What we compare
The task is the same in every case: the business is UAH 100,000 short for 60 days, after which revenue repays the debt. This is a typical gap from the 13-week payment calendar model: stock for the season is paid for before buyers' money arrives.
We compare five options:
- Business overdraft — a negative balance on the current account within a limit. Terms from PrivatBank (for legal entities) and Oschadbank.
- Credit line — a limit for several years from which tranches are drawn. PrivatBank terms under the state "Affordable loans 5-7-9%" programme.
- Credit limit for a sole proprietor (FOP) — PrivatBank does not offer the business overdraft to sole proprietors and offers the "Pidpryiemnytskyi" credit limit on a business card instead.
- Supplier deferral — paying for stock 60 days later instead of in advance.
- Late payment without agreement — for comparison, not as an option.
Rates and fees were taken from the banks' pages on 30 October 2026. These are public "from" terms; your rate depends on the bank's assessment of the business. Interest is calculated simply on actual days: amount × rate × 60 / 365.
The price of UAH 100,000 for 60 days
Tariffs checked 30.10.2026. The supplier options are hypothetical contract terms. The PrivatBank overdraft fee is calculated on UAH 100,000.
How each number was obtained:
- PrivatBank business overdraft: a rate of 18.5–20.5% a year gives UAH 3,041–3,370 of interest, plus a 1% fee. The page does not say what the fee is calculated on; here it is taken on UAH 100,000, so check the base against the offer in Privat24 for Business. The overdraft must be repaid in full within 90 days of the first negative balance, so 60 days fit.
- Oschadbank overdraft: from 18.45% a year (UAH 3,033) and an arrangement fee from 0.5% (UAH 500). This is the lower bound: the bank sets the rate and fee after review.
- PrivatBank credit line under 5-7-9: 15% a year (UAH 2,466 for 60 days) and a one-off fee of 1.0–1.5% without hard collateral. For businesses in a high war-risk zone the rate is 7%. The standard rate outside the programme is tied to the UIRD 3m index and is not given as a number on the page, so it is not calculated here.
- FOP credit limit: 55 interest-free days, then 36% a year. Over 60 days interest accrues only for the 5 days after the grace period: UAH 493. But only business-card payments in shops and online are fee-free. A transfer from the limit to a supplier's account costs 3%, another UAH 3,000. Without this fee the bank only processes payroll to the bank's cards and tax payments.
- Supplier: if the supplier charges the same price for prepayment and deferral, deferral costs nothing. If it gives a 2% discount for prepayment, deferral costs the forgone UAH 2,000. If the deferred price is 3% higher, UAH 3,000. Both options are hypothetical: plug in the terms of your contract.
Why the rate misleads over a short term
A one-off fee does not depend on how many days you use the money. Over 60 days a 1% fee is 25% of the cost of the PrivatBank overdraft and 29–38% of the cost of the credit line. The shorter the gap, the larger its share. Below is the effective annual cost of the same UAH 100,000 over different terms:
| Term | PrivatBank overdraft, 18.5% + 1% | Credit line 5-7-9, 15% + 1% | Oschadbank overdraft, 18.45% + 0.5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 days | UAH 1,710 · 44.6% a year | UAH 1,575 · 41.1% a year | UAH 1,208 · 31.5% a year |
| 30 days | UAH 2,521 · 30.7% a year | UAH 2,233 · 27.2% a year | UAH 2,016 · 24.5% a year |
| 60 days | UAH 4,041 · 24.6% a year | UAH 3,466 · 21.1% a year | UAH 3,533 · 21.5% a year |
Effective annual cost = cost / amount × 365 / term. Use it, not the advertised rate, when comparing with a deposit or a supplier discount.
Two consequences:
- For terms under a month, the difference between banks comes from the fee, not the rate. PrivatBank's and Oschadbank's rates are almost the same (18.5% and 18.45%), while the fee difference (1% versus 0.5%) is UAH 500 on every 100,000.
- A credit line gets cheaper with every use. The line fee is paid once per contract of up to 36 months, not per tranche. If there is only one gap over the whole contract, a line with a 1.5% fee is more expensive than the Oschadbank overdraft. If gaps recur every quarter, one fee is spread over twelve gaps in three years, and each costs UAH 2,549–2,591: UAH 2,466 of interest plus a share of the fee. That is less than the interest alone on any overdraft in the table.
Separately, there is the 3% charge for a transfer from the FOP credit limit. It also does not depend on the term, so over 14 days transferring UAH 100,000 to a supplier costs at least UAH 3,000, or 78% a year. The credit limit pays off when the supplier accepts card payments.
Who can get what
Price does not matter if you will not be given the product. The requirements banks list on their product pages:
| Product | For whom | What the limit depends on | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PrivatBank business overdraft | Legal entities; not sole proprietors | Up to 40% of average monthly receipts on the accounts, up to UAH 4 m; receipts from at least 5 counterparties on average over 3 months | A UAH 100,000 limit needs receipts of UAH 250,000 a month or more. Repay to zero within 90 days |
| Oschadbank overdraft | Companies, new and existing clients | Up to UAH 10 m without collateral, term up to a year | Rate and fee are "from": exact terms come after the bank's decision |
| PrivatBank credit line | Companies and sole proprietors trading for at least 12 months | From UAH 100,000 for micro businesses; calculated from financial statements | Pledge of property or the owner's guarantee; the limit decreases evenly from month 7. Misuse means penalties and loss of 5-7-9 compensation |
| "Pidpryiemnytskyi" credit limit | Sole proprietors | Up to 10% of annual income, up to UAH 500,000 | UAH 100,000 needs annual income of UAH 1 m or more. Minimum payment is 7% of the outstanding balance each month. It cannot repay other loans or be sent to the owner's personal accounts |
The last column often matters more than the rate. The 7% monthly minimum on the credit limit, for example, is UAH 7,000 on every 100,000 of debt at month end. That payment has to go into the payment calendar, or it will create a new gap of its own.
The state 5-7-9 programme lowers the rate but does not speed up approval. How it compares with a grant on full cost is covered in "Grant or a 5-7-9 loan".
Supplier deferral: free as long as it was agreed
Deferral is the only option whose price can be zero. But only with a written agreement: an addendum to the supply contract or a new invoice with a payment date.
If you simply pay late, the debt stops being free. Under Article 625 of Ukraine's Civil Code, at the creditor's demand the debtor pays the debt adjusted for inflation over the whole delay plus 3% a year, unless the contract sets a different rate. On UAH 100,000 over 60 days, 3% a year is UAH 493 plus the inflation adjustment. If the contract provides for a penalty, it cannot exceed twice the National Bank's discount rate (Articles 1 and 3 of Law No. 543/96-VR). Money is not the main loss here: a supplier paid late without warning will ship the next batch only against prepayment.
Is it better to borrow and prepay at a discount? Compare the discount with the cost of a loan for the same term. A 2% discount over 60 days is about 12% a year, cheaper than any bank option in the table. So deferral is cheaper as long as the prepayment discount is smaller than the cost of an overdraft: 3.5–4.4% for 60 days. When the supplier offers 5% for prepayment, it is cheaper to take the overdraft and pay in advance.
What works one, two or six weeks out
Each product has its own time between application and money in the account. Banks do not publish it for every product:
- Oschadbank overdraft: a preliminary decision on an application through OschadBusiness within 24 hours, then signing the contract at a branch.
- PrivatBank FOP credit limit: after signing the application, submitting financial statements and updating the client profile, funds appear within 3 days.
- PrivatBank business overdraft: activated by accepting the public offer in Privat24 for Business, but the limit is calculated from three months of receipts. If receipts are low, the limit will be smaller than you need.
- Credit line: the bank does not publish the review time. It needs financial statements, an owners' resolution, collateral documents and a property valuation report. Open it while there is no gap yet.
- Deferral: it must be agreed before the stock is paid for. In the payment calendar model stock is paid two weeks before the sale, so negotiate even earlier.
- Six weeks or more to the gap, and the stock is not yet paid for?First ask the supplier for deferral for the same 60 days and compare its price with the table above. Yes → written deferral, no loan
- Gaps recur every quarter, and the business is over 12 months old?One one-off line fee is spread over all gaps during the contract. Yes → a credit line opened in advance
- One to five weeks to the gap?The bank still has time to review an overdraft or credit limit application. For a company, an overdraft; for a sole proprietor, the credit limit if the supplier takes cards. Yes → overdraft or FOP credit limit
- Less than a week to the gap, and no limit is open?A new loan may not arrive in time. What is left is moving payments by agreement: with the supplier, the landlord, or part of the stock order. Yes → agreed rescheduling; the limit is for next time
This logic ties into the payment calendar: in the 13-week model the gap is visible five weeks ahead. So when a negative week appears in the table, there is still time for deferral and for an overdraft, but not always for a credit line.
Our position
Compare the cost for your term, not the rate: total interest plus all one-off fees, divided by the amount and converted to an annual figure. For a gap visible five or more weeks ahead, talk to the supplier first, because written deferral is often cheaper than any loan. Open the bank product in advance and keep it as a reserve. If gaps recur every quarter, a credit line with one fee per contract comes out cheaper than an overdraft; for one gap a year, the reverse.
The position does not hold if the supplier offers a prepayment discount above 3.5–4.4% for 60 days. Then it is cheaper to take the overdraft and pay in advance. Nor does it hold for a business the bank will not lend to: a sole proprietor with annual income under UAH 1 m or a company with receipts under UAH 250,000 a month will not get UAH 100,000 from any of these products. For them the only workable route is a smaller stock order and a payment calendar that shows the gap earlier. How to calculate the revenue needed to cover costs is in the article on the revenue formula.
Checked on 30 October 2026 on the product pages of PrivatBank (business overdraft, credit line, "Pidpryiemnytskyi" credit limit) and Oschadbank (business overdraft), and in the texts of the Civil Code (Article 625) and Law No. 543/96-VR on zakon.rada.gov.ua. The supplier options are hypothetical; bank rates are public "from" terms, and yours may differ.