Winter cash flow for contractors: how do you bridge the gap?
Contractor and landscaping firms: plan for the winter gap now.
We are a marketplace, and Afterfirst MCA never funds deals itself. A contractor applies once; the desk then shows it to funders whose programs suit the trade.
How deep is the winter dip for each trade?
Outdoor trades lose the most in winter, and landscaping loses the most of all. An index of 100 marks a typical month.
Job rows use BLS counts and spending rows use Census data, both for 2021 to 2025.
| Trade or measure | Winter low (index) | Summer high (index) |
|---|---|---|
| Landscaping services (jobs) | January: 81.7 | July: 111.6 |
| Pool and other specialty trades (jobs) | January: 88.4 | July: 107.6 |
| Roofing contractors (jobs) | February: 93.9 | July: 103.3 |
| Residential building (spending) | January: 81.5 | July: 112.7 |
| Nonresidential building (spending) | January: 83.9 | August: 110.9 |
In 2025, landscaping firms had 756.0 thousand jobs in January and 1,014.2 thousand in July, per BLS.
How we built these numbers
Job figures start from BLS counts before seasonal adjustment. Each month is set against a centered 12-month mean, the five years 2021 to 2025 are averaged, and the result is rescaled to a mean of 100. Spending figures come from the Census construction file without seasonal adjustment, each month over its year's mean. The agencies count; the ratios are ours.
Which costs strain winter cash flow for contractors?
Winter cash flow for contractors is tight because most fixed costs do not pause when the work does. These are the ones that usually show on a winter bank statement.
| Cost | Why it keeps running | Where it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Truck and equipment payments | Set by the lease or note, not by the season | Fixed monthly debits |
| Insurance | Annual policies billed by the month | Fixed debits |
| Core crew pay | Keeping skilled people through the winter | Payroll debits, smaller than summer |
| Shop or yard rent | Same in every month | Fixed debit |
| Spring supplies | Ordered in late winter for the first jobs | Supplier debits in February and March |
Residential work drops more than commercial
Residential building spending falls to 81.5 in January, while nonresidential stays at 83.9 or higher. A remodeler or home builder usually feels a deeper winter than a firm with commercial contracts.
Landscaping gets two funding windows
Landscaping has the widest swing on the table. One funding firm says landscapers look for capital at two points: early spring, to get crews and gear moving, and winter, to bridge the gap. Another says the winter gap is the main cash problem for the trade. Both are practitioner views.
Winter work that softens the gap
A firm with winter services, indoor jobs or year-round maintenance contracts shows steadier deposits, and that kind of winter cash flow for contractors is easier for a funder to read. Point those out in your application, so a funder does not read the whole file as seasonal.
Roofing and pool trades
Roofing jobs dip only to 93.9 in February, a milder winter than landscaping. Specialty trades, pools included, drop to 88.4 in January.
How do funders read a contractor file in winter?
A funder reads the most recent statements, so a file sent in January shows the slow fall and early winter.
Treat this as opinion from the industry. A funding company argues the newest three months of statements count most with underwriters. A landscaper who applies in January shows October to December, at 105.8, 101.1 and 90.9 on our index. An October request would put the busy late summer in front of the funder. The apply before winter guide covers that timing.
Fixed debits hit hardest in winter
A fixed daily debit takes the same amount in January as in July. A holdback moves with sales. If an advance is already running and winter sales drop, the reconciliation guide explains how to ask for an adjustment.
Contractors already carrying an advance
Carrying an advance now does not end the conversation. Options include a second position, a consolidation, or waiting for spring deposits. Put each open advance in the application.
FAQ
What does winter funding cost a contractor?
The cost is total payback minus the cash that reaches your account, with any fees counted too. Because a winter advance is repaid through slow months, test the payment against your January deposits, not your yearly average. No payment is due to apply.
What should a contractor ask about credit?
Before you sign, ask how any credit review works. Funders set their own steps. We can pass your questions to the funders reading your file.
Does reply time slow over the holidays?
Practitioners say it does, starting around Thanksgiving; that is opinion, not data. We make no promise on timing, because every funder sets its own pace. A complete statement set means fewer follow-up questions.
Can a contractor with an open advance apply for more?
Yes, as long as every open advance is named in the application; funders spot the debits on statements anyway. What decides the fit is how much of your winter deposits the current debits already take.
Next step
Planning winter cash flow for contractors can start with one step: Call 877-FUND-654Email info@afterfirstmca.com with every open advance named, or write to the desk about winter timing. See the construction and landscaping pages for how funders read each trade, or the cash flow page for the use of funds.A person replies within one business day.
Call 877-FUND-654Sources
- BLS Current Employment Statistics, series CEU6056173001, CEU2023816001 and CEU2023899001 (NSA): landscaping, roofing and specialty trade jobs for the table, including 756.0 and 1,014.2 thousand landscaping jobs in January and July 2025.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Value of Construction Put in Place, not seasonally adjusted: the spending rows of the table and the January and August construction figures.
- Fundnode, when in the year to take an MCA (2026): opinion that the latest three months of statements matter most.
- Swish Funding, seasonal businesses that commonly use MCAs: practitioner view that landscapers seek capital in early spring and in winter; opinion.
- Contractor Capital Guide, landscaping winter survival guide: practitioner view of the winter cash gap for landscapers; opinion.
- Total Merchant Resources blog, winter slowdowns for MCA brokers (Jan. 2026): says deal work slows once Thanksgiving passes; opinion.
Cost, credit, speed and stacking
- Cost
- In the slow months, the real test is whether a smaller winter income can carry the debit. Compare the total with the spring work the money keeps alive.
- Credit
- Ask each funder to spell out its credit steps in plain words, even in a slow month. Keep that answer with the offer.
- Speed
- We make no promise on winter timing, and holiday weeks can add a pause. Current statements plus signed spring contracts help most.
- Stacking
- Taking a winter advance on top of one from the busy season doubles the pull on thin deposits. Show both so the desk can judge whether it fits.
Send one file.
See what fits.
Start a merchant cash advance application, or write to the desk. Afterfirst MCA is not a lender.
Or write to the desk at info@afterfirstmca.com
A person replies within one business day.