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Equipment and Transport Finance Guide 2026 | Free 28-Page Download, Updated September 2026 | MFA
FREE 28-PAGE GUIDE, UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2026

Trucks, Trailers, Cranes and Plant: How the Finance Is Structured, Taxed and Priced

Chattel mortgage vs lease, the ATO residual formula by asset life, the permanent $20,000 write-off and the pool, what lenders check on a used truck, and a $150,000 prime mover worked with and without a balloon.

-8.9%
EQUIPMENT CAPEX, JUNE QTR 2026
$69,883
CAR LIMIT, 2026-27
25%
MIN 5-YR TRUCK LEASE RESIDUAL
FREE GUIDE
Equipment and Transport Finance Guide
How trucks, trailers and plant are financed, taxed and assessed in Australia, September 2026.
2026 Edition ยท Updated Sep 2026

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Why This Guide

What You'll Learn

Every figure is dated and traceable to a public source. The last section of the guide lists them.

The five structures, taxed

Chattel mortgage, finance lease, operating lease, hire purchase and novated lease: GST, interest, depreciation and the car limit.

Balloons and residuals done properly

The ATO formula by effective life, why a truck floor is 25% and a trailer 37.5% on five years, and what a balloon does to the repayment.

What lenders check on a truck

Age at end of term, new vs used, dealer vs private, deposit, low-doc paths, insurance and the $2 PPSR search.

Inside The Guide

What's Covered

01

The 2026 backdrop

What moved this year, and what it costs you

02

The structures and how they are taxed

Six ways to fund the same truck, with six different tax outcomes

03

Balloons and residuals

The ATO minimum, the effective life columns, and what a balloon really costs

04

The write-off, the pool and the cliff

$20,000 is permanent, and most of your gear is well above it

05

How lenders assess an equipment deal

Asset age at end of term, deposit, documentation and the security

06

Equity, cash flow and ATO debt

Refinancing owned gear, funding the invoice gap, and the most expensive money in the business

07

Rates, fees and what moves them

What is actually published, and what nobody publishes

08

Your checklist and next steps

What to settle before you pay a deposit

Melanie McNaughton

Melanie McNaughton

Director & Principal Lending Strategist

Melanie spent more than 12 years in commercial banking at NAB, ANZ and Westpac before moving to broking. Through the Connective aggregator MFA places loans with more than 60 lenders. These guides are what she tells clients in the first meeting, with the sources attached.

12+ Years Experience
60+ Lenders
Surf Coast Based

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