Size on December
December payroll is near the peak and its invoices land against a book that has shrunk. Size on that book.
- Size on DecemberNot on January
- Open the facilityBefore the drop
- Forecast collectionsLate January cash
Industriesprofessional services firms
Business Funding for Professional Service Firms
You pay people before your clients pay you.
One place for staffing, legal, accounting, consulting and agency owners to size the working capital a Net-45 book locks up, price the spread properly, and see which financing structure fits the contract in front of them.
No hard credit pull to start. No applicant fees. Independent business capital advisors.
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Start with the move
What professional services firms use business funding for
Pick one and the calculator below changes to the question that move actually asks.
Run the numbers first
Payroll funding gap calculator
You pay people on a 7 or 14 day clock against invoices on a 30 to 60 day clock, and you fund the difference out of your own balance sheet every week, on every head. This sizes the cash a book of that shape locks up, the days it is locked up for, and what carrying it costs.
$225,000
The contract or the book you are sizing, not the whole firm.
95
12
From the day the work was performed, not the day you raised the invoice.
58
Pull your last twenty paid invoices. Not the terms in the contract.
24
The spread after pay rate and burden, as a share of the bill rate.
18
All-in annual cost of what you would draw. Convert a per-invoice fee first.
Projection
Working capital need
At these figures, working capital need comes out at $373,858.
Working capital need
$373,858
Base, example figures- Cash cycle days
- 70 days
- Open receivables
- $407,589
Full breakdown
- Annual carry cost
- $67,294
- Monthly carry cost
- $5,608
Key insights
- Working capital need runs from $341,813 to $405,902 as payroll lead days moves from 6 days to 18 days.
- Working capital need rises as payroll lead days rises.
Nothing you type here leaves your browser
Every figure is worked out on this page. No input is sent anywhere, stored, or attached to you.
Every figure here is yours to check
It runs on the numbers you entered and nothing else, so you can rebuild any line of it by hand.
Talk to a funding specialist
A real conversation about what these numbers mean before you apply to anything.
What this model leaves out An estimate from your own inputs, not an offer and not a facility size.Read the full note
It prices the payroll and burden you actually laid out rather than the face value of the invoices, which is why the working capital figure is smaller than your receivables balance. It also assumes a steady weekly payroll and that every invoice is eligible. A real receivables facility applies eligibility rules, concentration limits and reserves, so the amount actually advanced is usually below the figure shown here.
Typical professional services funding requests
- $15K-$400KTypical request range
What we actually structure for this industry. Your amount depends on the file.
- 8Structures we place
Equipment, line of credit, term, SBA, asset-based, receivables, revenue-based, and a business HELOC.
- $0Cost to ask
No applicant fees and no hard credit pull to start. Funding partners set final terms.
The numbers
What this industry runs on.
- 12.7 millionTemporary and contract employees hired in a yearAmerican Staffing Association, Staffing Industry Statistics ·
- ~2.2 millionTemporary and contract employees in an average weekAmerican Staffing Association, Staffing Industry Statistics ·
- 36%Industrial placements, the largest shareAmerican Staffing Association, Staffing Industry Statistics ·
- 2.52 millionTemporary help services employmentBLS Current Employment Statistics, series CEU6056132001 ·
- 30.1%Benefits as a share of total compensationBLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, all workers ·
- ~27,000Staffing and recruiting companiesAmerican Staffing Association, Staffing Industry Statistics ·
The cash year
Professional services seasonality and cash-flow gaps
Professional Services Seasonality Timeline
Headcount drops in January, dips again in July, then peaks in autumn. Fund against that shape.
Seasonal pattern
- Lower
- Building
- Stronger
January cliffThe book shrinks, December bills land
Spring rebuildRequisitions reopen, July still empties
Autumn peakHighest payroll, longest wait to collect
- JAN
- FEB
- MAR
- APR
- MAY
- JUN
- JUL
- AUG
- SEP
- OCT
- NOV
- DEC
Fund the shutdown
Clients name their July shutdown dates months ahead. Draw against receivables rather than carry a fixed payment.
- Confirm shutdown datesAsk clients early
- Draw on receivablesNot term debt
- Hold the benchAugust restarts fast
The autumn costs cash
Every worker on assignment is another payroll before another Net-45 invoice. The busiest quarter drains you fastest.
- Arrange in JulyBefore requisitions open
- Fund each placementPayroll leads invoice
- Shorten payment termsNet-45 costs most
This is the typical staffing year from unadjusted headcount. Your client mix and contract terms will move it.
Funding products
What actually gets placed for professional services firms.
- Receivables financingThe structure this category actually funds on
- Line of creditThe January cliff and the July shutdown
- Term loanA second office, a book, a buyout
- SBAAcquisition, longest terms
- Business HELOCOften the cheapest layer in a partner buyout
- Revenue-based fundingSpeed when a contract start date will not move
Monthly
The Professional Services Capital Brief
Once a month: what is happening to staffing employment and payment terms, what structures are being written for firms, and the compliance changes worth knowing about. No pitch, unsubscribe in one click.
Reading
Professional services funding guides and comparisons
Everything we have published for professional services firms, newest first. 5 pieces in total. Narrow it to the shelf you need, or read straight down the list.
- Government Receivables Financing and Working CapitalUse government contractor working capital and receivables financing to cover accepted invoices, with eligibility checks and a cash-flow worksheet.Updated Sep 3, 2026
- Business Line of Credit: How It WorksHow a business line of credit works, what it costs, who qualifies, and when a revolving line beats a term loan or an advance.Jul 1, 2026
- MCA vs. Invoice Factoring, Which Is Right for B2B?Merchant cash advance vs invoice factoring: cost, speed, qualification. For B2B businesses with invoiced customers, factoring may cost less.Jun 9, 2026
- Every Way to Fund a Small Business, ComparedTerm loans, SBA, lines of credit, equipment, factoring, revenue-based funding, cards, and MCAs compared. When each fits, and when it does not.Jun 2, 2026
- How to Prepare Your Business for Fast FundingThe document checklist, revenue benchmarks, and what underwriters actually look at, so you can prepare before you apply for fast funding.Apr 5, 2026
Disclosure
Figures on this page are illustrative estimates only and are not an offer of financing. All amounts, rates, factor rates, terms, payment amounts, timelines, and qualification criteria vary by lender, depend on funder underwriting and your business's bank statement history, and are subject to change without notice. Nothing here is guaranteed until a funder issues terms and you sign them. Factor rates do not represent APR. Commera is a broker, not a lender, and does not set rates.
Common questions
Professional services funding questions, answered straight.
The questions owners ask before they apply, answered for professional services firms.
Revenue-based funding and receivables financing both underwrite cash flow rather than collateral, which suits firms whose main asset is billable time. There is nothing to pledge and nothing needs to be.
Yes. Receivables financing advances a percentage of billed invoices, which fits firms billing corporate clients on net 30 to net 90 terms while carrying payroll every two weeks.
Commonly $25K-$500K on deposit volume, with receivables facilities sized against the billed book. Realization rate and client concentration move pricing.
Yes, and it is a common use. A senior hire typically takes 3-6 months to become fully billable, so the payroll cost lands well before the revenue. Funding that ramp is a working capital decision.
Often, through a term or SBA structure. SBA takes 60-90 days, so where a partnership agreement sets a fixed closing date, a bridge can hold the deal together.
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