UK businesses through its UK focused content and partnerships, such as the UK market partnership highlighted by Global Trade Review on its UK expansion article, alongside the provider’s own about page. Invoice finance, the core product for both lenders, allows a business to raise cash against unpaid invoices instead of waiting for customers to pay. For a general independent explanation of how invoice finance works, the British Business Bank notes that invoice finance providers can advance up to a stated percentage of invoice value, often up to around 90 percent, with the balance paid when the customer settles the invoice and fees deducted, as explained on its invoice finance guide. For a more specialist market overview Moneyfacts’ invoice finance guide sets out the distinction between factoring and discounting, which aligns broadly with the models used by Skipton Business Finance and Accelerated Payments. Because invoice finance is not a standard amortising term loan, common comparison tools such as a dedicated invoice finance facility guide or an online business loan calculator can be useful for cross checking how different facilities might affect cash flow, although actual advances and costs will depend on lender specific offers.

Skipton Business Finance, product structures

Skipton Business Finance outlines three core invoice finance structures on its site.

• Invoice Factoring provides funding plus a full credit control service, where Skipton Business Finance manages credit control and collections on behalf of the client, as described on its invoice factoring page.
• CHOCs (Client Handles Own Collections) Invoice Factoring is a variant in which the business retains control over collections but still discloses the involvement of Skipton Business Finance to customers, according to its CHOCs explanation.
• Invoice Discounting gives funding while the client keeps responsibility for collections and the facility may operate on a more confidential basis, as outlined on its invoice discounting page and its invoice discounting for small businesses section.

Skipton Business Finance notes that invoice discounting can offer advances of up to around 90 percent of an invoice’s value, as stated on its main invoice discounting page. Its Skipton Select product is an interest free invoice factoring facility where the lender emphasises a clear pricing structure with no interest or separate banking charges, as set out on the Skipton Select page, although specific fee levels are not published and therefore should be treated as varies. Skipton Business Finance also offers additional features such as bad debt protection, which aims to protect against customer insolvency or protracted default, summarised on its bad debt protection product page. Facility specific terms, including exact advance rates, fee schedules and recourse conditions, are contained in client agreements and supported by guidance documents such as its factoring and invoice discounting PDFs, which set out typical operational rules and example charges but not universal price points, as seen in the factoring guide and invoice discounting guide.

Accelerated Payments, product structures

Accelerated Payments describes itself as a global invoice finance provider that offers selective funding against individual invoices, with no obligation to fund the full ledger, according to its invoice finance page. Businesses upload invoices to its platform and can request funding on approved invoices, with the provider advancing an agreed percentage of each invoice and collecting payment from the end buyer, as described on its how it works page. Key structural points highlighted by Accelerated Payments include:

• The facility is non recourse in respect of approved invoices where bad debt protection is in place for buyer insolvency, subject to eligibility and conditions, referenced on materials such as its recruitment finance product page which notes bad debt protection features.
• There are no long term contracts or commitments to finance all invoices from a given buyer, so clients can use the facility as needed, according to its invoice finance product description.
• It can fund export and international invoices where the debtor is based in an OECD country, and can support UK and Irish headquartered businesses with overseas subsidiaries, based on its eligibility wording on the same invoice finance page.

Accelerated Payments indicates that typical advances can reach up to around 80 percent of invoice value in sector specific examples, such as the statement that 80 percent of a recruitment invoice’s value is advanced, with the remainder paid after the buyer settles and fees deducted, on its recruitment finance page. However it does not publish a universal maximum advance rate across all sectors and geographies, so actual advances should be treated as varies.

2. Costs and repayments in practice

Neither Skipton Business Finance nor Accelerated Payments publishes full, standardised pricing tables for all clients. Both emphasise that fees depend on factors such as facility size, sector, buyer quality and invoice terms. This means any cost comparison should be treated as indicative rather than definitive.

Skipton Business Finance, fee structure

Skipton Business Finance promotes its Skipton Select facility as interest free with no banking charges and a clear pricing structure, explaining that the client pays a set up fee and a single factoring fee instead of a combination of service fee and discount interest, as outlined on its Skipton Select page and reiterated on its main site. The exact level of those fees is not disclosed publicly and therefore varies by client. For its broader factoring and discounting facilities Skipton Business Finance’s guides describe typical fee components such as an administration or service charge and various additional charges for optional services, but again without universal percentages or rates. The factoring guide notes examples of additional charges such as fees for early processing of invoices for same day payment and handling charges for certain transactions, while the invoice discounting guide references administration charges and handling fees. A separate independent review on Funding Agent summarises that Skipton Business Finance may charge a set up fee, a transaction fee per draw down and ongoing invoice finance fees, but emphasises that fee levels depend on the facility, as described on the Skipton Business Finance review. Repayment in an invoice finance context occurs when the end customer pays its invoice and the lender deducts its fees from the collected amount before releasing any remaining balance. Skipton Business Finance confirms in its factoring guide that it will fund invoices for a pre agreed number of days past their due date for recourse facilities, after which unfunded amounts may be reclaimed from the client, as set out on its recourse invoice factoring page and detailed more generally in its client guides.

Accelerated Payments, fee structure

Accelerated Payments states that it operates with a transparent fee structure and no hidden extras, according to its main site, but it does not list standard headline discount rates or fixed fees for UK clients. Its recruitment sector page shows the mechanics of selective invoice finance in practice, where 80 percent of the invoice value (less its fee) is paid within around 24 hours and the balance after buyer payment, as set out on the recruitment finance page. An older marketing brochure for Canada referenced in a PDF mentioned specific numerical fees, but as those figures relate to a different jurisdiction and earlier period they should not be treated as current UK pricing, so in this article Accelerated Payments’ UK fee levels are treated as varies. Independent sources outline how invoice finance pricing typically works in the market. For example, Billtrust’s invoice finance cost guide notes that factoring fees often fall within broad ranges as a percentage of invoice value, and FundingGuru’s costs of invoice financing article describes how service fees and discount rates can vary by risk and utilisation. These independent ranges can help illustrate overall market practice but do not represent specific quotes from either Skipton Business Finance or Accelerated Payments. Accelerated Payments indicates that it does not normally require personal guarantees or additional security beyond the receivables themselves, according to its invoice finance page, which can affect the overall risk assessment and pricing compared with providers that do ask for guarantees. Repayment occurs when the buyer pays the invoice into a controlled account, with Accelerated Payments deducting its fee before passing the remaining balance to the client, as described in its how it works steps.

Illustrative comparison table

The table below summarises structural cost features based on publicly available descriptions rather than specific fee numbers. Actual pricing for both lenders varies and must be confirmed by quote.

Worked example 1, ongoing invoice factoring facility (illustrative)

This example is purely illustrative and based on general market practice described by independent sources such as Moneyfacts and the British Business Bank, not on specific quotes from Skipton Business Finance. All figures are indicative and actual costs will vary. Assumptions:

• Business has £300,000 of eligible invoices per month on 60 day terms.
• Invoice finance provider offers an advance of 85 percent of invoice value.
• Total effective fee impact (service plus discount fees) is assumed at 3 percent of invoice value per 60 day cycle, for illustration only and aligned broadly with market ranges mentioned in external guides.

Under these assumptions, the business could draw £255,000 (85 percent of £300,000) shortly after invoices are raised. When customers pay £300,000 into the facility account the provider retains 3 percent (£9,000) as combined fees and releases the remaining £36,000 reserve to the client. The effective cash flow benefit is the earlier access to £255,000 while the cost is the £9,000 fee. A facility from Skipton Business Finance would follow a similar cash flow pattern as described in its invoice factoring explanation and more detailed client guides, but the real fee percentage and advance rate would be negotiated individually.

Worked example 2, selective invoice finance for an exporter (illustrative)

This example is also illustrative and is designed to mirror the structure of Accelerated Payments’ selective invoice finance without using its unpublished UK fee levels. Assumptions:

• UK business exports to an OECD based buyer and has a single £100,000 invoice on 90 day terms.
• Selective invoice finance provider offers an advance of 80 percent, similar to the example used on Accelerated Payments’ recruitment finance page but adapted for export.
• Illustrative discount fee assumed at 3.5 percent of invoice value for the 90 day period, within broad ranges described by independent invoice finance cost guides.

The provider advances £80,000 to the exporter shortly after the invoice is approved. When the buyer pays £100,000 at day 90 the provider deducts a £3,500 fee and returns the remaining £16,500 to the client. The total funding cost is £3,500, while the exporter receives earlier access to £80,000 to manage cash flow and growth. Accelerated Payments’ actual fee for a similar transaction would depend on risk assessments, buyer location and contract terms, as suggested by its emphasis on tailored solutions on the invoice finance page.

3. Speed and service

Skipton Business Finance and Accelerated Payments both highlight speed and simplicity, but their service models differ. Skipton Business Finance emphasises relationship led support, with regional offices and relationship managers supporting clients, as described on its contact page and its main site where it stresses over 20 years of experience. Its factoring arrangement includes credit control and collections handled by Skipton Business Finance’s in house team, as outlined on the invoice factoring page, which can be attractive for businesses that want to outsource collections. Its invoice finance FAQs explain how clients access an online system (E3) to upload invoices and monitor funding. Skipton Business Finance does not publish standard decision times; it focuses on flexibility and tailored facilities. Therefore any specific onboarding or decision speed should be regarded as varies and confirmed directly with the lender. Its complaints process explains steps and timescales for resolving issues once a client is on board, as set out in its complaints procedure. Accelerated Payments highlights quick decisions and fast funding as part of its value proposition, stating that it offers quick decisions and funding on approved invoices, with some marketing suggesting approvals can often be made within about 24 hours of application, as per the process steps on its how it works page. However such timeframes are not guaranteed and are likely to vary by case, so they should be interpreted as indicative only. Its platform model means clients apply online, upload invoices and track status digitally, as described on the same page. Because Accelerated Payments is not a UK high street bank, it is not covered under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme for deposits, but it is operating in a regulated environment for UK clients and works with UK partners, which is reflected in trade press coverage such as the Global Trade Review article on its UK expansion. Any specific support hours or service level commitments are not detailed in publicly available documentation and therefore vary.

4. Who each lender suits

Skipton Business Finance

Based on its product design and published material Skipton Business Finance tends to suit:

• UK businesses that issue regular B2B invoices on credit terms and want a long term working capital facility tied to their debtor book, as indicated by its focus on ongoing invoice finance on its factoring and discounting pages.
• Companies that are comfortable with or actively want a provider to undertake credit control and collections, particularly under full factoring, which is central to Skipton’s invoice factoring offer.
• Firms preferring to work with a provider that is part of a UK building society group and emphasises regional relationship managers, as seen on its main site and contact information.
• SMEs that meet its eligibility requirements for invoice finance and potentially the Growth Guarantee Scheme where relevant, as suggested on its Growth Guarantee Scheme page, though exact eligibility varies by product.

Accelerated Payments Invoice Finance

Accelerated Payments is likely to suit:

• Businesses that want to finance only certain invoices, for instance large or export invoices, rather than commit their entire ledger, as stressed on its invoice finance product page.
• Firms selling to overseas or OECD based buyers where traditional UK lenders may be more cautious, since Accelerated Payments actively markets cross border funding capabilities and support for overseas subsidiaries on the same page.
• Companies that prefer a purely digital, platform based application and management process with no long term contract and the option to fund invoices as needed, according to its how it works description.
• Businesses seeking to avoid providing personal guarantees or additional security, within eligibility limits, as highlighted on its invoice finance page.

5. How to apply

Applying to Skipton Business Finance

Skipton Business Finance invites prospective clients to enquire through its online enquiry form, telephone or regional offices. Its enquiry page sets out a short form that asks for basic details such as contact information, company name, turnover and the nature of the requirement. It then follows up with discussions to understand the business, sector and debtor profile. Its client guides and FAQs indicate that the onboarding process will typically include:

• Review of recent financial accounts and management information, as suggested by the documentation requirements outlined in its factoring guide.
• Assessment of the sales ledger and key customers, to determine eligibility and advance rates, in line with its explanations of recourse conditions on the recourse factoring page.
• Agreeing facility limits, advance percentages, fee structure and any bad debt protection options, which will be documented in facility agreements and supported by guides like its bad debt protection client guide.

After approval the client gains access to Skipton’s E3 system, which it describes in the information hub as the online platform for submitting invoices and viewing account information, referenced on its Information Hub page. Skipton’s complaints procedure sets out how existing clients can raise concerns, including escalation to the Financial Ombudsman Service where eligible.

Applying to Accelerated Payments

Accelerated Payments uses a digital application journey. Its how it works page describes a process where businesses register online, complete an application and then receive a decision after the lender has reviewed the business and buyer information. Once approved the client can upload individual invoices to the platform, request funding and track repayment. The same page and its invoice finance product description outline indicative eligibility points, such as:

• The client being headquartered in the UK, Ireland, USA or Canada, with scope to fund overseas subsidiaries under certain conditions.
• Buyers being based in OECD member countries, subject to credit approval.
• Invoices being B2B trade receivables that are undisputed and within acceptable payment terms.

Funding Agent’s independent comparison of Accelerated Payments with another lender notes that eligibility can include a minimum trading period and revenue threshold, but because such criteria may change over time they should be treated as indicative and vary, as discussed on the Accelerated Payments vs 365 Finance article rather than taken as permanent policy. For ongoing support Accelerated Payments directs clients to its online contact channels, as listed on its contact page. Complaints or issues would follow its general terms and conditions and any jurisdiction specific complaint routes, with platform terms set out on its platform terms and conditions page.

6. Final verdict

Both Skipton Business Finance and Accelerated Payments Invoice Finance offer ways to unlock cash from unpaid invoices, but they suit different profiles and preferences. Skipton Business Finance sits in the more traditional invoice finance space with full service factoring and discounting plus optional bad debt protection and regional relationship management, as seen on its product pages and guides. Accelerated Payments is positioned as a selective, tech enabled provider that emphasises flexibility, international reach and minimal security requirements, based on its invoice finance and how it works pages. In practice, the better choice depends on whether a business wants a comprehensive working capital line backed by an established UK provider with integrated credit control, or a selective, transaction driven facility that can be dipped into when needed, including for export invoices. Choose Skipton Business Finance if:

• You want an ongoing invoice factoring or discounting facility with support from dedicated relationship managers and the option to outsource credit control, as described on Skipton’s factoring page
• Your business issues a steady volume of domestic B2B invoices and values the structure and predictability of a whole ledger facility, in line with Skipton’s invoice discounting model
• You prefer a provider that is part of a UK mutual building society group and offers documented complaint and support pathways, as outlined on its complaints procedure
• You are open to negotiating a bespoke fee and advance structure where pricing depends on turnover, debtor quality and contract terms, which Skipton’s guides and independent reviews indicate will vary

Choose Accelerated Payments Invoice Finance if:

• You want the flexibility to fund specific invoices on a selective basis rather than commit your full ledger, as emphasised on its invoice finance page
• Your business sells to overseas or OECD based buyers and needs export friendly invoice finance with bad debt protection options, as described on Accelerated Payments’ eligibility and sector pages
• You prefer an online, platform led application and management experience with quick indicative decisions, as outlined on its how it works overview
• You are seeking to minimise the use of personal guarantees or additional collateral, within eligibility limits, in line with the no personal guarantees statement on its invoice finance page

Ultimately, businesses comparing these two providers should treat this article as a structured starting point, then obtain tailored quotes from both lenders and consider advice from an independent broker or adviser before committing to any facility.

7. Sources

• Skipton Business Finance main site
• Skipton Business Finance invoice factoring page
• Skipton Business Finance invoice discounting page
• Skipton Business Finance CHOCs explanation
• Skipton Business Finance invoice discounting for small businesses
• Skipton Select product page
• Skipton Business Finance bad debt protection
• Skipton Business Finance invoice finance FAQs
• Skipton Business Finance guide to factoring
• Skipton Business Finance guide to invoice discounting
• Skipton Business Finance recourse invoice factoring
• Skipton Business Finance information hub
• Skipton Business Finance contact page
• Skipton Business Finance complaints procedure
• Skipton Business Finance Growth Guarantee Scheme
• Skipton Business Finance enquiry page
• Companies House entry for Skipton Business Finance Limited
• Funding Agent review of Skipton Business Finance
• Accelerated Payments main site
• Accelerated Payments invoice finance product page
• Accelerated Payments how it works page
• Accelerated Payments recruitment finance sector page
• Accelerated Payments about page
• Accelerated Payments contact page
• Accelerated Payments platform terms and conditions
• Global Trade Review article on Accelerated Payments UK expansion
• Funding Agent comparison of Accelerated Payments vs 365 Finance
• British Business Bank guide to invoice finance
• Moneyfacts invoice finance guide
• Billtrust guide to invoice finance costs
• FundingGuru article on invoice finance costs
• OnePosting article on invoice financing with Accelerated Payments
• Funding Agent guide to selective invoice finance