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A business debt schedule is a single table that lists every debt your company owes: who you owe, how much is left, what it costs, what you pay each month, when it ends and what secures it. Lenders use it to see your existing obligations at a glance, work out how much new debt the business can carry and spot liens on assets they might want as collateral. Banks and SBA lenders commonly ask for one with an application, and keeping it current makes any future loan, refinance or consolidation faster to arrange.
What a business debt schedule should include
Each row is one obligation. Each column answers a question a lender will otherwise ask you by email.
- Creditor: the lender, leasing company, funder or individual you owe.
- Type of debt: term loan, line of credit, equipment loan or lease, vehicle loan, merchant cash advance, seller note or shareholder loan.
- Original amount and date: what you borrowed and when.
- Current balance: the outstanding principal, or for an advance the amount still to be repaid, as of a single "as of" date for the whole schedule.
- Rate: the interest rate, or the factor rate for advances that do not use one.
- Payment and frequency: the amount and whether it is paid daily, weekly or monthly.
- Monthly equivalent: the payment converted to a monthly figure, so daily and weekly obligations can be compared with monthly ones.
- Maturity date: when the obligation ends.
- Collateral: the specific asset pledged, or "blanket lien" if the creditor has a claim on all business assets.
- Personal guarantee: whether an owner is personally on the hook.
- Status: current or past due.
Free business debt schedule template
Put the business name and "as of" date at the top, then add one row per debt. The rows below are hypothetical, as of September 30, 2026, to show how a completed schedule reads.
| Creditor | Type | Original amount and date | Current balance | Rate | Payment | Monthly equivalent | Maturity | Collateral | Guarantee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Example bank |
Term loan |
$150,000, 08/2024 |
$96,000 |
9.5% |
$3,150 monthly |
$3,150 |
08/2029 |
Blanket lien |
Yes |
Current |
|
Example equipment lender |
Equipment loan |
$68,000, 05/2024 |
$40,800 |
11.0% |
$1,480 monthly |
$1,480 |
05/2029 |
Excavator |
Yes |
Current |
|
Example bank |
Line of credit |
$50,000 limit, 01/2025 |
$18,500 |
10.25% |
$600 monthly |
$600 |
Renews 01/2027 |
Blanket lien |
Yes |
Current |
|
Example funder |
Merchant cash advance |
$40,000, 07/2026 |
$22,900 |
1.35 factor |
$540 daily |
$11,340 |
Est. 12/2026 |
Future receivables |
No |
Current |
|
Total |
|
|
$178,200 |
|
|
$16,570 |
|
|
|
|
For the monthly equivalent, multiply daily payments by about 21 business days, weekly payments by 4.33 and biweekly payments by 2.17. The total of that column is the number a lender compares with your cash flow.
In this example, the daily advance costs about $11,340 a month, more than the other three payments combined, out of $16,570 in total monthly debt service. A lender reading that schedule would focus on the advance first, because it drives most of the outflow even though it carries the second-smallest balance.
How lenders read your debt schedule
Lenders start with total monthly debt service. Daily and weekly payments get extra attention because they pull cash out of the account faster than monthly ones. Several advances running at once can signal loan stacking, and many lenders treat that as a warning sign regardless of revenue.
The collateral column matters just as much. A blanket lien from an existing creditor usually appears as a UCC filing, and a new lender will want to know where it would sit in line. Maturity dates show whether a large payment is coming due soon, and the guarantee column shows how much personal exposure the owners already carry.
Consistency is the last test. The balances should match your statements and credit reports, and the interest on your tax return should look reasonable against the debts listed. List everything up front, including advances and family loans, because the lender's own checks will find them. That is one reason a debt schedule sits alongside tax returns and bank statements on most lists of business loan requirements.
Getting the numbers right
Pull a statement balance for each debt as of the same date and label the schedule with it. A payoff quote can be higher than the balance because it may add accrued interest or fees, so if you plan to refinance, request one from each creditor and note it separately. For installment loans, an amortization table shows how each payment splits between principal and interest and what balance remains. SCORE offers a free loan amortization schedule template that does this for a single loan, which is useful for checking a lender's statement or projecting balances forward.
A few items are easy to miss:
- Equipment leases, which may not look like loans but still carry fixed payments.
- Business credit cards that carry a balance from month to month.
- Seller notes from an acquisition and loans from owners or family.
- Tax payment plans, which belong on the schedule if the business is paying one off.
- Personal loans or cards used for the business, if the business is making the payments.
BusinessCapital.com matches businesses with long-term loans, lines of credit and SBA loans, and a current debt schedule helps a funding partner review any of those requests without a round of follow-up questions.
When to update it
Update the schedule whenever you take on or pay off a debt, and review it at least once a quarter. It is worth a fresh look before you apply for new financing, before you consider business loan refinancing, and before you compare debt consolidation loans, because the schedule shows which balances are the most expensive to carry. Lenders generally want a schedule dated close to the application, so an older version will need refreshing anyway.
Frequently asked questions
What is a business debt schedule?
It is a table listing every debt a business owes, with the creditor, balance, rate, payment, maturity date and collateral for each. Lenders use it to assess existing obligations and repayment capacity.
What should a business debt schedule include?
At minimum: creditor, type of debt, original amount and date, current balance as of one date, interest or factor rate, payment and frequency with a monthly equivalent, maturity date, collateral and whether an owner has guaranteed it.
Should I include business credit cards and equipment leases?
Yes, if they carry a balance or a fixed payment. Lenders generally want the full picture, and leaving items out can delay underwriting when they appear on a credit report or bank statement.
How often should I update my debt schedule?
Whenever a debt is added or paid off, and at least quarterly. Always refresh it before applying for new financing.
Do all lenders ask for a debt schedule?
Banks and SBA lenders commonly require one. Online lenders and short-term products often rely more on bank statements, though they still review existing payments when they see them.
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