Whether you run a café, retail storefront, clinic, or multi-location chain, your point-of-sale stack is the heartbeat of revenue. Terminals, tablets, receipt printers, kiosks, inventory scanners, back-office servers, and software subscriptions add up quickly—before you budget for installation, networking, and staff training. The right lease keeps payments predictable, bundles soft costs, and lets you scale without draining working capital.
As both a financing partner and a seller of select commercial assets, Mehmi Financial Group structures POS and back-office packages across Canada with milestone funding, soft-cost bundling, and fast decisions. If you’d like a second set of eyes on a vendor quote, feel free to contact our credit analysts for tailored guidance.
What you can lease under a POS/back-office project
- Front-of-house POS: Touchscreen registers, tablets, customer-facing displays, kiosks
- Payments & peripherals: EMV/NFC terminals, barcode scanners, receipt/label printers, cash drawers, scales
- Back-office IT: Servers/NAS, workstations, network switches, Wi-Fi access points, UPS/power conditioning
- Inventory & ops: Handheld scanners, RFID readers, labelers, time-clock kiosks
- Software & integrations: POS licenses, inventory/WMS, ecommerce connectors, API middleware
- Security & compliance: Firewalls, endpoint security, backups, audit logging
- Soft costs: Delivery, configuration, cabling, install, training, data migration—often eligible to bundle into the same facility
Explore baseline options and structures: Financing & Leasing • Refinancing & Sale-Leaseback • Equipment Line of Credit.
Why leasing wins for POS & back-office
- Protect cash. Keep liquidity for inventory, payroll, and marketing.
- Match cost to revenue. Step-up schedules during rollout/ramp, then full amortization.
- Stay current. FMV leases make refreshes easier every 3–5 years.
- Bundle the hidden items. Installation, cabling, training, and data migration included up front avoids expensive “patch” financing later.
- Clean budgeting. Predictable monthly expense; confirm tax treatment with your accountant.
Run quick what-ifs with our calculator.
Common lease structures (plain English)
| Structure | Best For | Cash-Flow Impact | End-of-Term |
|---|
| FMV (Operating) | Low payments + frequent tech refresh | Lowest monthly | Return, renew, or buy at fair value |
| $10 / Fixed Residual (Capital) | Longer-life IT racks, networking | Moderate monthly | Title transfers for nominal/fixed amount |
| Sale-Leaseback | Turn owned gear into working cash | Immediate liquidity | Reacquire at residual buyout |
| Progress-Funding | Multi-site rollouts & staged installs | Interest on draws; converts at acceptance | Term begins after site acceptance |
Not sure which fits? We’ll price them side-by-side and map payments to your rollout plan.
What private underwriters actually look for
- Operational case. How will the upgrade increase throughput, reduce shrink, or unify online/offline sales? A one-page model (transactions/hour × average ticket × margin) works.
- Cash-flow coverage. 6–12 months of business bank statements; stable deposits and room for the new payment matter more than last year’s net income.
- Vendor & warranty. Established vendors with install/support, clear SOW, and parts availability.
- Integration plan. Data migration, ERP/commerce connectors, go-live timeline, acceptance criteria.
- Security posture. PCI-aware setup (network segmentation, tokenization, logging) and insurance binder naming the lender as loss payee.
If cash is tight during rollout, layer a small revolving buffer via Line of Credit & Working Capital. If AR timing is lumpy (wholesale/B2B), consider Invoice Factoring.
Terms, down payments, and covenants (typical ranges)
- Term: 24–60 months (up to 72 for larger bundles)
- Down / first & last: 0–15% or 1–2 payments in advance; helps B/C/D files
- Payments: Step-up during training/conversion windows
- Security: PPSA on financed assets; personal guarantees for private corps
- Covenants: Insurance, maintenance; consent for additional senior liens
- Refinance window: After 12–18 clean payments we can explore Refinancing to lower the rate or extend term
Multi-location & franchise rollouts (how to keep it smooth)
- Pre-approved SKU list. Standardize terminals, tablets, APs, and cabling kits for predictable per-store cost.
- Wave plan. Phase locations weekly; use progress-funding to pay vendor at deposit → delivery → install → acceptance.
- Cost per store per month. We normalize the stack so finance and ops can plan staffing and inventory together.
- Swap strategy. Align refresh cycles so older stores roll into new FMV terms as volumes grow.
Broker fast-track: from quote to live in 7 pragmatic steps
- Lock your bill of materials. POS, payments, networking, licenses, migration, training—get formal quotes with SKUs and SOW.
- Choose structure. FMV for frequent refresh; $10 residual if you’ll keep it; sale-leaseback if cash is tight.
- Package the file. Application, IDs, void cheque, incorporation/ownership, last filed year + YTD interims, 6–12 months bank statements.
- Add a rollout calendar. Site list, dates, and acceptance criteria (punchlist + smoke tests).
- Milestone funding. We schedule vendor payments on deposit/delivery/install/acceptance so you don’t float cash.
- Step-up payments. Lighter payments during training and data migration.
- Review after 12–18 months. If performance is strong, we reprice or extend term to trim monthly cost.
Case study: POS refresh for a 4-store retailer (Ontario)
Situation. Legacy POS, slow chip/NFC, weak Wi-Fi, and manual inventory. Four stores; project $132,000 including APs, tablets, terminals, scanners, labelers, cabling, migration, and training.
Structure. 60-month FMV lease with progress-funding across four waves; 3-month step-up during conversion; soft costs bundled (install, training, migration). Small LOC overlay for initial label/packaging inventory.
Outcome. Go-lives hit calendar; checkout time cut ~22%, inventory accuracy improved, and ecommerce sync eliminated double entry. After 15 clean payments we refinanced, dropping monthly cost ~8%.
Approval checklist (credit-analyst view)
- Application, IDs, void cheque
- Corporate docs (registration, ownership)
- Financials: Last filed year, YTD interims, 6–12 months bank statements
- Vendor quotes + detailed SOW (install, cabling, migration, training)
- Rollout calendar + acceptance criteria
- Insurance binder naming lender as loss payee
- Brief unit-economics sheet (transactions/hour, average ticket, margin)
Send what you have—we’ll stage the rest so underwriting doesn’t stall. For a payment preview, try the calculator.
FAQs
Can I include software licenses, migration, and training in the same lease?
Often yes. Soft-cost bundling is common for POS projects to avoid mid-rollout cash crunches.
What credit score do I need for approval?
Many lenders prefer 650+, but stable bank deposits, a clear rollout plan, and guarantor strength can offset thinner credit.
Is refurbished hardware financeable?
Yes—with warranty and parts availability. We’ll price new vs. refurb side-by-side.
How fast can vendors be paid?
With a complete package, private lenders pay on delivery/installation/acceptance using milestone schedules.
Can payments drop later?
Often. After 12–18 on-time payments, we can explore refinancing to reduce rate or extend term.
If you’re weighing FMV vs. $10 buyout—or deciding what to bundle now vs. phase later—feel free to contact our credit analysts for tailored guidance. You can estimate payments in minutes with our calculator or start a conversation here: Contact Us.
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