How many advances do struggling businesses carry, how much do they owe, and how many are already behind? We analyzed 790 business owners who asked us for help with merchant cash advance debt.
Last updated October 21, 2026 · Expert review by Kate Morgan, debt relief specialist (20+ years)
We analyzed 790 business owners who completed our MCA debt assessment between May 14 to October 20, 2026. The typical owner had stacked advances: 58% were carrying three or more merchant cash advances at once and 84% had at least two. 44% owed more than $100,000. Almost half (47%) were already behind on payments or facing collections or legal action when they reached out. Their top goal was stopping the daily withdrawals, but once an account reached collections, avoiding bankruptcy and preventing a lawsuit took over.
carry three or more merchant cash advances at the same time
owe more than $100,000 in MCA debt
are already behind or in collections when they ask for help
Most owners did not get into trouble with one advance. They took a second to cover the first, then a third. Only one in six had a single MCA.
Percentages are rounded and may not sum to 100.
More than half owed between $20,000 and $100,000, but 44% owed more than $100,000 and almost one in five owed over $250,000.
Our assessment screens out balances under $20,000, so smaller debts are under-represented.
Owners with three or more advances were more than four times as likely to owe over $250,000 as owners with one advance.
Yet the share of owners who had fallen behind barely changed with the number of advances: 41% with one advance, 46% with two and 48% with three or more. Stacking keeps payments current for a while. It does that by making the debt much larger, which is why stacked MCA debt needs a plan that covers every funder at once.
About half of owners were still current when they reached out. The rest had missed payments or were facing collections, lawsuits or other legal action.
Owners who are still current have the most options, including reconciliation and restructuring. Once an account is in collections, the path usually narrows to settlement or legal defense. See MCA default help.
Overall, stopping the daily withdrawals was the most common goal. But the goal shifted sharply with payment status.
Among owners already in collections, 71% said their biggest worry was bankruptcy or a lawsuit, and only 9% put stopping withdrawals first. By then the withdrawals have often stopped and enforcement has started.
Data comes from 790 U.S. business owners who completed the Business Debt Relief Pros MCA debt assessment between May 14 to October 20, 2026. Answers are self-reported. Each chart uses the owners who answered that question, shown as n. Percentages are rounded.
The sample is owners who were looking for help, so it skews toward businesses under pressure. Our assessment turns away balances under $20,000. No names, contact details or business names were used; the figures are aggregates only.
Journalists, researchers and industry publications are welcome to use these findings with a link to this page.
For the underlying figures or press questions, contact us.
In our data, 58% of owners seeking help had three or more active MCAs and 84% had at least two. Only 16% had a single advance.
Most owners in our data owed between $20,000 and $100,000, but 44% owed more than $100,000 and about one in five owed more than $250,000.
Of owners who asked us for help, 47% had already missed payments or were in collections or facing legal action. The other 53% were still current.
Stopping the daily withdrawals was the top concern overall (32%). Among owners already in collections, 71% were most worried about bankruptcy or a lawsuit.
From 790 U.S. business owners who completed our MCA debt assessment between May 14 to October 20, 2026. Answers are self-reported and reported only in aggregate.
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