Most funders want to see your business bank statements, but they don't all ask for the same number of months. Of the funders' own pages we read, the shortest asks for 3 to 6 months of turnover shown on bank statements, and the longest asks for 12 months of statements. Below is what each one says, so you can see the spread before you apply.
What South African funders publish
Naming a funder here does not mean we place deals with it. These are public pages, quoted so you know what to expect.
| Funder | What its own page says | Where we read it |
|---|---|---|
| GoTyme for Business (formerly Retail Capital) | "Monthly Turnover R50 000 or more", "At least 3 to 6 months of continuous turnover (with bank statements)", "Business owner for 6+ months" | Its own campaign page, read 4 Nov 2026 |
| Bridgement | A registered company or close corporation (CC), monthly turnover of R80,000 or more, trading for longer than 6 months. It "does not require a business plan, a budget or a financial forecast". The page does not say how many months of statements it reads. | Its help page (article dated 5 March 2025), read 4 Nov 2026 |
| Lula | "Trading as a registered South African business" for "1+ year", and "R40K+ Monthly revenue". The page does not say how many months of statements it reads. | Lula's site, read 4 Nov 2026 |
| National Empowerment Fund (NEF) | "Business bank statements for the past twelve (12) months" | NEF application form (2021 copy hosted on a municipal site) |
What this tells you: some turnover-based funders want only a few months of trading on the statements, while others want a year. A development funder like the NEF asks for a full year of statements. Our own starting point is 12 months of trading, so if your business is younger than that, see who we can help on the apply page first.
What a funder reads in your statements
Statements show your real trading, not the version on a form. When we look at a business before an application goes anywhere, the things that come from the statements are:
- Turnover and cash-flow profile. How much comes in, and how steady it is month to month.
- Existing debt commitments. Other loans, advances or daily and weekly deductions already going off the account.
- Banking conduct. How the account is run from month to month.
- Repayment ability. Whether there is room for one more repayment once the bills are paid.
Existing deductions matter more than many owners expect. The South African SME Finance Association (SASFA) code says that if a business already has finance from other SME finance providers, those "obligations are to be settled" when the new funding is paid out, to avoid "stacking" (section 2.6). The code allows an exception for a large business with enough cash flow. For a funder that follows the code, that can mean an advance you already have is paid off out of the new funding.
SASFA's code applies to its members. SASFA lists them on its website (sasfa.net/members), and you can complain to SASFA at [email protected].
Bank statements or a link to your account
Funders usually read your statements as PDF files. If a funder asks you instead to link your business account so it can read the transactions directly, ask the funder what it will read, how long it keeps the data, and how to stop the access. That is your information, and you can ask.
Before you send them
- Send statements for the business account.
- Send the full months asked for, with every page.
- If one month looks odd (a big one-off payment, a slow month after a closure), say why upfront. A short note saves a round of questions.
- For the other papers a funder may want, see documents.
Next step
Checking your fit takes about 2 to 3 minutes and needs no documents to start. Check your funding fit.
Sources
- gotyme.co.za: Monthly Turnover R50 000 or more", "At least 3 to 6 months of continuous turnover", "Business owner for 6+ months
- gotyme.co.za: Retail Capital is now GoTyme for Business
- help.bridgement.com: minimum requirements and "Bridgement does not require a business plan, a budget or a financial forecast
- lula.co.za: 1+ year", "Trading as a registered South African business", "R40K+ Monthly revenue
- stlm.gov.za: Business bank statements for the past twelve months
- sasfa.net: section 2.6, other SME finance "obligations are to be settled", "commonly referred to in the industry as stacking", and the large business exception
- sasfa.net: member list and "[email protected]