WHAT IT COSTS
What moves your payment.
No two quotes on the same machine come back the same, and the reasons are not mysterious. Six things move the number. Here they are, and here is what you pay before the equipment arrives.
THE INPUTS
Six things that move the number
In roughly the order they matter. The first two you control outright; the rest are a conversation.
01
What the equipment costs
The base everything else works on. It is the invoice total, not the sticker price — and it can include the freight and the installation, which is usually cheaper than paying for them separately out of working capital.
02
The term you pick
From 18 to 60 months. A longer term lowers the monthly payment and raises the total paid; a shorter one does the reverse. The useful question is not which is cheapest but which payment the equipment can carry out of what it earns.
03
The credit tier it is approved at
Credit does not usually decide whether a transaction happens. It decides the tier it is written at, and the tier moves the payment. See credit requirements.
04
How long the business has been legally established
Time in business sits next to credit in every decision. A twelve-year-old business and a day-one startup buying the same machine are not quoted the same way, which is why there is a separate startup program rather than a rejection.
05
The equipment itself
It is the collateral. A machine with a deep second-hand market behind it supports a different structure from one that has none, and new or used changes what the residual looks like.
06
The creative structure of the schedule
A flat payment, a seasonal schedule for a business that earns in bursts, a step-up for equipment that takes time to ramp, or 90 days deferred so the machine runs before the first payment. Each shape prices differently.
UP FRONT
What you pay before the equipment arrives
There is no down payment. Two advance payments are typically due when you sign the paperwork, and that is the whole of what you pay up front. There are other advance payment options available. On a bank equipment loan the down payment is often the largest single cheque in the transaction; here it does not exist.
That is the reason a lease and a loan on the same machine can leave a business in very different positions in month one, even when the monthly figures look similar. The cash that would have been a down payment stays in the business.
SOFT COSTS
What can go on the same agreement
The part most buyers forget to budget for, and the part that most often turns a planned purchase into an unplanned one.
Freight and rigging
Getting the machine to you and into position, which on heavy equipment is not a rounding error.
Installation and commissioning
Electrical, plumbing, calibration and whatever else it takes to make the equipment run rather than sit.
Staff training and support
Training your people to use it, and the support contract that keeps it running afterwards.
Software and tooling
The parts of a modern machine that are not metal, and that often cost as much as the parts that are.
Several machines at once
One agreement can cover one machine or a room full of them, from one vendor or from several.
Taxes and fees where they apply
Ask the specialist to itemise what is in the quote. A quote you understand is worth more than a low one you do not.
A REAL NUMBER
Getting an actual figure
The payment estimator takes an equipment cost and a term and shows you roughly where a monthly payment lands. It is an estimate and it says so — it cannot know your credit tier or the structure you will pick.
A real number takes a person. Tell us what the equipment is and roughly what it costs, using the form below, and a specialist comes back with a structure built around the business, typically within 24 hours. A quote pulls no credit and commits you to nothing.
The minimum transaction is $10,000. Business equipment only — we do not finance personal or household purchases.
TAXES
The number on the quote is not the number it costs you
A lease payment is generally an operating expense rather than a capital purchase, and Section 179 applies to financed equipment as well as to equipment bought outright. Both can change what the equipment costs your business once the return is filed.
How your agreement is treated depends on how it is structured and on your own tax position. We are an equipment finance company, not a tax advisor — confirm it with your accountant before you sign.
QUESTIONS
Cost, asked plainly
How much does equipment financing cost?
There is no single figure, because six things move it: the equipment cost, the term, the credit tier the transaction is approved at, how long the business has been legally established, what the equipment is, and the shape of the payment schedule. The estimator gets you a rough monthly figure; a specialist gets you a real one.
How much do I have to put down on equipment financing?
Nothing. There is no down payment on a lease with us. Two advance payments are typically due when you sign the paperwork, and that is the whole of what you pay up front.
Does a longer term make equipment financing cheaper?
It makes the monthly payment smaller and the total paid larger. The better question is which term matches the payment to what the equipment earns, rather than which term is cheapest by either measure.
Can freight and installation be included in the financing?
Yes, and this is the part most buyers forget to budget for. Freight, rigging, installation, staff training and ongoing support can be written into the same agreement instead of arriving later as invoices you did not plan for.
Why is my quote different from someone else's on the same machine?
Because a quote prices a business as well as a machine. Time in business, credit tier, the structure chosen and the schedule shape all move the payment, and two buyers of identical equipment can differ on every one of them.
What is the minimum amount you finance?
$10,000. Business equipment, for commercial use — we do not finance personal or household purchases.
Is the payment fixed for the whole term?
On a flat schedule, yes: a fixed payment for a fixed term. Seasonal and step-up schedules vary by design, and the variation is written into the agreement before you sign rather than applied later.
Can I get a quote without applying?
Yes. A quote is not an application. Nothing is pulled, nothing is reported, and you are not committed to anything.
Three steps to your equipment
01
Fill out an application
Complete our simple, one-page application. No mountain of paperwork.
02
Receive a custom plan
We contact you, typically within 24 hours, with a lease structure tailored to your needs.
03
Get your equipment
We purchase your new or used equipment from any vendor you wish.
Newer business, or no financials to hand? We have programs for both — startup financing and no financials required.
FREE QUOTE
Get a custom quote in minutes
Tell us what equipment you need and roughly what it costs. An ACG specialist follows up, typically within 24 hours, with options built around your business.
Business equipment financing. $10,000 minimum. We do not finance personal or household purchases.
- — NO OBLIGATION, NO HARD CREDIT PULL
- — NEW OR USED, ANY VENDOR
- — OR CALL (949) 271-5800
Decided? It is one page.
31 years financing equipment for small business. Apply, or call and talk it through first.