Should you get a business loan with a cosigner?

If you have a poor personal credit score or a lacking credit history, applying with a cosigner for a business loan can make a lot of sense. A cosigner can increase your chances of qualifying for a lower interest rate and help you meet your lender’s collateral requirements.

Can I get a cosigner on a business loan?

You can use a cosigner on a business loan as long as your lender accepts cosigners. A business loan cosigner is someone who signs a document guaranteeing they’ll repay your loan if you can’t. That means they’re as legally responsible for paying off the loan as your business if you fail to repay, like a backup payer. Lenders also refer to cosigners as guarantors.

Most lenders don’t advertise if they accept cosigners. In many cases, a lender might suggest bringing on a cosigner after reviewing factors like a business’s financials, credit ratings and assets of all business owners and any collateral.

When to apply with a cosigner

A cosigner on a business loan may be a good idea when:

• Your credit score is too low to meet most minimum requirements — typically below 650.
• You don’t have the personal assets to back your loan.
• You want to be approved for a higher loan amount.
• You want to avoid providing collateral or a personal guarantee.
• You want to qualify for a lower interest rate.

However, a cosigner may not help if your business can’t meet revenue or time-in-business requirements.

How to apply for a business loan with a cosigner

Getting a business loan with a cosigner can be straightforward. Here are the basic steps:

1. Compare lenders. Most lenders won’t advertise if they accept cosigners, and you may not know if you need a cosigner until after you apply. However, it’s still a good idea to compare business loans by rates, loan amounts and credit score requirements. Business loan marketplaces, such as Lendio, allow you to compare over 75 lenders.
2. If you need a cosigner, find one. Lenders typically only allow relatives or close business affiliates, like an investor or senior employee, to cosign a business loan. The ideal cosigner has excellent credit, a low debt-to-income ratio and a steady income. They should comfortably afford to cover your business’s loan repayments.
3. You and the cosigner apply. The cosigner goes through the application process with you, providing proof of income, assets, work history, go through a credit check, etc. The cosigner signs all the application documents with you.
4. Final steps. If you’re approved for the loan, you and the cosigner sign all the loan documents. The cosigner is only contacted to repay the loan if you cannot.

The cosigner is pretty hands-off after approval. Typically, the cosigner is only contacted if you miss payments, in which case, the lender asks them to start repaying the loan.

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$10M+ funded! Lendio business loans Finder Score: 4.8 / 5: ★★★★★ Lendio business loans Finder Score: 4.8 / 5: ★★★★★			$1,000	$5,000,000	Varies by lender	Operate business in US or Canada for 6 months or more, have a business bank account, minimum 500 personal credit score, at least $20,000 in monthly revenue	Submit one simple application to potentially get offers from a network of over 75 legit business lenders.	Go to siteMore Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Olympus Business Capital Finder Score: 3.8 / 5: ★★★★★ Olympus Business Capital Finder Score: 3.8 / 5: ★★★★★			$500	$100,000	Not stated	Been in business for 6 months registered with the state, active and open bank account in business name, have $10,000 of revenue each month	No credit needed. Funding up to $100k with a variety of finance options to best fit your business needs.	Go to site Compare	loading Fetching your data...
American Express® Business Line of Credit Finder Score: 4.4 / 5: ★★★★★ American Express® Business Line of Credit Finder Score: 4.4 / 5: ★★★★★			$2,000	$250,000	N/A	Minimum FICO score of at least 660 at the time of application, have started your business at least a year ago, and an average monthly revenue of at least $3,000	Access lines of credit for your small business even if you aren't currently an Amex customer.	Go to siteMore Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Fundible Finder Score: 4.9 / 5: ★★★★★ Fundible Finder Score: 4.9 / 5: ★★★★★			$1,000	$10,000,000	Rates start at 1% per month	500+ FICO score, $200,000 annual revenue, 6 months in business, most recent business bank statements	Same day approval	Go to site Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Fundera business loans Finder Score: 4.9 / 5: ★★★★★ Fundera business loans Finder Score: 4.9 / 5: ★★★★★			$2,500	$5,000,000	Varies based on lenders	$60,000+ of annual revenue, 550+ personal credit score, in business for 6+ months	Get connected with short-term funding, SBA loans, lines of credit and more.	Go to siteMore Info Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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How do lenders evaluate cosigners?

In general, lenders consider your cosigner’s credit score, net worth and debt-to-income ratio when considering your application. Some might also ask your cosigner to put assets up for collateral — typically enough to back all or part of your loan.

The impact your cosigner has on your application depends on the method your lender chooses. There are generally three ways lenders treat cosigners on your application:

• Best credit method. The lender only considers the best credit profile and completely disregards the lower credit score.
• Weighted average method. The lender puts more weight on the business owner’s credit than the nonowner’s credit.
• Nonweighted average method. The lender considers your and your cosigner’s credit equally.

The best credit and nonweighted average methods benefit your business most — especially if you don’t have strong personal credit. But if your lender uses the weighted average method, applying with a cosigner won’t help much unless they can provide collateral.

Pros and cons of business loans with cosigners

Using a cosigner vs. collateral

Getting a loan with a guarantor isn’t always a better alternative than securing your business loan with collateral.

Putting up collateral can save your personal relationships — there’s no risk of damaging your brother’s credit score or getting his car repossessed. And if you’re borrowing with a lender that uses the weighted average method, putting up collateral could have more of an impact on your application.

But sometimes your assets aren’t as valuable as you thought; vehicles can lose value over time and the real estate market isn’t predictable. If you don’t have the means to back your loans on your own, using a guarantor could be a good choice. In this case, even if your lender uses the weighted average method, your cosigner’s collateral could help your business qualify for the loan it needs.

Bottom line

Bringing on a cosigner can sometimes give your business loan application the boost it needs to get approved for higher amounts and low rates. A guarantor can also help back your business loan by putting their personal assets up for collateral. However, there’s the risk of hurting your cosigner’s credit score — and possibly your personal relationship. And your business could end up biting off more than it can chew and risk default.

Need help narrowing a lender search? Compare eight types of business loans to find one that suits your needs.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Holly Jennings as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Bethany Hickey

Editor, Banking

Bethany Hickey is the banking editor and personal finance expert at Finder, specializing in banking, lending, insurance, and crypto. Bethany’s expertise in personal finance has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, such as Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, SuperMoney, AOL and Newsweek. Her articles offer practical financial strategies to Americans, empowering them to make decisions that meet their financial goals. Her past work includes articles on generational spending and saving habits, lending, budgeting and managing debt. Before joining Finder, she was a content manager where she wrote hundreds of articles and news pieces on auto financing and credit repair for CarsDirect, Auto Credit Express and The Car Connection, among others. Bethany holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan-Flint, and was poetry editor for the university’s Qua Literary and Fine Arts Magazine. See full bio

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