Quick answer
For most online business loans you'll need business bank statements (often six months or more, via a secure link or PDF), photo ID for each director or owner, your ABN and company details, and sometimes recent BAS and accounting reports. Equipment finance adds a supplier quote; invoice finance adds your aged receivables; property-secured loans add property and mortgage details. Nothing is needed to enquire.
Key points
- You don't need to upload anything to enquire with eBusiness Loans.
- Bank statements and ID are the core of almost every online application.
- Each product adds its own documents — check before gathering everything.
- Clear, complete, unedited files avoid most delays.
- Core
- Statements, ID, ABN
- Often
- BAS, accounting reports
- Product-specific
- Quotes, receivables, property
- To enquire
- Nothing
The fastest online applications are the ones where the business owner already has everything ready. The slowest are the ones where a lender has to ask three times for a missing month of statements. This checklist sets out what online lenders typically ask for, product by product, so you can gather the right things once.
A reminder before you start: you don’t need any of this to enquire with eBusiness Loans. The specialist who calls will tell you exactly which items the matched lender needs, so you don’t waste time collecting documents that won’t be used.
What’s on the core checklist for almost every loan?
Business details
- ABN, and ACN if you trade through a company
- Registered business and trading names
- Business address and industry
- Director IDs, if requested, for company directors
Identity
- Current driver licence or passport for each director, owner or guarantor
- A phone with a camera for online verification
Bank statements
- At least six months for every business transaction account, or your login ready for a secure bank-data link
- Statements downloaded directly from internet banking as PDFs, not screenshots
Tax
- Recent BAS, if registered for GST
- ATO statement of account and payment plan details, if you owe the ATO
Business.gov.au’s guidance on applying for a business loan lists proof of identification, financial reports including cash-flow statements, forecasts and personal financial information as typical requirements. Online lenders tend to need a shorter list, because verified bank data replaces much of it.
What extra documents does each product need?
| Product | Extra documents commonly requested |
|---|---|
| Unsecured business loan | Usually just the core list; accounting reports for larger amounts |
| Line of credit | Profit and loss, balance sheet, sometimes an accounting connection |
| Invoice finance | Aged receivables, sample invoices, customer list, accounting connection |
| Equipment and tech finance | Supplier quote or tax invoice, supplier ABN and bank details |
| Revenue-based finance | Payment-platform or marketplace connections, sales reports |
| Secured short-term loan | Property address and ownership, existing mortgage statement, exit evidence |
| Bridging finance | Contract of sale, agency agreement or refinance approval |
How should you prepare each file?
Bank statements. Download directly from internet banking for the full period requested. Check that every page is included and the account name and number are visible. Share all business accounts, including savings and secondary transaction accounts.
ID. Check expiry dates for everyone. Make sure names match across ID, company records and the application.
BAS. Lodge any outstanding statements before applying where possible. Download copies of the most recent lodged BAS.
Accounting reports. Reconcile bank feeds first, so profit and loss and receivables match your bank statements. See accounting software connections.
Quotes and invoices. Use a formal supplier quote on letterhead with an ABN, item details and total price.
Property documents. A recent rates notice or title details, the latest mortgage statement and any valuation or appraisal you have.
What small things cause the most delays?
- A missing month in the middle of a statement period
- Statements for one account when the business has two
- Expired ID for one of the directors
- A supplier quote without an ABN or bank details
- Unreconciled accounting data that doesn’t match the bank
- Documents sent by plain email instead of the secure portal
- Files renamed or combined in ways that make them hard to verify
None of these are serious, but each one costs time. If speed matters, check the list twice. Our page on same-day funding explains how each delay compounds.
How do you keep documents secure while gathering them?
Store them in one folder on a secure device rather than scattered across email. Upload only through the lender’s secure portal or the link your specialist confirms. Never send ID or statements to someone who contacted you unexpectedly. Once the loan is decided, delete copies you no longer need from shared drives and downloads folders.
Not sure where you stand?
The online readiness check turns this checklist into a quick score and a list of what’s missing. It runs entirely in your browser and takes under a minute.
What does a well-organised upload folder look like?
Simple naming saves the lender time and saves you follow-up questions. A pattern such as “BusinessName_Bank_Main_Apr-Sep” or “Director1_Licence” makes it obvious what each file is. Keep one folder per application, with subfolders for bank statements, ID, tax and anything product-specific such as quotes or property documents. If a lender asks for an updated statement later, replace the old file rather than adding a second version, so nobody works from out-of-date figures.
It’s also worth keeping a one-page summary in the folder: the amount you’re seeking, what it’s for, your existing debts and repayments, any ATO arrangement, and a line or two explaining anything unusual in the statements. You probably won’t upload it as a document, but having it in front of you during the specialist’s call means your answers are consistent with the paperwork — and consistency is exactly what speeds up an assessment.
What if you can’t get a document?
Tell your specialist rather than leaving a gap. There’s often an alternative: a bank-data link instead of PDFs, a letter from your accountant instead of formal financial statements, a tax agent’s printout instead of your own ATO login. Lenders are generally flexible about format when they understand why.
Ready when your folder is?
Having your documents in order is the biggest single thing you can do to speed up an online application. When you’re ready — or even before, if you want to know exactly what to gather — send your 60-second enquiry. There’s no credit check when you enquire, your details go to one specialist rather than a list of lenders, and a real person will tell you precisely what the right lender needs. Accurate answers on the form mean the document request is right the first time.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to upload documents to enquire?
No. The 60-second enquiry only asks for basic details. Documents come later, once a specialist has talked to you and a lender has been chosen.
What format should documents be in?
PDFs downloaded directly from your bank, accounting software or the ATO are best. Photos of documents are acceptable for ID if taken through the lender's verification tool. Avoid screenshots and edited files.
How many months of bank statements do I need?
Six months is a common minimum for unsecured lending; some lenders want twelve. Include every business account, not just the main one.
Do I need financial statements and tax returns?
Not usually for smaller online loans. Larger amounts, longer terms and some secured loans may ask for them.