How Accountants Earn Lending Commission (UK Guide)

How do accountants earn commission on lending referrals?

Accountants earn commission on lending referrals by partnering with a commercial finance broker like Fundably and introducing clients who need funding. When a referred client gets funded, the accountant receives a percentage of the broker fee, up to 30% per deal. Fundably’s panel of 50+ UK lenders, including iwoca, Funding Circle, Nucleus Commercial Finance and Capital on Tap, means the vast majority of client referrals can be matched and funded, often within 24 to 48 hours.

Your clients regularly need funding: working capital for seasonal peaks, money to hire their next employee, asset finance for new equipment or a second location. And yet, most accountants refer informally, or not at all, and earn nothing from it.

The UK SME lending market is worth over £60 billion annually. Accountants are among the most trusted sources of financial advice for small business owners. The gap between that trust and the commercial opportunity is significant, and entirely closeable.

How accountant lending commission works

Partner programmes work on a simple model: when your client gets funded through your referral link or portal, you earn a percentage of the broker fee. This is often called an introducer fee or referral commission.

• Commission rates: up to 30% of the broker fee, depending on the programme and deal type. Most paid-subscription competitors cap their free tier at 10%.
• Average deal: most funded SME loans are £50k to £250k, generating around £500 to £5,000+ in commission per deal.
• Payment timing: Fundably pays commission within 14 days of the deal funding.

Fundably pays up to 30%, the highest published rate in the market, with no minimum volumes and no monthly fees.

What you do vs what the broker does

As an accountant introducing clients, you typically:

• Identify that a client has a funding need (often comes up in quarterly review)
• Share a referral link or submit a referral through a partner portal
• Optionally receive updates on the application status

The broker platform:

• Matches the client to lenders from a curated panel (50+ in Fundably’s case)
• Manages the application process end to end
• Handles credit checks, documentation and underwriting coordination
• Manages compliance obligations

You do not need to manage the funding process. That is the broker’s job.

Do accountants need FCA authorisation to earn referral commission?

This is the most common question, and the most commonly misunderstood.

The short answer for most accountants is no. Earning commission for introducing a client to a credit broker is a permitted activity under FCA guidelines, provided you are not:

• Advising the client on whether to take specific credit products
• Arranging credit on the client’s behalf
• Managing the credit application process yourself

Simply identifying a funding need and passing a referral to an NACFB member commercial finance broker does not require your own authorisation.

See our full guide: Do accountants need FCA authorisation to refer clients for lending?

How much can an accountant earn?

The strongest indicator is deal frequency. Most accountants with 50–200 business clients will have 1–5 clients at any time who could benefit from funding, whether they realise it or not.

At an average commission of £2,000 per funded deal:

These are averages. Small deals (£10k–£25k) generate less; larger deals (£250k+) can generate £5,000–£10,000+ per event.

Free vs subscription lending platforms for accountants

Some platforms (most notably Capitalise.com) operate a tiered subscription model. Their free tier locks commission at 10%, with 30% gated behind a £395/month subscription.

Fundably’s model is different:

• Zero monthly fees on every tier
• Up to 30% commission from day one, for every partner
• No minimum volumes required
• No contract lock-in

Over a year, an accountant using a paid platform at the maximum tier pays £4,740 in subscription fees. If a Fundably partner is earning £24k+/year, keeping 100% of those earnings without subscription costs matters.

How to get started earning lending commission

1. Apply via a partner portal. Most decent programmes take 24–48 hours to set up.
2. Get your unique referral link. All applications submitted through it are tracked to you.
3. Identify your first referral. Look at your client list for businesses seeking growth finance, working capital or asset purchases. Our guide on adding funding advisory to your accountancy practice covers how to spot these opportunities.
4. Submit the referral through your portal or link. The broker handles everything from here.
5. Track in your dashboard. See where each referral is in the process, in real time.

You can book a free consultation with Fundably’s accountant partner team here.

Frequently asked questions

How quickly does Fundably pay commission after a deal is funded?

Fundably pays commission within 14 days of the deal funding. You can track deal status and commission in your partner dashboard in real time.

Can I refer clients who have already been declined by their bank?

Yes. Alternative lenders on Fundably's panel, such as iwoca, Capify and Nucleus Commercial Finance, have different and often more flexible criteria than high-street banks. Many of the strongest referral opportunities come from clients who tried their bank first and were declined.

Is there a minimum number of referrals I need to make?

No. Fundably has no minimum volume requirement. You earn commission on every funded deal, whether you refer one client per year or twenty per month.

What if my client needs a type of funding I am not familiar with?

Fundably's platform and partner support team handle the matching and advisory process. You introduce the client; Fundably matches them to the right product, whether that is a term loan, [invoice finance](/guides/invoice-finance/) via specialists like Triver or revenue-based finance via lenders like YouLend and Outfund. You do not need product knowledge to earn commission.