Credit Application Form
A trade-credit application: company details and owners, bank and trade references, the credit limit and payment days requested, an authorisation to check references and an optional personal guarantee with a plain warning.
Free. Fill in, print, save as PDF or download as Word without an account. Saving to your account needs a free account.
Country versions
- International
- United States *
- United Kingdom *
- Korea *
- Japan *
- Germany *
* check with local advice
A template, not advice.
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What it is
A credit application is how a business asks a supplier to sell on account: deliver now, pay the invoice later. For the supplier it is a short check before taking a risk. Who is the customer, who owns it, how long has it been trading, which bank and which other suppliers can vouch for it, and how much credit and how many days of payment time is it asking for? For the customer it is a way to show that it is a reliable buyer.
The form works from either side. If you are the supplier, your own details come from your saved company information and you hand the form to a customer, who can fill it in by hand, or you can pre-fill what you already know. If you are the customer, fill in your side and send it on. The form ends with a short authorisation to check the references, an optional personal guarantee with a warning in plain words, and a box where the supplier writes down what it decided.
Pick a country to see its habits. The Korean version asks for the line of business and has seal marks, the Japanese one writes terms as a closing day and a payment day and adds a declaration about anti-social forces, the German one works with the commercial register number and points to credit agencies and retention of title, and the US and UK versions point to the personal-credit and guarantee rules that apply there.
When to use it
- A new customer asks to be invoiced instead of paying up front.
- You want the same facts from every customer before you extend credit.
- You are applying for credit terms with a new supplier and want to present your business clearly.
- A customer's order is larger than usual and you want references before delivering.
- You review credit limits once a year and want the old and the new request on paper.
How to fill it in
- Your details as the supplier come from your saved company information. Check them and set the date of the application.
- Enter the applicant's name, address and registration number, the authorised signatory, and list the owners with their shares.
- Add one bank reference and at least two trade references: suppliers who already give the applicant credit and can say how it pays.
- State the credit limit and the payment days requested, and tick the documents that come with the form.
- Have the signatory sign. If a personal guarantee is part of the deal, tick it, enter the highest amount and have the guarantor sign too. The supplier then writes down its decision.
Common mistakes
- Collecting more personal data than you need, such as ID numbers or passport copies. A credit application is about the company.
- Treating the authorisation as permission for everything. It covers references and business credit information for this application and its review.
- Asking for a personal guarantee without a highest amount, a clear description of what it covers and a signature.
- Granting the credit limit before the references have answered.
- Not writing down the decision (limit, days, who, when), so that nobody later remembers what was agreed.
Steps at a glance
- Fill in
- Check the preview
- Save as PDF, Word or Excel
Country versions
Pick the country you need. Each version uses the wording and layout commonly found there; a version marked “check with local advice” should be read by someone who knows the local rules before it is used.
- International (XX): Written in English, Korean, Japanese, German
- United States (US): Written in English – check with local advice
- United Kingdom (GB): Written in English – check with local advice
- Korea (KR): Written in Korean, English – check with local advice
- Japan (JP): Written in Japanese, English – check with local advice
- Germany (DE): Written in German, English – check with local advice
Designs
The same form in several designs. The fields and the wording stay the same; only the look changes.
- Boxed form
- Ledger
- Compact
- Banner
- Warm
- Plain (black and white)
- Modern
- Formal
- Side band
- Classic
- Minimal
- Executive
Your details fill it in
Fields that ask for your name, address or company details are filled from My details, so you do not type them again; you can still change any field for one form. Signed in, your details stay in your account; otherwise they stay in this browser only. A passport, identity or social security number is never saved.
Questions
- Does the form create a binding credit agreement?
- No. It is an application. The supplier decides, and the terms of sale or a separate agreement govern the credit. Completing the form obliges neither side to trade on credit.
- Should I ask for a personal guarantee?
- It is optional, and it is a serious step: the guarantor puts personal assets at risk. Ask for it only where the risk calls for it, make sure the guarantor understands what is signed, and check the form requirements in your country. The form asks for a highest amount for that reason.
- Can I use it to check an owner's personal credit?
- Not on its own. The authorisation is aimed at the company and its references. Looking at an individual's credit file usually needs that person's consent or another legal basis under your country's rules, so see the notes for your country and use a separate consent where one is required.
- What if the customer is a consumer?
- This form is made for business customers. Credit to consumers is regulated differently in most countries, with extra duties on information and checks, so use a consumer-credit process instead.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. It is a general template. Guarantees, credit checks and the handling of personal data are regulated and differ by country, so ask a qualified adviser before you rely on it for a large credit.
- Is this form legal, tax or accounting advice?
- No. It is a template: it gives you the usual structure and wording, not advice. Rules differ by country and case, so have someone qualified read anything that matters before you sign, send or file it.
- Which countries and designs does it come in?
- It comes in 6 country versions: International, United States, United Kingdom, Korea, Japan, and Germany. 12 designs.
A form is a template, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Rules differ by country and case.