How Do You Know When You Have Too Much Business Debt? (2024)

Resources | Finance and Lending | May 2, 2023

Business debt can be helpful or harmful, depending on how much you acquire and how you use it. Here’s how to strike a balance for business success.

Business debt can be helpful or harmful, depending on how much you acquire and how you use it. Here’s how to strike a balance for business success.

For most business owners, acquiring debt is an inevitable part of starting or growing a venture. A 2021 survey by Statista found that 74% of small to mid-sized businesses in the United States carry some debt. The most recent data available from the Federal Reserve, published in 2017, puts the average small business loan in the US at $663,000.

Some debt can be necessary for business success. For example, repaying debt on time and in full can improve your business credit score, making it easier to get favorable terms from your own suppliers, vendors and other lenders in the future. Another benefit is that you can usually deduct loan principal and interest from business taxes, which saves you money. Financing business growth with debt rather than equity also lets you maintain ownership and control of your business.

Debt is often a necessary tool for business growth — the key is to ensure that your debt obligations don’t deteriorate cash flow. How do you know when your business’s debt is supporting growth and when it has become a liability? Here are some signs to look for and tips for strategic debt management.

What is a healthy amount of business debt?

There is no magic number when it comes to determining a healthy amount of debt. All businesses and industries have different financial needs. For example, some businesses require a lot of debt to start, especially if they need expensive equipment and other significant capital expenditures before they can turn a profit. However, poor cash flow is usually the first sign of too much debt. In the US, poor cash flow is responsible for 82% of business failures.

Here are some signs that your business might have too much debt:

  • You are struggling to cover short-term expenses such as payroll, inventory and bills.
  • Your business is losing profitability.
  • You can’t secure more financing or lenders are demanding that you meet stricter requirements such as personal guarantees.
  • Your financial ratios aren’t healthy.
  • Your buyers’ payment terms are significantly longer than your debt payment terms (for example, buyers have net 60 or longer terms but you have monthly debt payment obligations).

While there is no ideal number for the debt itself, there are key financial ratios to aim for. The debt service coverage (DSC) ratio and the working capital ratio are two valuable metrics that you can use to determine whether your debt level is manageable.

DSC is used by banks to evaluate loan eligibility, and it is calculated by dividing your operating profit by your total monthly debt payment obligations:

Debt Service Coverage (DSC) Ratio = Monthly Operating Profit / Monthly Debt Payments

Most banks require a minimum DSC value of 1.25. If your ratio dips below this, your business has most likely overextended its debt responsibilities.

A working capital ratio is calculated by dividing your current assets (such as cash flow, invoices and inventory) by your current liabilities (such as accounts payable).

Working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities

The Working Capital Ratio

“Current” liabilities include any debts that must be repaid within 12 months. This often includes short-term debts such as credit card debt and vendor credit. Any working capital ratio less than 1.0 is a red flag, while a ratio closer to 2.0 indicates that you can manage debt obligations while maintaining cash flow.

Important considerations for borrowing

If your business is concerned about acquiring too much debt, you may be wondering how to approach borrowing, especially during inflationary periods when interest rates rise. A banking crisis — such as the 2023 global bank failures, including Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank — typically makes credit much harder for small to mid-sized businesses to access and afford. If your business needs financing, here are some things to consider before you acquire more debt.

Eligibility

Financing eligibility requirements will most likely increase during times of economic uncertainty. Loan applications are logged on your credit report, so apply for financing strategically to avoid hurting future eligibility. You could consider alternative financing options if your business credit score isn’t high enough to meet banks’ and other traditional lenders’ requirements.

Debt priorities

Another consideration is how you plan to use the debt. Prioritize investments that are essential to business operations or have promising growth returns. You should also pair the type of debt with the corresponding investment. For example, leverage a working capital loan for short-term expenses such as payroll, and save long-term business loans for long-term investments such as business expansion.

Industry- or business-specific factors

Lastly, consider factors that are unique to your business and industry. If you run a seasonal business or operate in a sector that is vulnerable to economic disruptions, it’s wise to be more cautious about taking on and managing debt. Timing is another factor: If your buyers have 90- or 120-day terms but your debt requires monthly payments, you could run into cash flow issues even if your business is profitable. In this case, alternative solutions such as an early payment program may be better suited to your debt and cash flow management strategies.

How to prevent excessive business debt

Acquiring too much debt can quickly become a vicious cycle: as your business’s cash flow decreases, you can’t make debt payments and require even more debt to keep the business running. The good news is that there are several debt-free strategies your business can implement right now to avoid getting to this point.

  • Track your finances. If your business has too much debt, monitor your DSC and working capital ratios weekly. Metrics such as your operating cash flow statement, balance sheet and the cash conversion cycle are also valuable for predicting cash shortages and managing debt proactively.
  • Hire a CFO or financial analyst. Business owners may not have time to learn how to read a balance sheet or monitor other financial metrics properly. A CFO or financial analyst can gather insights more accurately and ensure the data is current and error-free.
  • Strategize your operations and expenses. If your business is struggling to manage debt and maintain cash flow, consider negotiating vendor pricing, leasing instead of purchasing equipment or integrating more efficient processes.
  • Use your invoices to optimize working capital. An effective invoicing strategy will help your business get paid by buyers faster, improving cash flow without taking on more debt. Use invoicing best practices, such as strategic invoice timing, digital invoicing tools and templates, to ensure prompt payments. If your buyers use an early payment solution such as C2FO’s Early Payment program, you can also get paid earlier by offering buyers a small discount.

Whether or not your business has too much debt, economic downturns can make it even harder to secure the funding needed for business continuity and growth. Early payment programs are more affordable and accessible for small to mid-sized businesses, enabling you to control and maintain your cash flow during uncertain times. Learn more about early payment programs through C2FO.

This article originally published June 2017, and was updated May 2023.

How Do You Know When You Have Too Much Business Debt? (2024)

FAQs

How Do You Know When You Have Too Much Business Debt? ›

Negative or inconsistent cash flow can be a warning sign, as it may indicate the business is struggling to generate enough revenue to cover expenses, including debt payments. Insufficient cash flow can quickly lead to financial distress when carrying a substantial debt burden.

How much debt is too much debt for a business? ›

For instance, if your business regularly misses payments or runs out of cash before the month is over, that's a sign you have too much business debt. If your business debt exceeds 30 percent of your business capital, this is another signal you're carrying too much debt.

How to know if a company has too much debt? ›

Here are some signs that your business might have too much debt:
  1. You are struggling to cover short-term expenses such as payroll, inventory and bills.
  2. Your business is losing profitability.
  3. You can't secure more financing or lenders are demanding that you meet stricter requirements such as personal guarantees.
May 2, 2023

What is a healthy amount of debt for a business? ›

In general, many investors look for a company to have a debt ratio between 0.3 and 0.6. From a pure risk perspective, debt ratios of 0.4 or lower are considered better, while a debt ratio of 0.6 or higher makes it more difficult to borrow money.

What is considered excessive debt? ›

Debt-to-income ratio is your monthly debt obligations compared to your gross monthly income (before taxes), expressed as a percentage. A good debt-to-income ratio is less than or equal to 36%. Any debt-to-income ratio above 43% is considered to be too much debt.

How much debt does the average business owner have? ›

Average Small Business Debt

According to a 2021 study by Nav, the average small business carries $195,957 in debt. This number varies widely though depending on factors like industry, business size, years in business, and more.

Is 20k in debt a lot? ›

$20,000 is a lot of credit card debt and it sounds like you're having trouble making progress,” says Rossman.

How do I get out of business debt? ›

How can I get out of business loan debt?
  1. Reduce expenses and/or increase income so you can put more money toward your debt payments.
  2. Explore refinancing your debts and/or business debt consolidation.
  3. Consider negotiating debt/debt settlement.
  4. Investigate a sale of business assets.
Jan 17, 2024

How to tell if a company is overleveraged? ›

The debt-to-capitalization ratio measures the amount of debt a company uses to finance its assets compared to the amount of equity used to finance its assets. A high debt-to-capitalization ratio could indicate that a company has a higher risk of insolvency due to being over-leveraged.

What is the 50 30 20 rule? ›

The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.

What is the 28 36 rule? ›

According to the 28/36 rule, you should spend no more than 28% of your gross monthly income on housing and no more than 36% on all debts. Housing costs can include: Your monthly mortgage payment. Homeowners Insurance. Private mortgage insurance.

When should I be worried about debt? ›

Spot the signs of debt stress

Finding it hard to sleep or eat. Avoiding friends, family and loved ones. Finding it hard to focus on work or other tasks. Dealing with depression, anxiety or other mental illnesses.

What is a high debt ratio for a business? ›

Interpreting the Debt Ratio

If the ratio is over 1, a company has more debt than assets. If the ratio is below 1, the company has more assets than debt. Broadly speaking, ratios of 60% (0.6) or more are considered high, while ratios of 40% (0.4) or less are considered low.

Is 15k a lot of debt? ›

$15,000 can be an intimidating total when you see it on credit card statements, but you don't have to be in debt forever. If you're struggling to make your minimum payments every month and you don't see light at the end of the tunnel, sign up for a debt management program to get out of debt fast.

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