Support cashflow for care providers: Birdie's partnership with Triver

Cashflow is one of the biggest challenges facing homecare providers today, especially with rising wage bills, National Insurance contributions, and long payment cycles from local authorities. While delivering high-quality care is non-negotiable, the financial pressure behind the scenes can threaten sustainability.

That’s why Birdie has partnered with TRIVER, a fintech solution designed to help providers unlock the funds tied up in unpaid invoices quickly, flexibly, and without traditional debt. By giving care providers instant access to the money they’ve already earned, TRIVER helps them stay focused on care, not cashflow.

We spoke with the TRIVER team to learn more about their approach, why they’re passionate about supporting the care sector, and what good financial advice they’ve picked up from other industries that might be just as relevant to care.

For care providers who are new to TRIVER, what exactly do you do, and how does it work?

TRIVER helps care providers manage their cashflow effectively.

We do this by enabling care providers to get paid faster and unlock the money they have tied up in their unpaid Local Authority invoices.

Instead of waiting weeks or months for payments from Local Authorities or NHS bodies, care providers can upload the relevant invoice to TRIVER and TRIVER will pay the care provider the value of that invoice within minutes. When the care provider is eventually paid by the Local Authority, the care provider then pays TRIVER back. 

It’s called invoice discounting and it’s a simple, flexible way to boost cashflow without taking on any new debt. It advances money the care provider has already earned, but not yet received. What Wagestream does for care workers, TRIVER does for care providers. 

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Why is cashflow such a critical issue for homecare agencies right now?

Cashflow challenges are one of the biggest pressures care providers are facing today. 

Most agencies are paid on long terms. Payments can be 30, 60, even 90 days, and are often delayed far longer.  But care providers still need to pay staff, suppliers, and overheads every week. Add in rising costs and unpredictable payment schedules, and it becomes hard to plan with confidence.

TRIVER helps bridge that gap. By speeding up access to earned revenue, providers can stay focused on delivering care, and not worry about when the next payment will land.

What makes Triver a better fit for small to medium-sized care providers compared to traditional finance solutions?

TRIVER was built specifically for small and medium-sized businesses, and is already used by a number of care providers.

Traditional finance can be slow, complicated, expensive, or designed for much bigger organisations. TRIVER has simplified everything. It offers a faster, simpler, better value alternative. There’s no long application process, no personal guarantees, and no fixed commitments. Just flexible access to funds when you need them.

We also know that, despite their cashflow challenges, care providers don’t want to take on more debt. The TRIVER solution is an elegant way to help with cashflow challenges by advancing funds already earned, not by adding new debt. 

How much can I borrow?

When you open a TRIVER account, you are provided with an account facility limit. Currently TRIVER’s maximum facility limit is £400,000 – but this varies with the size of the business that is applying and their credit rating. TRIVER’s existing care providers’ facility limits vary from £63,000 to £250,000 with an average facility limit of around £150,000. Typically TRIVER gives limits around 10% of annual turnover.

You can think of this account facility like an overdraft. It is the limit of how much you can draw down from TRIVER at any one time. It is always there and can be accessed at any time, 24/7. 

The way you access these funds is by uploading eligible invoices. Each invoice that is uploaded to TRIVER is evaluated. On average 85% of invoices are approved for funding.

How quickly can a care provider access funds after signing up?

Very quickly! 

The sign up process is very streamlined and fully online. There’s no paperwork or waiting around. The average time to open a TRIVER account is only 10 minutes.

Once an account is opened, the care provider can immediately start accessing the cash available within their TRIVER facility. To do this they upload an eligible invoice. Uploading an invoice to having cash in the bank for approved invoices usually takes 1-3 minutes. 

Is this considered a loan? Will providers be taking on debt?

The TRIVER product is an invoice discounting product, so technically speaking it is not a loan. It is a form of short-term borrowing where a business uses its outstanding invoices (accounts receivable) as collateral to access immediate working capital. 

It’s a cash advance backed by expected future customer payments. Compared to traditional bank loans or other cash flow financing options, it offers a faster, more accessible, and generally more affordable cashflow solution for small to medium-sized businesses (including care providers).

Instead of waiting 30, 60, or 90 days for customers to pay, the business gets the invoice amount upfront from TRIVER in exchange for a fee. 

What’s the typical cost — and what do agencies need to be eligible?

TRIVER has a very simple and transparent pricing. There are no hidden fees, no account fees, no set-up costs, no early repayment fees. You only pay when you are actively accessing finance.

The simple daily fee is e.g. 0.06% of the financed amount per day. This is equivalent to 1.8% for a month (0.06% * 30 days =1.8%) So if you are looking to advance the funds on an invoice of £1,000 for 45 days the cost would be:

£1,000 * 0.06% * 45days = £27 

There are no other costs, and if you wish to repay earlier than 45 days, there is no penalty fee. The cost would just be reduced proportionally. And if your customer has said they are going to be late in paying you, then you can request an extension from TRIVER - again at the same daily rate, with no penalties.

To be eligible, care providers need to:

• Be a UK-based Limited Company or LLP
• Have been trading for at least 2 years
• Have a Turnover of more than £100,000
• Use a business bank account (connected via open banking)
• Invoice other businesses or public bodies (like councils or NHS organisations) 

If that sounds like your agency, you’re probably good to go.

What have you heard from care providers already using Triver?

The feedback has been really positive which went a long way in guiding our decision to partner with somebody already established in the sector like TRIVER.

Providers tell us it’s “quick, simple, and a huge help”. For many, it means being able to pay staff on time, manage rising costs, bring in new stock and take on new contracts - without having to worry about when payments are coming in.

They also love the flexibility. There’s no pressure to use it all the time, but it is there and always accessible when it’s needed most.

What’s a piece of financial advice you’ve seen work well in other industries that care providers could benefit from?

One great tip: review your cashflow weekly, not just monthly.

In sectors like professional services such as consulting or marketing agencies, they often do projects for big organisations that demand long payment terms. But the agencies need to pay their staff monthly - so we see that they often forecast cashflow as closely as they forecast sales. This mindset can be a game-changer for care providers too. When you see a shortfall coming, tools like TRIVER become a proactive solution as opposed to a last-minute fix.

Why is supporting the care sector important to Triver? What drew you to this space?

TRIVER knows the care sector plays a vital and ever-present role in society, but doesn’t always get the financial support it deserves.

Care providers are often overlooked by mainstream finance. TRIVER wants to change that by offering a service that’s fast, fair, and built around the real needs of care businesses. It’s about giving providers the tools to stay stable, grow with confidence, and keep doing the essential work they do every day uninterrupted.

Why did this partnership with Birdie make sense to you?

Birdie and TRIVER are aligned in what we care about most - supporting care providers to run stronger, more sustainable businesses.

Birdie helps streamline day-to-day care delivery. TRIVER helps unlock the cash needed to keep it all running smoothly. Together, we’re removing two of the biggest stress points - time and money - so providers can focus on what really matters - delivering excellent care.

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