# The 30–90 day reapply cooldown, explained

*Source: https://credicorp.co.uk/support/reapply-cooldown-explained/*

If your application was declined and you have been told to wait before applying again, you have met our reapply cooldown. It can feel frustrating, so it is worth explaining plainly: the cooldown exists to protect your company from taking on borrowing it cannot comfortably afford, and to give you a real chance to come back stronger. It is a feature of responsible lending, not red tape for its own sake.

## How long the cooldown is

In most cases the wait is around **30 days**. In some situations it can be up to **90 days**, usually where the reasons for the decline were more significant and a quick reapplication would be unlikely to change the outcome. We tell you which applies to you, so you are not left guessing. The clock is there to be useful, not to keep you in the dark.

## Why a cooldown exists at all

Repeatedly applying for the same loan within days does not improve affordability; it just risks pushing a company toward borrowing that is not sustainable. A short-term Business Bridging Loan is an expensive way to borrow, and applying again and again can be a sign that money is tighter than the figures show. The cooldown is a deliberate brake. It also gives the things we assess, your company’s cash flow, bank-account behaviour and business credit file, time to actually change. A fresh application the next day would look almost identical to the one we just declined.

## Make the wait count

Treat the cooldown as a window to improve the picture rather than dead time. The most useful steps map directly onto what we look at when we decide.

- **Steady the cash flow.** Aim for a stretch where income clearly covers your outgoings, so future repayments sit comfortably within normal trading.

- **Tidy the bank account.** Avoid returned payments and try not to run the account at its limit. A cleaner recent history tells a better story.

- **Work on the company’s credit file.** Pay business creditors on time and address any adverse markers you can. To understand how the rating is built and what moves it, read [business credit score: how it works](/support/business-credit-score-how-it-works/).

- **Right-size the request.** If affordability was the issue, a smaller amount within the company’s comfortable range may succeed where a larger one did not.

- **Keep records current.** Make sure your Companies House details and active directors are up to date.

## What the cooldown is not

It is not a default, and it is not recorded against you personally. Because the loan would be to the company and we take no personal guarantee, a decline and cooldown do not damage your personal consumer credit file or put your personal assets at risk. It is simply a pause before the next application. If you want the fuller picture of what a decline involves, including your right to ask a person to review an automated decision, see [what happens if your application is declined](/support/what-happens-if-your-application-is-declined/).

## If you need money before the cooldown ends

If the pressure is immediate, please do not just wait it out in difficulty. Free, independent help for your business is available now: **Business Debtline** (businessdebtline.org, 0800 197 6026), the **FSB** (fsb.org.uk), and HMRC’s Time to Pay service (gov.uk) for tax arrears. If the company’s situation is serious, a licensed insolvency practitioner (r3.org.uk) can advise on options. These services cost nothing and may help more than another short-term loan would.

## When the cooldown ends

Once your wait is over, you can apply again as normal. Check the current amounts, terms and costs on [our business loans page](/business-loans/) first, so you borrow only what comfortably fits your company’s cash flow. A cooldown used well often turns a previous no into a yes.

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Credicorp Limited — UK lender to limited companies (Company No. 16093826). credicorp.co.uk