Commonwealth Bank business loans: what CommBank offers and who it suits

If your business already banks with Commonwealth Bank, the cheapest and simplest loan you’ll ever get may be sitting one login away. CommBank knows your deposits, your account conduct and your history, and for an existing customer who fits its criteria that familiarity can turn a business loan into a ten-minute job inside NetBank. That’s a real advantage, and it’s worth trying first.

This profile sets out what CommBank publishes about its business lending as at October 2026, the signals it says improve your chances, and the practical paths open to you if the answer comes back as a no. Banks update products regularly, so confirm the details with CommBank before you rely on them.

What business lending does CommBank offer?

Australia’s largest bank covers almost every everyday business need. Its published range, as at October 2026:

Product	Published amount	What it’s built for
BetterBusiness Loan (unsecured)	Access limits up to $250k	Growth costs, stock, fit-outs or a one-off investment, over up to seven years
BetterBusiness Loan (secured)	From $10k	Larger needs secured by residential, rural or commercial property, with terms up to 30 years
Business Overdraft	From $2k	Smoothing cash flow on a linked transaction account; no fixed repayments
Car & Equipment Finance	From $20k	Vehicles and machinery, secured by the asset, terms up to five years
Bank Guarantee	From $5k	Security bonds, warranties over completed work, or securing a contract
Market Rate Loan	From $500k	Medium and larger businesses wanting several loans with tailored repayment schedules

CommBank also lists Stream Working Capital, which advances funds against unpaid invoices and connects to Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks without needing property as security, plus green loans for energy-efficient equipment, electric vehicles and eligible farm projects.

On the BetterBusiness Loan you can choose principal and interest, interest only, or a mix. Extra repayments and redraw only come with a variable rate; if you fix, extra repayments aren’t allowed. Fees published as at October 2026 include a one-off establishment fee and a $35 monthly loan service fee, with your final pricing set out in the letter of offer.

Existing customer or new: why it changes the experience

This is the detail most owners don’t realise until they apply. CommBank runs two quite different paths:

• Existing customers apply through NetBank in roughly ten minutes. If eligible, they can receive an instant decision and the funds soon after. Some customers are conditionally approved in advance and can see an offer in the CommBank app; those offers allow online applications for $5k to $100k unsecured.
• New customers book an appointment with a business lending specialist. That’s a fuller, more traditional application, and it naturally takes longer.

So if you’ve held a CommBank business account for years with steady deposits, your chances of a quick yes are much better than a business arriving cold from another bank. Check the app before doing anything else: a pre-assessed offer may already be waiting.

What does CommBank look at?

CommBank doesn’t publish a turnover floor on its BetterBusiness Loan pages. It does publish the conduct signals that make approval more likely. You’re in a stronger position if:

1. Your accounts haven’t been overdrawn or fallen into arrears at any point in the past three months.
2. You haven’t been declared bankrupt in the past five years.
3. No accounts have been in collections in the past six months.
4. For secured lending, you can put in a deposit of at least 30% and hold cash reserves covering the first three months of operation.

Expect to be asked for financial statements, proof of individual income, bank statements and identification. Lagging bookkeeping is a common stumbling block here; get the latest year’s accounts finalised before you lodge anything with a major bank.

Not sure your numbers will satisfy a major bank’s checklist? Describe the loan you’re after and we’ll tell you plainly whether a bank, a non-bank or a private lender is the realistic first stop.

Who is CommBank a strong fit for?

• Established customers with clean account conduct. Three quiet months with no overdrawn days is a genuine asset at CommBank.
• Owners with property equity. The secured BetterBusiness Loan accepts residential, rural and commercial property, with long terms that keep repayments modest.
• Businesses buying vehicles or machinery, where the asset itself carries the security.
• Firms that need bank guarantees for leases or contracts, which non-bank lenders rarely provide.

It’s a harder fit when your recent statements show overdrawn days or dishonours, when the business is very new, when you need money faster than a specialist appointment allows, or when an ATO debt or default is still being resolved.

A worked example

Consider an illustrative Brisbane joinery business, trading four years, banking with CommBank, wanting $180k for a CNC machine and working capital. Twice in the past three months a large supplier payment pushed the account briefly overdrawn.

The owner tries NetBank and is referred rather than approved instantly, because recent overdrawn days sit squarely against CommBank’s published guidance. Two practical splits follow. The machine itself could go through equipment finance, with the CNC machine itself standing as security. The working capital piece could wait three clean months and be retried at CommBank, or be met sooner by a lender that reads bank statements case by case. Running both scenarios through our business loan repayment calculator shows the dollar difference before anything is signed.

Questions to ask CommBank before you sign

• What will this cost in total, in dollars, over the full term, including the establishment fee and monthly service fees?
• On a fixed rate, what would clearing the balance ahead of schedule cost me?
• Will directors need to sign a personal guarantee?
• What security is being taken, and will it be cross-collateralised with my other CommBank lending?
• How often will CommBank review this facility, and could a review shrink my limit?

If CommBank said no, you’re in the right place

A decline from a major bank feels personal, but it’s usually a box that didn’t get ticked. The reason matters more than the decision:

• Recent overdrawn days, arrears or collections? Non-bank lenders often look at the full story behind your statements. Start with bad credit business loans and business loans with defaults.
• Not enough deposit or cash reserves? A second mortgage business loan or caveat loan can draw on equity in property you already own.
• Need it quicker than an appointment allows? See fast business loans and the general route through declined by the bank.
• ATO debt in the background? Our page on ATO tax debt business loans explains which lenders consider it.

For another bank’s view, compare Westpac, NAB and Judo Bank, or read bank vs non-bank lenders for how the two worlds differ. Where a disagreement with any bank is holding your business back, ASBFEO, the federal small business ombudsman, offers free guidance on next steps.

Want a second opinion on your CommBank result?

CommBank is a great lender when the boxes line up, and if yours do, take that offer seriously. When they don’t, the useful question becomes which lender reads your business the way it actually trades.

That’s the conversation we’re set up for. Our form is short, roughly sixty seconds of typing, and filling it in leaves your credit history exactly as it was. We don’t forward your file to dozens of funders hoping one bites; a single team handles it. Someone with lending experience reviews your answers and phones you personally. Be as precise as you can about turnover, security and timing, because precise answers are what let us match you properly on the first go.

Ask a specialist about your options →