Hearth Financing FAQ: 15 Questions Contractors Ask Before Signing Up

Before most contractors sign up for Hearth, they have a list of questions they want answered. Not marketing copy answers, real answers. Here are the 15 most common questions contractors ask about Hearth before committing, answered directly.

1. How Much Does Hearth Cost?

Hearth offers three subscription tiers as of 2026. Starter runs around $1,499 per year and includes financing access only. Pro runs around $1,799 per year and adds digital quotes, contracts, invoices, and payment collection. Enterprise is around $4,999 per year and is built for higher-volume multi-location operations. There is also an optional 0% APR add-on for around $399 per year on Starter and Pro plans. All plans are billed annually with auto-renewal.

2. What Is the FICO Minimum?

Hearth’s lending network considers applicants with FICO scores starting at 550. This is one of the lowest thresholds in the contractor financing space. GreenSky typically requires 600 or higher. Wisetack’s published minimum is also around 550, but approval rates at the low end can vary by lender. Hearth’s 18-lender network means a 550 FICO applicant has multiple lenders evaluating the application simultaneously, which improves the chance of getting at least one approval.

3. How Fast Do I Get Paid?

Once a homeowner accepts a loan offer and the project is funded, Hearth typically pays out to the contractor in 2 to 3 business days. This is comparable to GreenSky and slightly faster than some regional lender networks. The payout timeline starts after the homeowner confirms completion, so make sure you understand the project completion confirmation step in the Hearth dashboard.

4. What If a Homeowner’s Application Is Declined?

If no lender in the Hearth network approves the application, the homeowner receives a declination. At that point, you have a few options: explore whether the homeowner has a co-applicant with stronger credit, discuss a smaller loan amount (if the project can be scoped down), or refer them to a personal loan option through their own bank. Hearth does not penalize you for declined applications, and there is no fee for a declination.

5. Do I Pay Anything If a Customer Does Not Fund?

No. Because Hearth charges a flat annual subscription and no per-job dealer fees, you pay nothing additional when a homeowner applies and does not fund. This is fundamentally different from per-job fee models where you might pay a fee at some point in the application process. With Hearth, the risk is entirely in your annual subscription, not in individual applications.

6. Can I Use Hearth Alongside Wisetack or GreenSky?

Yes. There is no exclusivity requirement. Some contractors maintain Wisetack (which is free to join) as a backup for smaller jobs or specific lender preferences, while using Hearth as their primary financing tool. Running multiple platforms simultaneously is a legitimate strategy, particularly for contractors who serve diverse customer demographics with varying credit profiles.

7. Does Hearth Do a Credit Check on My Business?

Hearth does conduct a review of your contracting business as part of the onboarding process. This is a background and licensing check, not a personal credit inquiry on you as an individual. They are validating that you are a legitimate licensed contractor. This is standard for any contractor financing platform and should not affect your personal credit score.

8. What Trades Does Hearth Work For?

Hearth works for any residential home improvement trade. The most common users are roofing contractors, HVAC contractors, bath and kitchen remodelers, window and door contractors, siding contractors, electricians, and plumbers. If your business does residential work with ticket sizes above $2,500, Hearth is worth evaluating. Commercial contractors and new construction builds are generally not the right fit.

9. Is There a Minimum Job Size?

Hearth does not publish a hard minimum loan amount, but lenders in the network typically want to see loan requests of at least $1,000 to $2,000 to be worth processing. Practically speaking, financing becomes most useful for jobs over $5,000. Below that, most homeowners are comfortable paying out of pocket and the monthly payment benefit is not compelling enough to change behavior.

10. What Is the Maximum Loan Amount?

The maximum loan amount available through Hearth’s lending network is $250,000 as of 2026. This is a significant advantage over platforms like Wisetack, which caps loans at $25,000. For large remodeling projects, roofing jobs with premium materials, or whole-home HVAC systems, Hearth’s higher ceiling matters. Approval at the high end of the range depends on the homeowner’s creditworthiness, income, and other lender-specific factors.

11. How Does the 0% APR Option Work?

The 0% APR option is a promotional financing product where the lender offers the homeowner an interest-free loan for a set term, and the contractor pays a fee to subsidize the interest. On Hearth, this add-on costs around $399 per year. When you use it on a job, a dealer fee (typically 3% to 8% depending on the term length) is charged to you for that specific job. Shorter 0% terms cost less in dealer fees. This is the one scenario where Hearth does charge a per-job fee, but only when you opt into the 0% APR promotional product specifically.

12. What Software Is Included?

On the Pro plan and Enterprise plan, Hearth includes digital quotes, contracts, invoices, and payment collection (credit card, debit card, and ACH). The Starter plan includes only the financing functionality. The software tools are built specifically for home improvement contractors and integrate with the financing workflow, so a homeowner can review a quote and apply for financing in the same flow.

13. How Does Auto-Renewal Work and Can I Cancel?

Hearth subscriptions auto-renew annually. You need to cancel before your renewal date to avoid being charged for another year. Cancellation is typically done through your account settings or by contacting Hearth’s support team directly. There is no monthly subscription option, so if you cancel mid-year, you lose access for the remainder of the subscription period without a refund. Set a calendar reminder 30 to 45 days before your renewal date so you have time to evaluate whether to continue.

14. What Happens If a Homeowner Defaults?

Once a loan is funded, the financial relationship is between the homeowner and the lender, not between the homeowner and you. If a homeowner defaults on their loan after you have been paid, that is the lender’s problem, not yours. You have already received your payout. This is a critical distinction from contractor-financed installment plans, where you carry the repayment risk yourself. With Hearth, you get paid and the lender handles collection.

15. How Does Hearth Compare to GreenSky on Fees?

GreenSky charges dealer fees per funded loan, typically ranging from 6% to 18% depending on the loan terms and promotional rate you are offering. On a $15,000 job at an 8% dealer fee, you pay $1,200 for that single transaction. Hearth charges a flat annual fee with no per-job dealer fees (except for optional 0% APR promotions). At low funded volumes (under $20,000/year), GreenSky’s per-job model can actually be cheaper. At moderate to high volumes, Hearth wins decisively. A contractor doing $100,000 in financed jobs at 8% GreenSky fees pays $8,000 per year. Hearth costs $1,799. The math is not close at scale. For a more detailed breakdown, see our Hearth vs GreenSky comparison.