Commercial Gym Equipment Finance in Australia: Every Option Compared

What financing options exist for commercial gym equipment in Australia?

Sources: VERVE finance page (Procuret and AQUAVAN Finance terms) and the ATO instant asset write-off page, last updated 28 August 2026. Terms and eligibility criteria apply.

You want a floor full of equipment that earns from opening day, without emptying the account you need for rent, staff and the slow first months. The catch is that equipment finance is sold under a dozen names that mean five or six different things, and the wrong one can cost you a tax benefit, lock you into gear you have outgrown, or stall your approval. It should not take a finance degree to equip a gym.

VERVE has equipped 16,000+ commercial gyms, and our finance page puts business finance, a broker and buy now, pay later in one place, with a repayment estimator and a quote form that a real person answers within one business day, Monday to Friday. Below is every real option an Australian gym business has, who each one suits, and the tax angle in general terms, so you walk into your accountant's office with the right question.

Gym equipment finance options compared

General information only, not tax or financial advice. Every contract differs; confirm the structure and tax treatment with your accountant before you sign.

Chattel mortgage: own it from day one

You borrow from a lender to pay for the equipment. You own it from the purchase, and the lender holds security over it until the loan is repaid. The ATO describes it the same way: under a chattel mortgage, the purchaser takes title from the time of purchase and uses the borrowed funds to pay the supplier. Repayments are set over the term, and many lenders let you add a balloon, a lump sum at the end that lowers the regular repayment.

• Suits: an established gym buying racks, rigs, plate-loaded machines and cardio it plans to keep for years, and that wants the equipment on its own books.
• Tax angle: if you are registered for GST, the ATO says a chattel mortgage purchaser is entitled to the entire GST credit in a single tax period, provided you hold a tax invoice when you lodge. As the owner, you are generally the one who claims depreciation, which is where the instant asset write-off comes in (see the tax section below).
• Watch: a balloon cuts the repayment but leaves a lump sum due at the end. Plan for it on day one, not in the final month.

Finance lease: fixed payments, the financier owns it

The finance company buys the equipment and leases it to you for a fixed term. You make regular payments, and at the end the contract sets your choices, usually some mix of paying a residual amount to own it, refinancing that residual, or handing the equipment back.

• Suits: a gym that wants predictable monthly costs and a route to ownership, without carrying the asset on its own books in the meantime.
• Tax angle: the ATO treats each lease payment as a separate purchase for GST, so you claim one-eleventh of each instalment as you go, not the whole credit upfront. The financier is the legal owner, and the ATO says only the holder of an asset, usually its legal owner, claims its decline in value. If you buy the equipment at the end, that purchase is a separate transaction for GST. Ask your accountant how the payments themselves are deducted.

Operating lease or rental: use it, then hand it back or upgrade

You pay to use the equipment for a set period with no plan to own it. At the end you return it, renew, or move to newer models. Some agreements include servicing; read what yours covers before you compare prices.

• Suits: cardio you expect to replace on a cycle, a new site where you are still testing demand, or a temporary setup.
• Tax angle: GST is claimed payment by payment, as with a lease. You never own the equipment, so depreciation and the instant asset write-off are not yours to claim. Your accountant will confirm how the rental payments are treated.
• Watch: add up every payment over the term and compare it with the purchase price. Over a long period you can pay more than the equipment cost and finish with nothing to sell.

Rent-to-own: rent first, buy later

You rent the equipment with a right, or an obligation, to buy it at the end for an agreed amount. It sits halfway between rental and ownership.

• Suits: a newer gym that wants low upfront commitment but intends to keep the equipment long term.
• Tax angle: the contract matters more than the label. Under the definition the ATO applies, a contract to hire goods where you have the right or obligation to buy them can be a hire purchase agreement. For hire purchase agreements entered into on or after 1 July 2012, the ATO lets you claim the full GST credit upfront, whether you account on a cash or accruals basis, and the tax rules treat the deal as a sale to you funded by a loan. A plain rental with an option to buy gets the lease treatment instead. Have your accountant read the contract before you sign.

Short-term business payment terms: Procuret

Procuret lets a business spread larger equipment purchases over 3 to 12 months. Business finance runs from $1,000 up to $150,000, you choose an instalment plan term within that 3 to 12 month range, and the online application is processed in around 2 minutes. Terms and eligibility criteria apply.

• Suits: established businesses, typically those with an ABN registered for 3+ years, spreading a mid-size order, such as adding a cable station or restocking free weights, over months rather than years. If your business is newer, VERVE recommends speaking with our finance partner first.
• Tax angle: ask how the plan is structured and when you take ownership, because that decides when you claim GST and depreciation. Your accountant can confirm.

Broker-arranged loans: AQUAVAN Finance

A broker does the shopping for you. You describe the purchase once, and the broker compares lenders and products instead of you applying to each one. VERVE's broker partner, AQUAVAN Finance, compares 30+ major lenders to find the best rate and terms for your situation, covers personal and business finance for any amount, and offers 60-second online quotes with same-day approvals available. Getting a quote has no impact on your credit score.

• Suits: full fit-outs above Procuret's $150,000 ceiling, terms longer than 12 months, newer businesses that do not yet fit Procuret's criteria, and anyone who wants rates compared rather than taking the first offer.
• Tax angle: it depends on the product the broker arranges. Get the structure in writing, chattel mortgage, lease or loan, and run it past your accountant.

Buy now, pay later: small items only

VERVE's buy now, pay later options are for personal purchases up to $2,500, with approval in seconds at checkout and the order shipping straight away. That makes them right for a trainer's own kit or a few accessories, and wrong for a fit-out.

• Afterpay: 4 instalments over 6 weeks, the first at purchase and the rest every 2 weeks. Interest free and no fees when you pay on time.
• Zip: $250 to $1,000 on an everyday account that is always interest free; over $1,000, 0% interest for the first 3 months. Repayments from $10 per week, and a $6 monthly fee that is waived when you pay your closing balance in full.
• Humm: purchases up to $2,500, repaid in 5 fortnightly or 10 weekly slices, interest free, with no fees when you pay on time (some admin fees may apply).

For business orders from $1,000, Procuret or a broker is the better fit. If you do put a business item on a personal product, ask your accountant how to record it.

The tax angle: what the ATO says

Three ATO rules shape which structure works best. They are general rules, not advice, and your turnover, structure and GST method all change the answer.

• Instant asset write-off: eligible businesses can claim an immediate deduction for the business portion of an asset's cost in the year it is first used or installed ready for use. The ATO lists a $20,000 limit for assets first used or installed ready for use on or after 1 July 2023, for businesses with an aggregated turnover under $10 million that apply the simplified depreciation rules. The limit applies to each asset, so several items each under $20,000 can all qualify. An asset costing $20,000 or more goes into the small business pool instead, which the ATO's examples depreciate at 15% in the first year and 30% in each year after. If you can claim the full GST credit, you leave the GST out when working out the asset's cost.
• Ownership decides who depreciates: only the holder of an asset claims its decline in value, and that is usually the legal owner. Buy it outright or on a chattel mortgage and that is you. Lease or rent it and it is generally the financier.
• GST timing follows the structure: a chattel mortgage or a post-2012 hire purchase agreement gives you the full credit in one tax period. A lease or rental gives you one-eleventh of each payment as you make it.

The write-off limit has changed many times, so check the setting for the income year you buy in. Then talk to your accountant before you sign, and if timing matters, plan delivery and installation around their advice: the year an asset is first used or installed ready for use is the year that counts.

Why an itemised quote gets finance approved

Lenders and brokers want to see exactly what they are funding. A line that reads "$150,000 for gym equipment" is much harder to assess than a model-by-model quote with a price against each item. An itemised quote also helps at tax time, because the instant asset write-off limit is tested asset by asset.

Group the quote into zones that make sense on their own, such as strength, cardio, a studio and a recovery area, so a lender can see what each part of the spend is for. VERVE's free 3D gym design gives you detailed renders of your space and a quote built against that layout; ask for it itemised, model by model, and you have the document your broker will ask for first.

Deposits and made-to-order timing

Some commercial equipment is built or shipped to order rather than held in stock for every configuration, so a deposit may be needed to secure your order and there may be a lead time before delivery. At quote stage, ask which lines are in stock, which are made to order, what deposit applies and when the balance falls due. Then ask your lender or broker how they handle a deposit paid before delivery, because that differs between products.

Build the lead time into your fit-out timeline early, alongside your building works, so equipment arrives when the building is ready to receive it. Watch the 30 June line too: an item installed ready for use in July lands in the next income year for the instant asset write-off.

What to keep your cash for

The point of financing equipment is that the cash you keep does other jobs: building fit-out beyond the equipment, bond and rent in advance, council and certification costs, insurance, launch marketing, and a buffer to carry operating costs until membership covers them. Founders who put every available dollar into equipment can find themselves short of cash exactly when they need it most, in the first months after opening while member numbers are still building. Our guide to what it costs to open a gym in Australia lays out the full budget.

Getting finance-ready: a checklist

• An itemised equipment quote, model by model, grouped into logical zones, ideally from a free 3D design and quote service
• Your ABN, and how long it has been registered (Procuret typically suits businesses with an ABN registered for 3+ years)
• A basic business plan showing your break-even maths (see the gym business plan guide)
• Your signed or close-to-signed lease, since lenders want to see the site is real
• Recent financials or, for a new business, your own funding position and any other income
• Your repayment numbers, run through the estimator on the finance page
• A conversation with your accountant about which structure suits your tax and GST position

Finance your gym equipment with VERVE in three steps

• 1. Get your design and itemised quote. Send us your floor plan for a free 3D gym design and a quote built against the layout.
• 2. Estimate, then request a finance quote. Move the sliders on the repayment estimator, then send the numbers through the quote form. There is no credit check at this step, and a real person from Team VERVE replies within one business day, Monday to Friday. The estimator's starting example, $30,000 over 36 months at an example rate of 9.5% p.a., works out at about $961 per month; that is an illustration only, and your actual rate is set by the lender.
• 3. Confirm the structure and order. Take the quote to your accountant, choose the structure, then lock in your order and delivery timing.

Pay cash for everything and you open with an empty account. Pick a structure blind and you can miss a tax benefit you were entitled to. Get it right and your equipment pays its way from opening day while your cash covers everything else.

Frequently asked questions

More guides for gym founders

• How Much Does It Cost to Open a Gym in Australia
• Gym Business Plan: Pricing, Break-Even and Cash Flow
• Gym Fit-Out Timeline: What Happens When
• Gym Fit-Out Guide
• Legal Basics for Gym Owners in Australia
• When to Open a Second Gym Location