NAB business loans: QuickBiz, the Business Options Loan and what NAB checks

NAB launched QuickBiz in 2016 so small businesses could apply for an unsecured loan online and get a decision on the spot. That product is still the front door for most smaller NAB borrowers, and when your business fits, it’s a genuinely good one: no security, no upfront or ongoing fees, and money that can land within a business day.

The fit is the catch. QuickBiz has a long list of fine print, and some of it surprises owners. This profile, based on NAB’s own website as at October 2026, walks through the products, the criteria worth checking first, and the routes that open up when NAB isn’t the right lender this time. Check the latest details with NAB before you apply.

Which NAB products can you apply for online, and which need a banker?

NAB’s business lending splits neatly into two channels.

Online, with an instant decision:

Product	Published amount	Key features
NAB QuickBiz Loan	$5k to $250k	Unsecured, fixed rate, 12 to 60 months, monthly principal and interest, no upfront or ongoing fees
NAB QuickBiz Overdraft	$5k to $50k	Unsecured overdraft you can draw on at any time; funds available the same business day after acceptance

Through a NAB business banker:

Product	Published amount	Key features
NAB Business Options Loan	From $20k	Secured or unsecured; principal and interest, interest only or a mix; terms up to 30 years; monthly to annual repayments
NAB Business Markets Loan	From $250k	Built to help larger borrowers manage borrowing costs
NAB Business Overdraft	From $20k	Attached to a Business Everyday Account for cash flow and seasonal costs
Vehicle and equipment loan	From $20k	No upfront deposit, keeping cash in the business
Invoice finance	Up to 85% of eligible invoices	For businesses turning over more than $1m

NAB also lists finance leases, green vehicle and equipment finance, bank guarantees, trade finance, agribusiness lending and commercial property loans.

The QuickBiz fine print most owners miss

The headline criteria are straightforward: an ABN held for at least 12 months, GST registration, turnover of at least $75k, and applicants aged 18 or over who are Australian citizens or permanent residents. The details below are where applications quietly fall over:

• No ATO payments. QuickBiz funds can’t be used to pay the Australian Taxation Office.
• Franchises can’t apply online. They need to request a call back instead.
• Ownership structure limits. Partnerships can have no more than two individual partners, and companies five or fewer directors. A partnership with a company as partner is excluded.
• Recent overseas residence. NAB can’t process the application if you, another director or partner, or a shareholder with 25% or more lives overseas or has done so in the past three years.
• Existing NAB exposure. Existing customers need less than $1m in NAB business lending, and total unsecured NAB business lending can’t exceed $250k.
• Accounting data on request. NAB may ask for at least 12 months of continuous reconciled data from Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks.
• One every 12 months. After you take a QuickBiz Loan, you can’t apply for another for a year.
• Amount locks after approval. You can reduce the amount before final submission but can’t increase it once conditionally approved.

None of these is unreasonable for an instant, unsecured product. But knowing them in advance saves a decline on your file for something you could have seen coming.

Unsure whether QuickBiz or something else suits your numbers? Our unsecured business loan calculator gives a quick sense of affordability, and you can ask us to review your situation before applying anywhere.

How the Business Options Loan differs

Where QuickBiz is fast and standardised, the Business Options Loan is tailored. It starts at $20k and can be unsecured or secured, usually by residential or commercial property. Secured lending opens up longer terms, up to 30 years. Repayments can be principal and interest, interest only or a combination, paid monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or annually.

That repayment flexibility suits seasonal businesses well. A grain grower or a ski-season retailer can align repayments to when the cash actually arrives. NAB lists buying an existing business, funding expansion and investing in growth among its uses. Fees are disclosed on application, so ask early.

A worked example

Take an illustrative Geelong food wholesaler, trading six years, turnover of $2.4m, banking with NAB. The owner needs two things: $90k to clear an ATO debt that built up during a slow winter, and a better way to fund 60-day customer terms.

QuickBiz is out for the tax debt, because its funds can’t go to the ATO. The receivables problem, though, fits NAB’s invoice finance well: turnover is above $1m, the business has traded more than 12 months, and its customers are Australian businesses on terms within 120 days. The tax debt needs a separate solution. Options include an ATO payment plan, a tax debt loan from a lender that considers it, or a property-secured facility if the owner has equity.

Who suits NAB, and who might not?

NAB tends to work well for:

• established, GST-registered small businesses wanting a modest unsecured sum quickly;
• businesses with seasonal income that benefit from quarterly or annual repayments;
• wholesalers, manufacturers, transport and labour hire firms with more than $1m in invoices;
• farmers and rural businesses, through NAB’s dedicated agribusiness lending.

It’s usually a harder fit for franchisees wanting a fast online result, anyone needing money to pay the ATO, businesses with recent overseas-based owners, and ABNs younger than 12 months.

Questions to put to NAB

• What is the total dollar cost over the term, including any economic costs if I pay it out early?
• Will a director or personal guarantee be required?
• On the Business Options Loan, which repayment frequency best matches my cash flow, and what fees apply?
• Will this facility be secured alongside my other NAB lending?
• If I’m declined, which specific criterion caused it?

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

NAB is a strong bank and, when your business fits, often the cheapest money you’ll find. A no usually means one criterion wasn’t met, and that criterion tells you where to turn:

• Need to pay the ATO? See ATO tax debt business loans and funding a tax bill.
• ABN under 12 months? Read business loans for an ABN under 12 months.
• Need more than an unsecured limit allows? A second mortgage or caveat loan can unlock property equity quickly.
• Overdraft refused or too small? Compare a business line of credit using our overdraft vs line of credit guide.
• Want the wider bank picture? Read the profiles of Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and ANZ, or browse alternatives to the big four.

NAB’s fine print ruled you out? That’s often fixable

The QuickBiz rules exist to keep an instant product simple, which means they say nothing about whether your business is a good borrower. Plenty of solid businesses sit just outside them.

If that’s you, our enquiry takes about a minute to complete, and asking us is invisible to your credit file. Your details go to us alone, not out to a long list of lenders who’ll all start calling. An experienced lending specialist works through what you’ve told us and phones you with straight answers. Put the real numbers in, ATO debt and all, so the first suggestion we make is one you can actually use.

Find a lender that fits your business →