What Is a Minimum Service Charge in Invoice Finance?
A minimum service charge is a monthly fee you pay even if you submit zero invoices. Typically £200-£500/month. It catches people out in quiet months. Always ask about this before signing, if your business is seasonal, minimum charges can add up.
How the minimum service charge works
The service charge is normally a percentage of the invoices you put through the facility. The minimum service charge is the floor: if your percentage charge for the month comes to less than the agreed minimum, you pay the minimum instead. It guarantees the provider a baseline of revenue from the relationship and is most common on whole-turnover factoring and discounting contracts rather than selective or spot facilities.
Worked example: a 1% service charge with a £400 monthly minimum. Put through £60,000 of invoices and the percentage charge is £600, so you pay £600 and the minimum is irrelevant. Put through £20,000 in a quiet month and the percentage charge is £200, but you still pay the £400 minimum, an effective rate of 2%.
How to avoid being caught out
Ask for the minimum to be quoted alongside the headline service charge, and model it against your quietest realistic month, not your average. Seasonal businesses should push for a lower minimum or a selective facility with no minimum. Compare total cost of funds, not just the headline rate, using our cost calculator, and see the full cost breakdown guide for the other fees to check.
Related questions
Director, Market Invoice
Oliver leads Market Invoice's editorial and comparison research. With a background in UK commercial finance, he oversees provider analysis, rate verification, and industry reporting across all verticals.
Last reviewed: 5 April 2026