Credit Application Forms: The Complete Guide 

Introduction

A sound credit policy begins with a credit application form. A Credit Application Form serves to expedite the process of choosing whether to give credit and setting the credit limit. Credit Application collects vital information for evaluation and can also be used in court as proof of the conditions of sale and credit I loan application. That should be considered private.

Most firms do not use or do not utilize credit application forms on a continuous basis. Whatever the case may be, the credit application form must be addressed. A credit application is required for a firm to analyze and manage business risk, as well as to identify clients or customers who do not deserve credit. It is crucial to note that a more detailed credit application form will take more information, but will provide you with a better notion and more confidence in your ability to make a wise decision. There are several templates on the internet that might serve as a reference.

What is the Credit Application Form?

As the name indicates, a credit application form is a form that is filled out and completed by a business or a person who wants to apply for a line of credit with a lending institution. The information provided by the individual or business is then utilized to establish the borrower's credit history, job status, and ability to repay the loan.

The credit application form may also be used to offer credit to customers, allowing them to buy items on credit and repay when they sell them. However, it is crucial to note that pursuing this road necessitates the development of a good credit application procedure in order to reduce the danger of bad debts and cash flow issues.

Importance of Credit Application Forms

Providing credit to commercial clients can benefit both your company and your consumers. It allows you to establish what may be a long-term and profitable connection, and it allows your consumer to purchase more from you through commercial debt. Yet, credit is a type of loan, and the money is not yours until it reaches your bank account.

A credit application form, although not eliminating risk, does give a way for risk mitigation. Instead, it creates ground rules between you (the seller) and your client (the buyer) so that both of you know what to anticipate. Finally, the credit application forms let you determine whether to grant credit and how much you're willing to give the buyer. These are three reasons why commercial credit application forms should be commonplace in the company.

1. If the customer defaults, give your company leverage

Defaults occur. Although you should not sign into an arrangement with a client thinking they would be unable to repay what they owe you, you should have a strategy in place to deal with the scenario if it does occur. You have the option to pick how you wish to settle outstanding debt, allowing you to do what is best for the firm. Use an arbitration provision, for example, to avoid costly lawsuits. Include conditions such as collection costs and attorney's fees that the consumer will be required to pay if they fail on the loan.

2. Collect Information About Your Clients

The credit application form is an excellent approach to getting vital information about your consumers, especially if you have yet to establish a connection with them. This information will assist you in determining how much credit to extend. Basic information like physical and mailing addresses, owners and their representatives, bank names and account numbers, and trade references should be included in the application form.

This information should be in your client database, and it will assist you in doing commercial background checks to determine how much credit you are willing to extend to them.

3. Defend Your Company From Danger

Providing credit to a consumer includes some risk, but you may safeguard your business by thoroughly screening prospective customers. You could contact such merchants if you asked for trade references on the application. Inquire about the customer's payment history, particularly whether there are times of the year when they are more prone to be late.

Check with the bank that they have an account and that it is active. Examine internet reviews to see what others have to say about the company's dependability. Your consumers are an important element of your company. By requiring a business credit application form, you can protect the firm and your connection with them.

Essential elements to be included in Credit Application Forms

A) Contact Information:

First and foremost, the fundamentals. Required fields should include pertinent contact information. You must know the company's name (ask for both the legal and DBA names), billing and shipping addresses, tax ID, purchaser's (accounts payable or accounts receivable) contact information, business owner(s), and officer(s) information, and so on.

Next, discover more about the firm: its industry, age, legal status, parent company, if it is exempt from sales tax, and, of course, the amount of credit it is seeking. Some fields may be industry specific. Wholesalers/distributors and manufacturers, for example, may wish to know the size of their clients' warehouses as well as their estimated yearly spending. Moreover, the contact information area is a fantastic opportunity to create a "Preference Center" for how your customers prefer to receive bills, statements, and other kinds of communication.

B) Financial Information

It's critical to be explicit when asking for financial details. Some businesses do not request financial accounts for lesser lines of credit, and if they do, they do not anticipate audited statements. If you're content with having a recent statement examined by an accounting firm, specify that in your credit application form (as well as which types of financial statements are acceptable and which are preferred for various credit amounts). Otherwise, you risk leaving it blank and having to manually follow up, which defeats the point of the online credit application's purported speedier processing timeframes.

C) Bank References

They used to be required for a trade credit application, but unless the client files them alongside the application, you'll need a signed agreement to check the bank's reference. According to Jocelyn Sharrar, a Trade Credit Consultant at Dun & Bradstreet, some applicants are having difficulty getting banks to submit financial statements owing to privacy issues, and can't rely on being able to gather that information.

D) Terms & Conditions (T&C)

The "fine print" of a company loan application is important, yet contentious. It's critical that your consumers read and understand the terms and conditions, but let's face it: legalese may be confusing. Hardly everyone reads it; instead, they frequently skip to the bottom of the terms-of-use window and click "accept."

It should go without saying that anything involving terms and conditions should be finalized by your company's legal team; however, there is an opportunity at this point for the credit team to collaborate with legal to improve readability, increasing the likelihood that your customers will read and understand the disclaimers.

For example, you may ask legal to include the most critical information for your consumers at the top, such as your usual payment terms and late payment costs, rather than a paragraph concerning infringement.

E) Trade References

You might demand trade references to include those in your business when it comes to trade references. For all, as a high-volume timber distributor, you need to know that your construction clients can pay you on time, not whether they can pay that low-ticket niche widget maker. Moreover, some businesses only accept specific sorts of trade references; for example, references from a credit card or a utility may not be accepted (because a company is likely to pay those business-critical bills before suppliers).

Companies are concerned that, as with personal employment recommendations, they will only offer good references. As a result, many credit specialists compare self-reported trade references to other trade payments.

Summing Up

That's all there is to it. This primer on the fundamentals of online credit application forms should get you started thinking about how your company's credit application may be modified and converted to a digital application.

Manually sending out credit applications and checking them for credit approval takes time and effort. It is also necessary to consider the probability of human mistakes. As a result, organizations all over the world use automation to streamline processes. LeadGen App, for example, assists B2B firms by creating credit application forms.