Situation

Business funding with an existing equipment lease: how it is read and what helps.

Equipment leases are fixed obligations that are read alongside any new payment.

✓ Checking what you qualify for does not affect your credit score.

Can you get funding if you already have an equipment lease?

Short answer: Yes. Equipment leases and loans are fixed obligations that show as regular payments on statements, and a reviewer adds them to other obligations to see how much room is left for a new payment. Leases on equipment that generates revenue, paid on time, read well.

Key facts

Leases count as fixed obligations
On-time lease payments help
Revenue-generating equipment reads well
Total payments must fit the slowest month

How this is read

Equipment leases are fixed obligations that are read alongside any new payment.

Leases and equipment loans show as regular payments in statements. A reviewer adds them to other obligations to see how much room a new payment has.

What helps

Leases for equipment that generates revenue
On-time lease payments
A clear schedule of remaining payments
Room in deposits for a new payment

What hurts

Several leases taking a large share of deposits
Missed lease payments
Leases for unused equipment

A sensible plan

List leases with monthly amounts and end dates. A lease ending soon frees up room.

Illustrative arithmetic

A print shop depositing about $65,000 a month asks for $20,000 for a new finishing machine. At a 1.22 factor the payback is $24,400, a cost of $4,400. Over roughly 6 months that is about $194 per business day, or close to 6% of monthly deposits.

Total payback: $24,400.
Cost: $4,400.
Payment: about $194 per business day, close to 6% of monthly deposits.

Every figure on this page is illustrative arithmetic in Canadian dollars. It is not an offer, a quote or a promise of approval.

Typical starting points

Monthly revenueTypically from around $20,000 a month in deposits for Canadian files. The exact line varies by funder and by file.

Time in businessTypically about 12 months. Newer businesses can be reviewed, but the options narrow.

Account healthLimited low-balance or negative days. Funders read the last few months of bank statements for this.

CreditScores from 500 are considered. A score of 600 or higher opens more options and better offers.

DocumentsA signed application and recent business bank statements, typically the last four months.

Existing advancesFiles with an existing advance can be reviewed, including second position.

One more thing that helps

If a lease is ending within a few months, mention it. The freed payment can support a new obligation.

What to prepare

List of leases with payments and end dates
Lessor security registrations
What the leased equipment earns

Leases on equipment that produces revenue are read very differently from leases on items the business no longer uses. Some lessors offer early buyouts that can free monthly cash; ask before taking on new financing.

Talk it through

Merchant Fund Express reviews Canadian businesses in every province and territory. If you would like a specific answer for your business rather than general guidance, send a signed application and your last four months of business bank statements, or call (305) 384-8391 first to ask a question.

An example

Example: a Moncton printer pays $3,200 a month on two press leases against $78,000 in deposits. A new payment of $4,000 a month brings fixed obligations to about 9% of revenue, which fits comfortably.

Sources and review

BDC: Business financing

Reviewed by the Merchant Fund Express team on October 12, 2026. Official pages checked as of that date.

Common questions

Do leases count against me?

They are obligations, read like any other.

Will a security registration conflict?

Lessors may have registrations; disclose them.

Does a lease ending help?

Yes, it frees cash.