Emergency business finance: the first-hour triage

Why triage before you apply?

In an emergency, the instinct is to start filling in forms. It feels like progress. But an application made before you know the full picture often has to be redone — the amount changes, a bill you forgot turns up, or you discover a creditor would have waited a week if you’d asked.

An hour of triage usually saves a day of rework. It also gives you a clear, confident story for the lender, which is one of the things that makes fast decisions possible.

How do you build the list?

One page. Every bill that’s due or overdue in the next four weeks. For each one, write:

Creditor	Amount	Due	What happens if missed	Negotiable?
Staff wages + super			People go unpaid; super charge	No
ATO BAS			Interest, possible escalation	Partly
Main supplier			Stop supply	Often
Landlord			Breach notice	Often
Equipment finance			Default	Sometimes

The last column is the one that matters. Emergencies feel like everything is urgent, but when you write it down, a few items carry hard consequences and the rest have room.

How should you rank the bills?

A practical order most owners land on:

1. Wages and super. Your people rely on them, and late super attracts the super guarantee charge. Under Payday Super, contributions must reach funds within 7 business days of payday. See business finance for payroll.
2. Anything with a legal clock. A statutory demand (21 days for company debts of $4,000 or more) or a court deadline. See demand letters and final notices.
3. Suppliers you need tomorrow. If stopping supply stops the business, they come next.
4. Tax and other debts with room to negotiate. Lodge on time, contact the ATO, and plan.
5. Everything else. Negotiate dates.

This isn’t a legal ranking — it’s a practical one that protects the business’s ability to keep trading while you fix the cash.

What do you say to creditors you can’t pay today?

Be brief, specific and early. business.gov.au’s advice on managing debt is to contact creditors, explain your circumstances and ask about hardship arrangements. A call that goes: “We’re arranging funding this week; I can pay $5,000 today and the balance by Thursday. Can you hold the account open?” works far better than silence. Confirm by email straight after, and diarise the promise.

How much should you enquire for?

The total of the must-pays, plus anything negotiable you’d rather clear now, plus a modest buffer. Not less — a second enquiry mid-emergency costs time. Not everything either — funding bills that could wait a fortnight at emergency speed can cost more than necessary. Our page on how much to borrow has a simple method.

Then pick the pathway. Property-secured loans of $20k to $250k are possible same day, and up to $5m within 24–48 hours. Unsecured options, typically $5,000 to $500,000 for trading businesses, can be funded same day for smaller amounts. The triage checker will suggest one based on your answers — or, with your list in hand, go straight to the enquiry.

An illustrative example

Illustrative only. A manufacturer learns on Monday that its largest customer has entered administration owing $210,000. Payroll of $62,000 is due Thursday, a steel supplier wants $48,000 by Friday, the BAS of $55,000 is due in three weeks, and rent of $18,000 is due on the 1st.

The owner’s list shows payroll and the steel supplier as must-pays ($110,000). The landlord agrees to a two-week delay by phone. The BAS is lodged on time and the ATO contacted about timing. The owner enquires once for $130,000, secured against the factory, which settles Wednesday — leaving the BAS to be handled from ordinary trading and a separate plan. The customer’s administration is dealt with in our guide on a customer going into liquidation.

What should you have in front of you for the first call?

A fast emergency call has four things on the table:

1. Your one-page bill list, with must-pays marked.
2. The total you need and the first hard deadline, down to the time of day if it matters.
3. Six months of business bank statements, ID for each director and your ABN or ACN.
4. Property details if there’s security available — address, rates notice and current mortgage statement.

With those in hand, the conversation can move straight to options and timing. Without them, the first call becomes a list of things to find, and the clock keeps running. The funding readiness checklist has the full list.

What happens after the emergency is covered?

Once the must-pays are funded, spend an hour on why the emergency happened. A late customer, a seasonal dip, a surprise bill or a structural gap each call for a different fix — better terms, a standby facility, a tax savings account or a pricing review. The business bill calendar helps you see the next crunch before it arrives.

Emergency? Start with a real conversation

An emergency is exactly when you want a person on the other end, not a website. Once your list is done — or even half done — tell us the must-pay total and the first deadline. No credit check is run when you enquire, we don’t blast your details across the lending market, and a real person picks up your situation and calls you. Please fill in the form as accurately as you can; in an emergency, accurate details are what make fast possible.

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