Free tool · Takes two minutes
Bridging timeline & peak-debt calculator
Put your two events on a timeline, enter the numbers you know, and see the shape of your bridge: how high the debt peaks, where it lands after the exit, and how much slack your plan has.
Your bridge, drawn to scale
- Gap between events
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- Term worth asking about
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Planning estimate only, based on the figures you entered. Not an offer or approval. Headroom bands are a general guide, not a lender's policy.
Talk this bridge through with a specialist →No credit check to enquire · Your details stay with one team
How to read your results
A bridging loan is easiest to understand as a drawing with two piers. The first pier is Event A: the day you need the money, such as the settlement of a purchase or a supplier who needs paying. The second pier is Event B: the day money arrives to pay the bridge down, such as the settlement of a sale, a refinance, or a refund you're owed. The loan is the span between them. The calculator measures that span in two directions, time and money.
Peak debt
This is the heaviest load the bridge carries. For a buy-before-you-sell move it's usually the loans you already have, plus what the purchase costs, less your own cash, plus any finance costs added to the loan. It's the number a lender weighs most carefully, because it is what they are exposed to if the exit is late.
Equity cover
Peak debt divided by the value of the property offered as security. Think of it as a loan-to-value ratio for the whole package. The meter's markers are a simple guide to headroom, not a lender's rule: below the first marker there is plenty of cushion; between the markers it's workable but the detail matters; past the second marker the plan relies on values and timing holding up, and structure becomes critical.
End debt
What's left owing once the exit event lands. If the result is zero, the exit clears the bridge completely. If there's a balance, that's the debt you'll carry afterwards, and you need a plan for it too, usually an ordinary term facility sized on what the business and remaining property can support. We show it against the property that remains after a sale, because that's what will secure it.
Exit cover
Net exit proceeds divided by the new money the bridge provides. Above 1.0× means the exit event alone could repay the new borrowing; below 1.0× means some of it becomes end debt. Neither is wrong, but a lender will want to see how the remainder is handled.
Term and buffer
The gap between your two dates is the minimum term. Real exits slip: buyers take longer, valuations get queried, refunds get checked. Asking for a term that includes a realistic buffer is almost always cheaper and calmer than asking for an extension later. Our guide to bridging loan terms explains how to size it.
Worked example (illustrative)
A manufacturer is moving to larger premises. The new factory costs $1.45m including stamp duty and legals. The owners put in $150k of cash, already owe $400k on their current factory, and the two properties together are worth about $2.3m. They expect their current factory to sell for $950k, with $30k of selling costs.
- Peak debt: $400k + $1.45m − $150k = $1.7m, about 74% of the combined security.
- Net sale proceeds: $950k − $30k = $920k.
- End debt: $1.7m − $920k = $780k, secured by the new factory. That's the long-term loan the business needs to be able to service.
The bridge itself works on paper. The real questions are whether $950k is a realistic sale price, how long a sale takes in that market, and whether the business can service $780k afterwards. Those are exactly the questions a specialist works through with you. When you're ready, start a 60-second enquiry and have your figures handy.
Which bridging structures fit which results?
| What the calculator shows | Structures worth reading about |
|---|---|
| Plenty of headroom, firm exit date | Closed bridging or a commercial bridging loan over first mortgage |
| Existing bank loan you want to keep in place | Second mortgage bridging or a caveat bridge for smaller, shorter gaps |
| No property, but strong trading and a payment on the way | Unsecured cash-flow bridge |
| Tight headroom or uncertain exit date | Strengthen the exit plan first, then look at reducing peak debt |
Not sure your exit will stand up to scrutiny? Try the exit strength check — eight questions, instant feedback.
Numbers look right? Let's check the exit together.
The enquiry takes about 60 seconds and there's no credit check when you first enquire. It goes to one team, not a list of lenders, and a real person calls to talk through your two dates and your security. Please fill it in accurately, including the property values and exit you entered here, so we can match the right structure first time.
See if you qualify →No credit check to enquire
Mapping out your bridge doesn't touch your credit file. A credit check only comes up once you choose to go ahead.
No spray-and-pray
Your enquiry isn't fired off to a list of lenders. It stays with one team that works your gap and your exit properly.
A real person on your file
A bridging specialist reads what you've sent and calls you. Accurate answers on the form mean the right structure first time.
Bridging calculator questions
What is peak debt on a bridging loan?
Peak debt is the highest total amount you owe during the bridge. For a buy-before-you-sell move it is usually your existing loan, plus the purchase price and purchase costs, less any cash you put in, plus any finance costs added to the loan. It sits at its peak from the day the bridge settles until the exit event repays part or all of it.
What is end debt?
End debt is what is left owing after the exit event. If you sell a property for more than the bridge, the proceeds clear the bridging portion and the end debt is what you keep long term, which is often refinanced to an ordinary facility. If a payment such as a refund or claim covers the whole bridge, end debt can be zero.
Why doesn't the calculator ask for an interest rate?
Because every bridging facility is priced on the business's own situation — the security, the exit, the term and the borrower. Instead, you can enter an estimated total cost of finance in dollars, and the calculator adds it to peak debt as if costs are added to the loan, which is a common way bridging costs are handled.
What does the equity cover percentage mean?
It is peak debt divided by the value of the property offered as security, shown as a percentage. It works like a loan-to-value ratio. The lower it is, the more headroom there is if a value comes in lower or a sale takes longer than planned.
How much buffer should I add to my exit date?
Enough to absorb the realistic ways the exit could slip. Property sales can take longer to find a buyer and settle; refunds and claims can be checked or queried. The calculator suggests a term that adds your chosen buffer to the gap between your two dates, so you can see the term worth asking about.
Is the result an approval or an offer?
No. It is a planning estimate to help you see the shape of your bridge before you talk to anyone. A bridging specialist confirms what is possible once they understand your security, your exit and your business.
Two dates, one gap, one conversation
Tell us about your Event A and Event B. A bridging specialist will map the structure with you — no credit check when you first enquire.
No credit check to enquire
No spray-and-pray
A real person on your file