Business Equipment Leasing Overview

Posted by reallynicearticle on February 11th, 2021

Any business at any stage of development should consider business equipment leasing as it is a very cost effective alternative to out-right purchasing. For start-up businesses with little to no revenues, smaller leases, those of 0, 000 or less, are easily obtained and are feasible on the personal credit of the owner(s). חוזה שכירות בלתי מוגנת

Who supplies leasing com panies with capital?

Of the billions and billions of dollars that investors pour into the capital markets each month, a good portion finds its way to leasing companies. These leasing companies then use these funds to purchase equipment (business and commercial) on behalf of businesses. As the economy improves and more and more money is flowing into the markets, leasing companies are flush with capital. As a result, they are eager to do business and respond to competition with lower monthly rates.

What is a lease? A lease lets you pass the buck - at least for a while. A lessor (third party funding source) will purchase the equipment that you want and as the lessee, you can use the equipment in exchange for regular payments made over a contracted period of time. The contract can be tailored to your specific needs. But, just like a regular loan, you do need to have a good credit score and be able to prove that you can pay the lender the negotiated payments.

Why Lease Business Equipment? One of the biggest reasons to lease business equipment is that it offers fairly minimal upfront costs and allows you to have flexible payment options and flexible end of lease options. Unlike regular bank loans that may require a substantial down payment, leasing allows you to keep your working capital to focus on other business requirements.

In addition, some companies lease business equipment as a way to protect against obsolescence. When setting up the lease, take some time to evaluate the useful life of the equipment. Choose a term length that will let you upgrade to newer equipment before the old pieces are out-of-date. With end of term lease options, you can opt to buy the equipment at fair market value or lease new equipment.

Leasing can reduce your taxes. Depending on how your lease is structured, you may be able to fully deduct lease payments as a business expense, as opposed to depreciating the value of the equipment as if it were a capital expenditure. Talk to a tax professional to understand the impact this can have on your business.

What can you lease? There are few limits to the type of equipment that can be leased. From everyday business essentials (furniture and phone systems) to industrial equipment (forklifts and conveyor belts) to office technology (copiers and LCD projectors), there is no limit to the equipment that can be leased.

It is also possible to lease the soft costs of purchases. Examples of soft or intangible assets include software, warranties, service, training, installation, and shipping costs. Talk to your lease professional to figure out what's right for your business. You'll want to make sure to inquire early on about your lessor's policies if soft asset financing is important to you.

Types of Equipment Lease Financing

Although lessors may have different names for them, you'll find that there are basically two types of equipment lease financing: finance and true.

What is a finance lease? Finance leases are also known as capital leases, conditional sales, or dollar buy out leases. These leases are mainly for businesses that wish to keep the leased equipment at the end of the lease. The advantage to the lessor in this case is it gives them the option to purchase the equipment for a small fee, usually . 00. This works for the lessor because payment terms on finance leases tend to last close to the expected useful life of the equipment and the payments themselves then to be higher.

What is a true lease? True leases, also called tax leases, operating leases, or FMV (fair market value) leases, do not usually span the full expected life of the equipment. At the end of the lease, you can choose to walk away from the equipment or purchase it at fair market value. Payments on true leases are generally lower than payments on finance leases and this is because lessors have the opportunity to resell the equipment when the lease ends. This option works best for lessees that may want to upgrade their equipment by the end of the lease.