Equipment finance you can apply for online

What is equipment finance?

Equipment finance is funding tied to a particular business asset. Instead of borrowing a general sum and buying the item yourself, the finance is arranged around the item: its price, its expected life and its resale value. Because the lender can look to the asset if things go wrong, equipment finance often asks less of your trading history than a general unsecured loan.

business.gov.au lists equipment leases, chattel mortgages and hire purchase among the common forms of debt finance for business. The right structure depends mostly on how you want to own the item and how your accountant wants it treated for tax.

Which structure fits your business?

Structure	In short	Often suits
Chattel mortgage	You own the asset from day one; the lender takes security over it	Businesses wanting ownership and depreciation
Finance lease	The lender owns it; you lease it and may buy it at the end	Businesses preferring lease payments as expenses
Hire purchase	You hire it and ownership passes on the final payment	Businesses wanting a clear path to ownership
Unsecured loan	General loan used to buy the item	Low-cost items or hard-to-secure assets

Tax treatment differs between these, particularly around GST and deductions. This is a conversation for your accountant; your lending specialist will explain how each structure works in practice.

How does applying for equipment finance online work?

Equipment finance fits neatly into an online process because the key document — the quote — is usually already in your inbox.

1. Get a quote or tax invoice from the supplier, showing the item, price and supplier details.
2. Send a 60-second enquiry, mentioning what the item is and roughly what it costs. No credit check is involved.
3. Share bank statements digitally through a secure link so the lender can see your trading.
4. Verify your identity online with your licence or passport.
5. E-sign the finance documents once approved. Our page on e-signing loan documents explains how that works and why it’s binding.
6. Settlement with the supplier. In many cases the lender pays the supplier directly, and you collect the item.

You don’t need to visit a branch at any stage. If you’d like a tailored document list, try the Skip-the-Branch Checklist.

What about the instant asset write-off?

The ATO’s instant asset write-off lets eligible small businesses deduct the business portion of an asset’s cost in the year it’s first used or installed ready for use, rather than depreciating it over several years. According to the ATO, for 2025–26 the threshold is $20,000 per asset for businesses with aggregated turnover under $10 million that use the simplified depreciation rules.

Two important points:

• The write-off is about timing of a tax deduction. It doesn’t reduce what you pay for the asset or what you owe on finance.
• Thresholds and eligibility change. Check the current ATO page and talk to your accountant before buying with tax timing in mind.

If you’re buying before 30 June to use the write-off, start early. Enquire online a few weeks ahead so the finance isn’t the thing holding up delivery.

Illustrative example: a kitchen that needed a bigger oven

Illustrative only. A catering business has outgrown its combi oven and is turning away weekend functions. The supplier quotes a larger model with installation. The business has traded for eighteen months with steady deposits but limited spare cash.

The owner enquires online with the quote attached, links her business account, and verifies her identity. A chattel mortgage is suggested, with the oven as security. She e-signs the documents and the lender pays the supplier directly. The new oven is installed before the next busy month.

Common mistakes with equipment finance

• Financing beyond the asset’s life. A term longer than the item’s useful life means paying for something you’ve stopped using.
• Ignoring running costs. Insurance, servicing and consumables add to the true cost of ownership.
• Buying for the tax deduction alone. An asset should earn its keep, not just reduce this year’s tax bill.
• Missing quote details. An incomplete quote — no ABN, no serial number, no supplier address — slows approval.

New or used, dealer or private sale?

Where you buy from changes the paperwork a little:

• New from a dealer or supplier. The simplest case. A tax invoice with the supplier’s ABN, item description and price is usually all the lender needs about the asset.
• Used from a dealer. Similar, with the age, condition and sometimes hours or kilometres noted. Very old equipment may be harder to finance.
• Private sale. Expect extra checks that the seller owns the item outright and that no other finance is registered against it. In Australia, the Personal Property Securities Register records security interests over things like vehicles and machinery, and lenders check it.
• Imported equipment. Freight, duty and GST timing can complicate settlement. Allow extra time and give your specialist the full landed cost.

Whatever the source, tell us on the enquiry where the item is coming from. It shapes the steps and helps avoid delays at settlement.

Equipment finance or something else?

If you’re buying several smaller items rather than one asset, a general unsecured business loan may be simpler. If the business is very new, our page on loans for new businesses explains how equipment finance fits alongside other early options.

Get the equipment working sooner

If a new vehicle, machine or system would let your business take on more work, find out what’s possible before the quote expires. The online enquiry takes about a minute and doesn’t involve a credit check. It goes to one team who work on your application — not to a long list of lenders who’ll all call you.

Tell us exactly what you’re buying, from whom and for how much. A clear, accurate enquiry is the quickest way to the right structure. Start your equipment finance enquiry.