Invoice factoring involves a business selling its unpaid invoices to a third-party company (the factor) at a discounted rate. This enables the business to receive immediate cash instead of waiting for customers to pay. After approval, the factor advances a portion of the invoice amount to the business (usually around 70-90%), collects payments from customers, deducts its fees, and releases the remaining balance to the business. Factoring helps improve cash flow by providing quick access to funds, although it comes with fees and a discount on the invoice amount.

Several types of factoring exist, tailored to meet varying business needs and specific industry requirements. Here are some common types of factoring:

1. Recourse Factoring:
   • As mentioned earlier, recourse factoring involves the business retaining responsibility for unpaid invoices if the customer fails to pay within the agreed-upon period.
2. Non-Recourse Factoring:
   • Non-recourse factoring absolves the business of liability for unpaid invoices due to specific reasons outlined in the agreement, such as customer insolvency or bankruptcy.
3. Spot Factoring:
   • Spot factoring allows businesses to select and finance specific individual invoices or a small batch of invoices, rather than committing to factor all invoices.
4. Selective Factoring:
   • Similar to spot factoring, selective factoring enables businesses to choose which invoices to factor while retaining control over the rest of their accounts receivable.
5. Whole Turnover Factoring:
   • This type of factoring involves financing all or the majority of a business’s invoices, providing ongoing working capital against the entire accounts receivable ledger.
6. Invoice Discounting:
   • Invoice discounting is not precisely factoring but a similar financing method. It allows businesses to borrow funds against their unpaid invoices while retaining control over the collection process. The business retains responsibility for collecting payments from customers.
7. Maturity Factoring:
   • In maturity factoring, the factor provides financing against invoices due at a future date. This type of factoring helps businesses manage cash flow by accessing funds before the payment due date.
8. Export Factoring:
   • Export factoring is tailored for businesses engaged in international trade. Factors provide financing against invoices from foreign customers, handling currency fluctuations, credit checks, and collections across different countries.
9. Construction Factoring:
   • Specifically designed for construction companies, this type of factoring addresses the unique challenges of invoicing and cash flow in the construction industry, where payment timelines can be lengthy due to project phases and milestones.

Each type of factoring offers specific benefits and considerations. Businesses should carefully assess their needs, the nature of their invoices, industry specifics, and their comfort level with assuming responsibility for unpaid invoices to determine the most suitable factoring arrangement for their operations.

Classic factoring, often referred to as traditional or conventional factoring, is the fundamental form of invoice financing where a business sells its accounts receivable (unpaid invoices) to a third-party financial institution known as a factor at a discount. In this arrangement:

1. Invoice Sale: The business sells its invoices to the factor at a discount, typically ranging from 70% to 90% of the invoice value. This provides immediate cash flow to the business.
2. Funding and Advance: Upon receiving the invoices, the factor advances a certain percentage of the invoice amount to the business (the advance rate), usually within 24 to 48 hours.
3. Collection Responsibility: The factor assumes the responsibility of collecting payments from the business’s customers. When customers pay the invoices, they make the payments directly to the factor.
4. Reserve and Final Settlement: The factor deducts its fees and holds a portion of the invoice value (the reserve) until the customers settle their payments. Once the customers pay, the factor releases the remaining balance, minus its fees, to the business, completing the transaction.
5. Recourse or Non-Recourse: Classic factoring can be either recourse or non-recourse, defining whether the business retains responsibility for unpaid invoices if the customer fails to pay.

Classic factoring is a widely used form of financing for businesses seeking to improve cash flow by converting unpaid invoices into immediate working capital. It provides a solution to cash flow challenges caused by lengthy payment terms, enabling businesses to meet operational needs, invest in growth, or address financial obligations without waiting for customer payments.

Reverse factoring, also known as supply chain financing, is a financial arrangement involving three parties: a buyer (usually a larger company or corporation), its suppliers, and a financial institution or factor.

Here’s how reverse factoring typically works:

1. Buyer-Supplier Relationship: A large buying entity (the buyer) has a network of suppliers providing goods or services. These suppliers may be smaller companies or businesses that deliver products to the buyer.
2. Financial Institution Involvement: The buyer engages a financial institution (the factor) to offer financing to its suppliers. This financial institution can be a bank or another specialized financing entity.
3. Invoice Approval and Financing: Upon the buyer’s approval of the supplied goods or services, the supplier generates an invoice. Instead of waiting for the buyer to pay on the agreed terms (which might be longer payment cycles), the supplier can opt to have the invoice financed by the factor.
4. Immediate Payment: The factor pays the supplier a discounted amount of the invoice value promptly (typically within days), providing immediate cash flow to the supplier.
5. Settlement Period: The buyer retains the longer payment terms negotiated with the factor. The buyer pays the factor at the agreed-upon maturity date, which might be later than the initial payment terms agreed with the supplier.
6. Benefits to Suppliers: Reverse factoring enables suppliers to access quick and affordable financing based on the creditworthiness of the buyer. It improves their cash flow without relying on their own credit standing.
7. Benefits to Buyers: Buyers benefit from extended payment terms, enhancing their working capital management while maintaining good relationships with their suppliers by helping them access financing at favorable rates.

Reverse factoring serves as a collaborative financing solution that benefits all parties involved. Suppliers gain quicker access to capital, buyers can optimize their working capital, and financial institutions generate revenue by facilitating these transactions. It strengthens supply chains by offering financial stability to suppliers without burdening buyers with immediate payment requirements.

Invoice factoring software simplifies and automates managing accounts receivable and invoice financing. It typically functions in the following way:

1. Invoice Submission and Processing: Businesses upload or input their unpaid invoices into the software. The software verifies and organizes these invoices for further processing.
2. Evaluation and Approval: The software might assess the invoices and associated customer creditworthiness. It could conduct credit checks or use predefined criteria to determine eligibility for financing against these invoices.
3. Factor Interaction: The software facilitates communication between the business and the factoring company. It allows for the seamless transfer of invoice details, customer information, and transaction records between parties.
4. Funding and Cash Advances: The software initiates the funding process upon approval. It may trigger the transfer of a percentage of the invoice value (as agreed upon) to the business, providing immediate working capital.
5. Monitoring and Reporting: The software tracks payments, outstanding invoices, and other relevant financial data. It generates reports, offering insights into cash flow, outstanding receivables, and the status of financed invoices.
6. Integration and Compatibility: Many invoice factoring software solutions integrate with accounting systems, ERPs, or CRM platforms. This integration streamlines the invoicing and financing process, reducing manual data entry and improving accuracy.
7. Security and Compliance: Good factoring software ensures data security, encrypts sensitive information and adheres to industry regulations regarding financial transactions and customer data protection.
8. User Interface and Support: It provides a user-friendly interface for easy navigation and operation. Additionally, it might offer customer support, training, and resources to assist users with any issues or inquiries.
9. Automation of Repayment: Once customers pay the invoices, the software updates records and may allocate the received payments to the financed invoices, helping close the funding cycle.

Overall, invoice factoring software streamlines and expedites invoice financing, enhancing efficiency, transparency, and control for businesses seeking to manage their accounts receivable and access immediate working capital.

Yes, SOFT4Factorong can handle:

1. Standard Factored Invoices:
   • These are regular invoices issued by a business for goods sold or services rendered. In standard factoring, these invoices are sold to a factor at a discount to access immediate cash flow.
2. Spot Factoring Invoices:
   • Spot factoring allows businesses to select specific individual invoices or a small batch of invoices to be financed. This flexibility enables businesses to choose which invoices to factor based on their immediate cash flow needs.
3. Selective Factoring Invoices:
   • Similar to spot factoring, selective factoring allows businesses to choose specific invoices for financing while retaining control over the rest of their accounts receivable. This approach provides flexibility in managing cash flow.
4. Recourse Invoices:
   • Recourse invoices are part of factoring agreements where the business retains the responsibility for unpaid invoices if the customer fails to pay within the specified time frame. In recourse factoring, the business may need to buy back or replace the unpaid invoices.
5. Non-Recourse Invoices:
   • Non-recourse invoices are part of factoring arrangements where the factor assumes the risk for unpaid invoices due to specific reasons outlined in the agreement, such as customer insolvency or bankruptcy. The business is not liable for these unpaid invoices under certain conditions.
6. Bulk or Whole Turnover Invoices:
   • Whole turnover factoring involves financing all or the majority of a business’s invoices, providing ongoing working capital against the entire accounts receivable ledger.
7. Maturity Invoices:
   • Maturity factoring involves financing against invoices due at a future date. It allows businesses to access funds before the payment due date, improving cash flow.

Yes. SOFT4Factoring is built on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central platform, which allows handling multiple currencies out of the box. With this functionality, you can quickly process transactions for customers, vendors, and bank accounts using currencies other than your local currency. Multi-currency processing includes adding additional currencies, managing exchange rates, assigning currencies to customers and vendors, and tracking foreign and regional amounts. SOFT4 adjusted this functionality to meet debtor finance business-specific requirements.

Yes, through open APIs we can integrate SOFT4Factoring to any external software systems, such as accounting (QuickBooks, Xero, 1Tech, SAP, Oracle, NetSuite and others), CRM (Hubsport, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce and others), banking, e-signature, document management platforms etc. You can download the information needed in .xls or .csv files and import those into your systems, too.

The SOFT4Factoring system can be used in any country around the globe. Today’s interface is in English only; however, it can be easily translated into any other language. SOFT4 consultants speak English, Spanish, and Lithuanian. We can also find a Microsoft Dynamics partner in your country to help with the implementation and support if needed.

You can have as many users as you want, as well as an unlimited number of companies, clients, suppliers, contracts, and invoices.

If you use the SOFT4Factoring factor finance software in the cloud, the requirements are set regarding your web browser:

Yes. Even if we encourage our customers to start using the standard SOFT4Factoring functionality to receive the benefits of new software faster, we understand that each business is unique. To satisfy those particular needs or build a competitive advantage, SOFT4 developers can develop custom-specific extensions to the standard SOFT4Factoring software. It costs a bit more to support and upgrade those custom extensions to the new versions, but customers find it beneficial and valuable.

Yes. SOFT4Factoring is built on a robust Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central platform, supporting hundreds of thousands of daily operations. We target small and medium-sized businesses and look forward to launching the system as quickly as within two weeks for you. However, we’ve also had large projects that can take a few months to complete, with hundreds of clients, contracts, and thousands of invoices – SOFT4Factoring works just fine. So, once you start using SOFT4Factoring, you can relax – your business is in good hands regarding software for the years to come.

Security is our second name 🙂 As we deal with financial institutions, we take security seriously. We deal with security on several levels: application security (that comes from Microsoft, as we work on their Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central platform); Microsoft Azure security for hosting your application (that is provided by Microsoft, too); data security (there are four different levels of security on a Database; Company; Object, and Record levels). Last but not least is SOFT4 as your supplier’s security – we hold an ISO27001 certificate, which is constantly renewed. Our developers are certified Microsoft professionals and keep up with development best practices according to industry standards.