Payroll runs weekly in Ontario; progress draws and 60-day invoices don't. When the money you've already earned is stuck behind someone else's payment terms, the goal isn't just finding money — it's matching your pressure to the lender that actually funds a business like yours.
Not ready to apply?Call or text 780-830-8726— a real person, no credit pull.Ontario has major banks, credit unions, alternative lenders, private capital, invoice-factoring providers, and program-backed options. That creates opportunity, but it also creates noise.
Under Ontario's Construction Act an owner must pay a proper invoice no later than 28 days after receiving it, and can only refuse by giving a notice of non-payment within 14 days. A contractor paid in full then has seven days to pay each subcontractor. Payroll rarely waits that long.
The statutory holdback is 10% of the price of the services or materials supplied. Since January 1, 2026 the owner on a long job must publish a notice of annual release of holdback within 14 days of each anniversary, and pay it out between 60 and 74 days after that notice — money that used to sit until the job ended.
A contractor's lien expires 60 days after the certificate of substantial performance is published, or after the contract is completed, abandoned or terminated. Ontario also runs interim adjudication: an adjudicator must determine the matter within 30 days of receiving the documents.
Banks, credit unions, alternative lenders, private capital, and factors all compete here. The 401 corridor's carriers wait on broker settlements, and B2B suppliers invoice strong customers on 30-to-90-day terms. Choice is not the problem — fit is.
The same business may need a different answer depending on whether the problem is one-time operating cash, recurring swings, slow-paying invoices, or a bank file that needs a second look.
Not every Ontario business has the same financing problem. Start with the region, then route by cash-flow pattern.
Progress draws, holdbacks, weekly payroll, and supplier accounts can create pressure before the general contractor pays. Since January 2026, Ontario holdback must be released at least once a year — but the gap between draws still lands on payroll day.
Start GTA fit check →Fuel, driver pay, repair bills, and broker terms can create a funding gap between delivery and settlement.
Check trucking route →Strong receivables can still leave the operating account thin when customers pay on terms.
Check invoice route →Uneven deposits, weather, seasonal demand, and rural operating costs often need a lender that understands the story.
Start regional review →Alternative lenders may weigh cash flow heavily, but the file still needs to explain the amount, the use of funds, the repayment path, and the risk.
For some Ontario businesses, the Canada Small Business Financing Program may be part of the route. Applications still go through a participating financial institution, and timing can differ from private working-capital options.
CSBFP fits when patience, eligibility, and program use-of-funds line up — not when the business needs cash immediately. Farming operations are not eligible for CSBFP; they route to the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA) program instead.
These answer the anxieties that stop people from starting the fit check.
No later than 28 days after receiving a proper invoice, under section 6.4(1) of the Construction Act. An owner who disputes it can only refuse by giving a notice of non-payment, in the prescribed form, no later than 14 days after receiving the invoice. A contractor who is paid in full then has seven days to pay each subcontractor. Ontario was the first province in Canada to bring prompt payment into force.
Ten per cent of the price of the services or materials as they are actually supplied, under section 22(1). Since January 1, 2026 a long-running job also gets an annual release: the owner publishes a notice of annual release of holdback within 14 days of each anniversary of the contract, then pays the accrued holdback at least 60 but no more than 74 days after that notice. Before the change, the money generally sat until the contract ended.
A contractor's lien expires at the conclusion of the 60-day period following the earlier of the publication of the certificate or declaration of substantial performance, and the date the contract is completed, abandoned or terminated. Ontario also runs interim adjudication, where an adjudicator must determine the matter within 30 days of receiving the documents. This is context for a financing file, not legal advice — take a lien question to a lawyer.
Often, yes. A decline can mean the file did not match that bank's policy. Crewline can help route the request toward lenders that weigh cash flow, receivables, industry, and risk differently.
Yes. It can fit when you invoice commercial customers on terms and the work is complete, clean, and undisputed. A statutory 28-day deadline does not stop a disputed invoice from sitting, and the receivable is what a factor underwrites.
No. Farming operations are ineligible for the Canada Small Business Financing Program and route to the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act instead. For eligible non-farm businesses the CSBFP offers up to $1M as a term loan plus a separate $150K line of credit, for businesses with gross annual revenue of $10M or less.
No. Crewline is a matching and referral service. Financing decisions, terms, and approvals are made by third-party lenders.
A few questions about your Ontario business helps Crewline route the request to the financing path that makes the most sense. No credit pull to start.
