DSCR Requirements for Acquisition Loans

Business Acquisition Loans

DSCR Requirements for Acquisition Loans

DSCR is the lender’s blunt question: does the business generate enough cash to pay the new debt and still breathe. If DSCR is thin, the deal can still close, but it usually needs structure, not wishful thinking.

If you are early in the process, start with a commitment letter mindset and build the file around underwriting conditions: commitment letter guide.

1) What DSCR Means in Acquisition Underwriting

DSCR stands for Debt Service Coverage Ratio. In plain terms, it is cash flow divided by required debt payments. The definitions vary by lender, but the logic is consistent: stronger coverage means more comfort, looser terms, and fewer late-stage surprises.

Important: DSCR is not a spreadsheet vanity metric. Lenders stress it. They test it under downside cases, not your base case.

2) How Lenders Commonly Calculate It

3) What Weak DSCR Usually Tells a Lender

Price and structure are misaligned

If purchase price is rich relative to stable cash flow, the debt stack needs support: more equity, seller carry, or a staged structure.

The story needs proof

Many deals lean on “growth post-close.” Lenders will ask what is contractual versus aspirational.

4) Practical Ways to Improve DSCR Before Closing

  • Reduce senior debt size with more equity or a seller note that is clearly subordinated.
  • Clean up addbacks with documentation and a consistent narrative tied to bank statements and tax filings.
  • Rework working capital so the deal does not choke the business post-close.
  • Address customer concentration with contracts, renewal history, and realistic downside assumptions.
Common mistake: trying to “argue” DSCR into existence with aggressive addbacks. If the lender cannot verify the adjustment, it does not count.

5) Where Financely Fits

Financely structures acquisition capital stacks and runs a lender process designed to produce written term sheets and a closing path. When a deal needs multiple options, we manage lender outreach and term sheet workflow through a controlled process: Lender Introduction and Term Sheet Auction Management.

If the issue is an equity shortfall, this is the reference: gap funding for business acquisitions.

Request Indicative Terms

Share your LOI or purchase agreement, target financial summary, and buyer profile. We will revert with likely DSCR constraints by structure, plus the shortest route to lender readiness. For process expectations, see How It Works.

This page is for general information only and does not constitute legal, tax, investment, or regulatory advice. Financely is not a bank and does not custody client funds. All outcomes are subject to diligence, compliance screening including KYC, AML, and sanctions, lender approvals, and definitive documentation.