ACL 390611 | MFAA Member | Established 2005
Equipment FinanceBuilt Around the Asset.
The machine secures its own funding, which is usually why it costs less than borrowing against nothing in particular. It also means the asset, not your balance sheet, decides most of the terms. Knowing what a funder sees when it looks at your equipment changes what you can get.
15 minutes with a commercial specialist. Tell us the make, model, age and what it is for. We’ll tell you what term is realistic and what the residual should be. We charge you nothing at any stage. Lenders pay us a commission on settlement and we disclose it in writing before any work begins.
Intellect Finance – Equipment Finance Brokers
Independent since 2005 | ACL 390611What Is Equipment Finance?
Equipment finance funds plant, machinery, production equipment, fit-out and other business assets using the asset itself as the security. Because the funder can recover and resell the equipment if things go wrong, it usually prices better than an unsecured facility and needs no mortgage over property.
That single feature explains almost everything about the product. The security is specific rather than general, so the funder’s registered interest attaches to one identified machine instead of to everything the company owns. The funding is self-liquidating, because the asset earns while it repays. And approval turns on the equipment as much as on the applicant.
Which is where most of the avoidable mistakes live. A term stretched past the working life of the machine, a residual set higher than the resale market will support, or a purchase from a private seller arranged as though it were a dealer sale. None of those show up in the rate, and all of them cost money later.
Common Situations
Why People Come to Us for Equipment Finance
Six situations. The asset type changes the answer more than the industry does.
Replacing a machine that has had its day
Straightforward and usually the least expensive borrowing a business will do. The asset is identifiable, the market for it is known, and the funding pays for itself out of what the machine produces.
Winning work that needs more capacity
The contract justifies the equipment but the deposit and the wait do not fit the start date. This is where matching the term to the contract as well as to the asset matters.
Buying privately rather than from a dealer
Common with earthmoving and agricultural gear, and entirely fundable. It needs an inspection, verification of ownership and a payout of any existing finance, so allow more time than a dealer purchase.
Fit-out for a new site
Kitchens, medical rooms, workshops. Detachable equipment finances against itself. Anything built into the building usually belongs in the construction facility instead.
Specialised or purpose-built plant
Where the machine has no second-hand market, the asset stops being useful security. These deals need a different structure and often other support, and they are worth a conversation before you commit to the order.
A vehicle rather than a machine
Utes, trucks and fleets have their own products and their own pricing. See asset finance for vehicles, or truck finance specifically.
Social Proof
120+ Five-Star Google Reviews
Business owners, investors and developers alongside home buyers. Pulled live from Google.
Joseph Sukkar
Principal Broker · ACL 390611
Who You’re Dealing With
Built on 25 Years in Australian Finance
Joseph Sukkar started in finance in 2000 and founded Intellect Finance in Penrith in 2005. Since then the team has arranged more than 6,500 loans for clients across Australia, from first homes to complex commercial and asset finance.
Equipment files sit with Charbel, our Commercial and Complex Lending Specialist, and the useful work on them happens before the deposit is paid rather than after the invoice arrives. A funder lending against a machine is asking what it could sell that machine for and to whom, so the make, the model, the age and the resale market decide the terms more than the balance sheet does. Knowing which assets funders recognise, what term the working life will support and where the residual should sit is what stops a purchase being financed over a period longer than you will own it.
Part of Our 100+ Lender Panel
The names most people recognise are residential lenders. Much of what we arrange runs through funders that do not advertise to the public. Accreditation with a lender is not an endorsement by it, and which lender suits you is decided by your file rather than by who is on this list.
Got a Make, Model and a Price?
That’s enough for us to tell you what is realistic.What Actually Decides It
The Asset Decides the Deal Rather Than Your Balance Sheet
A funder lending against equipment is really asking one question: if this goes wrong, what could we sell it for, and to whom. Everything else follows from the answer. Six features of the machine, not the business, set the terms you will be offered.
The resale market sets the terms
A recognised make and model with an active second-hand market funds easily and prices well. Bespoke or heavily customised plant may have no buyer other than you, which means it is not really security at all, and the deal has to be built some other way.
Match the term to the working life
If the machine has five useful years in it, a seven year term is a decision to keep paying for something already replaced. Funders set outer limits by asset type, but staying well inside them is your call and it is the most common place this product is used badly.
The residual is a decision now that you pay for later
A balloon lowers the repayment by leaving principal owing at the end. Set it above what the equipment will actually be worth by then and you finish the term owing more than you can recover by selling it. Set sensibly it is a useful tool.
Age is measured at the end of the term rather than the start
Most funders cap how old an asset may be when the term finishes rather than when it begins. On used equipment that quietly shortens the term available, which raises the repayment and sometimes changes whether the purchase stacks up at all.
A private sale is a different transaction
Buying from another business rather than a dealer means an inspection or valuation, confirming the seller genuinely owns the machine, and paying out any finance already registered against it before settlement. Entirely normal, simply slower, and worth planning for.
The tax position depends on structure and on the year
How the acquisition is structured affects what is deductible and when, and immediate write-off thresholds are set year by year rather than being permanent. This is worth settling with your accountant before the order is placed, not after the invoice arrives.
Checked 30 August 2026. The instant asset write-off figure is sourced from the ATO, which published a 20,000 dollar threshold per asset for eligible businesses with aggregated annual turnover under 10 million dollars, applying to assets first used or installed ready for use between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026. At the date checked the ATO had not published a threshold for the 2026 to 2027 income year on that page, so do not assume this figure still applies. See the ATO on instant asset write-off. We are not tax agents. Confirm the current year’s position with your registered tax agent or the ATO before relying on it. Best Interests Duty scope is sourced from ASIC Regulatory Guide 273. Everything else on this page is described in the important information at the foot of the page.
We don’t publish rates, and we’d be cautious of anyone in commercial who does. What we can do is tell you what a funder will make of your particular machine, what term it will support, and where the residual should sit. Ask us about the asset.
The Honest Comparison
Finance It or Pay Cash?
If you have the money sitting there, borrowing to buy a machine needs a reason. Sometimes there is a very good one, and sometimes there is not.
Buying it outright
- No interest, no fees, no security registered against the asset
- You own it outright and can sell it whenever you like
- Lowest total cost if the cash is genuinely spare
- Ties up working capital in an asset that returns it slowly
- The cash is gone when a better opportunity turns up next quarter
Funding against the asset
- The machine earns while it repays, so the cost sits against the income it produces
- Working capital stays where it can respond to something unexpected
- Security is the asset alone, not a mortgage and not the whole company
- Usually the least expensive borrowing available to a business, because the security is real
- 100+ lenders compared, with no fee to you at any stage
Cash wins on total cost. It just is not always the right question. If the money is genuinely surplus, the machine is modest, and nothing else is competing for that cash, paying outright costs less and we will say so. Financing earns its cost when the equipment produces income from the first week, when the same cash would otherwise be doing something with a better return, or when depleting reserves to buy a machine would leave the business unable to handle a slow quarter. What we would push back on is financing a small asset simply because finance was offered at the counter, and financing anything over a term longer than you will own it.
Ask Us Whether to Finance This Machine at All
Tell us what else that cash is doing and what the machine earns from week one. If paying outright wins we will say so. Fifteen minutes. No obligation.The Difference
The Dealer’s Finance Is One Option Rather Than the Market
Most equipment is financed by whoever is standing next to the machine when you decide to buy it. That is convenient, and it is one quote.
100+ Lenders Against One at the Counter
Dealer finance is a real option and occasionally the best one, particularly where a manufacturer is subsidising a campaign. It is still a single quote from a party with an interest in the sale. We put it alongside the rest of the market rather than instead of it.
We Know Which Assets Fund Well
Funder appetite varies enormously by asset class. Earthmoving, CNC and food production are well understood. Specialised, imported or heavily modified plant is not, and finding that out after you have paid a deposit is an expensive way to learn it.
Always in Writing
Equipment bought for business use sits outside the consumer credit rules, so Best Interests Duty does not apply. ASIC Regulatory Guide 273 limits that duty to credit regulated under the National Credit Act. Where an asset is bought for personal use the position differs, and we will tell you which applies. We disclose in writing how we are paid regardless.
We’ll Tell You Not To
If the term being offered outlasts the machine, if the residual is set higher than the resale market will support, or if the cash is sitting there and nothing else needs it, we will say so. We are paid by the lender on settlement, so that costs us.
The Process
What Happens and What We’ll Need
Quick, provided the asset is a type funders recognise. Most of the work is on the equipment rather than on you.
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15 minutes
The asset before the deposit
Make, model, year, condition, price, and whether you are buying from a dealer or privately. No documents. You will finish the call knowing whether it funds cleanly, what term is realistic, and where the residual should sit.
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You gather
Asset and business documents
Short list. On established businesses buying recognised equipment, several of these are often waived.
- Invoice or quote for the equipment
- Serial or identification number
- Seller details, and payout figure on a private sale
- Six to twelve months of business bank statements
- ATO portal statements and any payment plan
- Details of existing facilities
- Two years of financials for larger assets
- ID for each director or guarantor
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We compare
Term and residual weighed against total cost
Not just the rate. The term against the asset’s working life, the residual against its likely value at that point, and the total repayable in dollars, set out across every funder including whatever the dealer has offered you.
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We manage
Settlement and payment to the seller
Documentation, verification of the asset, and payment direct to the seller. On a private sale we also confirm nothing remains registered against the machine and arrange any payout, so you are not inheriting somebody else’s security interest.
Track Record
Commercial Is Not a Sideline For Us
Most brokerages leave equipment to the dealer and never see the deal. We have run a commercial desk alongside residential since 2005.
Related Options
If It Isn’t a Machine
Equipment finance works because the asset is identifiable and resellable. These cover what happens when it is not.
Asset finance
Vehicles, utes and fleets, with their own products and pricing.
Unsecured commercial loan
Where the asset has no resale market and cannot secure its own funding.
Commercial construction
Fit-out built into the building rather than detachable equipment.
Cashflow and working capital
If the pressure is the trading cycle rather than the machine.
Chattel mortgage
One of the structures equipment can be funded under, explained in detail.
Every commercial facility we arrange
Back up to the full commercial finance range if none of these is it.
Before You Pay the Deposit.
Fifteen minutes to check the asset funds the way you expect.Questions Answered
Equipment Finance FAQs
The questions business owners ask us most often before placing an order.
What is equipment finance?
Equipment finance funds plant, machinery, production equipment, fit-out and other business assets using the asset itself as the security. Because the funder can recover and resell the equipment if things go wrong, it usually prices better than an unsecured facility and does not require a mortgage over property.
What decides whether equipment can be financed?
Mostly the asset. Funders lend against what they could recover if they had to take the equipment back, so machinery with an active second-hand market and a recognised make and model funds easily. Bespoke, purpose-built or heavily customised plant is harder, because there may be no buyer for it other than you.
How long should I finance equipment over?
Match the term to the working life of the asset. Financing a machine over a term longer than you will realistically use it means paying for something already retired or replaced. Funders apply their own limits by asset type, but the discipline is yours: if the equipment has five useful years, a seven year term is a decision to keep paying after it has gone.
What is a balloon or residual payment?
A lump sum left owing at the end of the term. It lowers the monthly repayment by deferring part of the principal, and at the end you either pay it, refinance it or sell the asset to clear it. A residual set higher than the equipment will be worth at that point leaves you owing more than you can recover.
Can I finance used equipment?
Usually yes, with a constraint most buyers do not anticipate. Funders commonly cap how old an asset may be at the end of the term rather than at the start, so an older machine attracts a shorter term. That shortens the term available and raises the repayment, which can change whether the purchase makes sense at all.
Does buying privately rather than from a dealer matter?
Yes. A private sale is a different transaction to a funder. It generally involves an inspection or valuation, verification that the seller actually owns the asset and that nothing is registered against it, and a payout of any existing finance before settlement. It is entirely doable, it just takes longer than a dealer purchase.
Can I claim an immediate deduction for equipment I buy?
It depends on the income year and your turnover, so check the current position. The ATO applied a 20,000 dollar instant asset write-off per asset for eligible businesses with aggregated turnover under 10 million dollars, for assets first used or installed ready for use between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026. Thresholds are set year by year. Confirm the current year with your registered tax agent.
Does Best Interests Duty apply to equipment finance?
Not where the equipment is for business use. ASIC Regulatory Guide 273 states that the best interests obligations apply only to credit products regulated under the National Credit Act, meaning credit provided to consumers for personal, domestic or household purposes or for the purchase or improvement of residential investment property. An asset bought for personal use is a different matter. We disclose in writing how we are paid on every transaction regardless.
Visit Us
Penrith Based.Clients Australia-Wide.
Penrith is our head office and the one you can walk into without an appointment. We also meet clients at Parramatta and in the Sydney CBD by arrangement. Equipment files run by phone, email and video, so we fund machinery in every state.
Ready When You Are
What Are You Buying?
Make, model, year and price. Fifteen minutes and we’ll tell you how the asset funds, what term suits its working life, where the residual should sit, and how the dealer’s offer compares to the rest of the market. If paying cash is the better answer, we’ll say that too. Penrith based, clients Australia-wide. Intellect Finance Pty Ltd, ACL 390611.
Credit provided wholly or predominantly for business purposes sits outside the consumer credit framework, so Best Interests Duty does not apply to it. Where an asset is acquired for personal, domestic or household use, different obligations apply and we will tell you which. Nothing on this page is credit assistance, financial advice, tax advice or an offer of credit, and no outcome is guaranteed.
Intellect Finance Pty Ltd | Australian Credit Licence 390611 | MFAA Member | AFCA Member
Important information General information only. Not credit assistance or an offer of credit. We charge you no fee. Every caveat and source on this page is collected here. Tap to read.
General information only. The content on this page is general in nature and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not credit assistance, financial advice, legal advice or tax advice, and it is not an offer of credit. You should consider whether it is appropriate for you and seek your own advice before acting on it.
Nothing here is a guarantee. Loan approval, borrowing capacity, interest rates, loan to value ratios, valuations, timeframes and eligibility are determined by individual lenders and by independent valuers, not by us. They differ between lenders and change over time. On equipment finance in particular, terms, residual settings, asset age limits, security requirements and document requirements are set by individual funders and vary with the asset type, its condition and the strength of the business. Any figure, range or timeframe on this page is indicative and is not a quote, an offer, or a prediction of your outcome, nor a statement of what any particular funder will do.
Business purpose lending. Credit provided wholly or predominantly for business purposes is not regulated consumer credit, and the Best Interests Duty and responsible lending obligations under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 do not apply to it. We disclose how we are paid in writing before you proceed on every transaction regardless.
Tax and legal. GST, stamp duty, land tax and the tax treatment of any ownership structure depend on your circumstances and on how the contract is written. We are not tax agents, accountants or solicitors. Confirm the position with a registered tax agent, the Australian Taxation Office, your accountant or your solicitor before acting.
How we are paid. Intellect Finance does not charge borrowers a fee for arranging finance, and does not charge a clawback fee where a loan is discharged early. Lenders pay us a commission on settlement. The basis of that commission is disclosed to you in writing in our Credit Guide before any credit assistance is provided.
Third-party information. Where this page refers to government schemes, regulatory settings, tax treatment or lender policy, that information is sourced from the relevant authority and was correct to the best of our knowledge at the date shown on this page. Those rules change, sometimes without notice. Always confirm the current position with the issuing authority or with us before relying on it.
Found something wrong? If you believe anything on this page is inaccurate or out of date, tell us at joe@intellectfinance.com.au and we will review and correct it.
Intellect Finance Pty Ltd | Australian Credit Licence 390611 | MFAA Member | AFCA Member