Free tool · Plan the way out first
Exit strategy builder
Every short-term loan needs a way out. Choose your exit route, enter the numbers and dates, tick the evidence you already have — and get a readiness check plus a dated countdown you can print.
Why build the exit before the loan?
A short-term loan ends on a fixed date, and on that date the balance must be repaid from somewhere. If you can name that source, show it will produce enough, and show it will arrive with time to spare, the loan is a tool. If you can't, it's a bet. This builder makes you answer those questions in five minutes, before any fees are paid. The thinking behind it is set out in write the exit plan before you sign.
The four things the builder checks
- Coverage — does the net money from your exit exceed the estimated payout? The payout is more than the amount borrowed: it includes the cost that builds up while you hold the loan. See what goes into a payout figure.
- Buffer — how many months sit between your expected exit and the due date? Settlements move, banks ask for more documents and customers pay late. A buffer turns those delays into non-events.
- Evidence — how much of your exit is already documented? Contracts, appraisals, lodged returns and approvals carry far more weight than intentions, for you and for a lender.
- Fallback — what happens if the exit is late or short? A plan B agreed in advance is worth much more than one improvised in the final fortnight. Our page on extensions and rollovers explains how to price one.
How to read the countdown
The countdown turns your dates into actions. It starts at the loan's first month, adds route-specific steps at the right points (listing a property, lodging a refinance, confirming a payment date) adds the 90, 60 and 30-day checkpoints before your expected exit, and finishes with the due date and the buffer you've left. Print it or copy it into your diary. Our 90-day exit countdown guide explains each checkpoint in detail.
What if the score is low?
Look at which tile is weakest. Low coverage means the loan is too large for the exit, or the exit needs a top-up source. A thin buffer means the term is too short for the exit's realistic timing — a longer term with fair early payout often costs little extra. Little evidence means the plan needs work before you sign. No fallback means you're relying on everything going right.
If you're choosing between terms or lenders, the short vs long term comparator shows what each option would cost at your exit month.
Exit builder questions
What does the exit strategy builder do?
It tests the plan for repaying a short-term loan: whether the exit money covers the estimated payout, how much buffer sits between the exit and the due date, how much evidence you have and whether there's a fallback. It then produces a dated countdown of actions for your chosen exit route.
How is the payout estimated?
If you enter the loan's total cost of finance, the tool adds the share of that cost for the months you'll hold the loan to the amount borrowed. It's an estimate — the real payout depends on your contract, including fixed fees and any minimum period — so ask your lender for a payout figure.
What's a good buffer?
As a rule of thumb, at least two months between the expected exit and the due date on loans of six months or more, and three to four weeks on a 3-month loan. Less than that and a normal delay can force an extension.
What does the readiness score mean?
It's a simple weighting of coverage, buffer, evidence and fallback. It isn't a credit decision; it shows which part of your plan is weakest so you can work on it before signing.
Can I save or print the plan?
Yes. Use the print button to print or save it as a PDF, or copy it as text to paste into an email or notes.
Bring your exit plan — we'll build the loan around it
Tell us how and when you'll repay. A real person will suggest a term and structure that give your exit room to work. No credit check to enquire.
No credit check to enquire
No spray-and-pray
A real person on your file