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If you’re looking for a way to finance a car, a novated lease lets you use your pre-tax income to cover the cost of the vehicle lease and reduce your tax.
A novated car lease is an agreement between you, your employer and a third-party financier whereby you take out a lease and your employer takes the lease repayments and operating costs out of your pre-tax income. While the responsibility for these repayments is still yours, it is your employer who will make these payments.
There are a number of novated lease companies in Australia, and many traditional lenders will also offer a novated lease option.
| Response | |
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| Used / demo | 51.72% |
| New | 48.28% |
One key benefit of a novated lease is that you don’t have to pay GST. As the vehicle is sold to the financier and then leased to you, they are liable to pay the GST on the vehicle, but they are able to pass this GST on to the tax office.
In terms of the other tax options, this depends on the method you choose. There are two methods you can opt for when taking out a novated lease: the Fringe Benefits Tax method or the Employee Contribution Method.
When you choose this method, the entire amount of your lease payments is deducted from your pre-tax income, saving that portion of your salary from income tax. However, since your employer is providing you this lease as a benefit, the lease is subject to Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT), which you are responsible for. FBT is calculated using the Statutory Formula method and based on the distance you’re likely to travel during the "FBT year", which runs from 1 April to 31 March.
There is also a "days not available" option which involves your FBT being reduced when your vehicle is unavailable for travel. This may be because your vehicle is in for repairs, you leave your vehicle on company premises or lend the vehicle to an authorised person for a whole business day.
In May 2011, the government introduced transitional rules regarding the calculation of cars using FBT using a standard statutory rate of 20%. Financiers help you track and calculate your ongoing FBT obligations in accordance with ATO guidelines. Most financiers will offer something like a fuel card that can track your fuel usage over the year.
This method involves both pre-tax and post-tax deductions from your income. There are benefits to this method, particularly if your salary is below $180,000. If you contribute part of your post-tax salary, you can reduce the rate of FBT from 46.5% to your own marginal income tax rate, which might be as low as 30%, depending on your income. This can ultimately reduce the cost of salary packaging your vehicle. This option is available to both fully-maintained and non-maintained novated leases.
While there are more tax and monetary considerations when it comes to novated leases, the process is not complicated as long as you choose the right financier. Here is the typical process that you can expect:
What types of vehicles can I finance with a novated lease?
There are really no restrictions as to the type of vehicle that you can finance. In some cases, you may even be able to use a vehicle that you are already paying off. Vehicles can also be new or used.
What happens if my employment is terminated?
If your employment is terminated, you may be able to take your novated lease with you to your new employer. You may also be able to continue making repayments directly to your financier, or you may be able to terminate the lease early and pay it out.
How long do novated leases take to establish?
This depends on the financier you go with, although it will generally take approximately two weeks to a month.
Is a novated lease worth it?
This will depend on your financial and employment situation, but a novated lease will help you reduce your taxable income and therefore the amount of tax you pay. If you really need the money you save on tax, then a novated lease could be worthwhile. However, you should also speak to an accountant to determine what your potential savings will be since this will depend on which tax bracket you fall under as well as how much you use the vehicle.
What are the disadvantages of car salary packaging?
While a novated lease may be a suitable option for you, there are a number of potential disadvantages to keep in mind. You will generally need to pay administration fees as part of the lease, and you may also receive a higher interest rate than on a normal car loan. If you change employment during the term of the lease, you may also have to pay additional fees or charges and may have to cancel the lease altogether.
Can you get a novated lease for a used car?
Generally yes. However, some providers may only offer novated leases on new cars or require the used car to be less than a certain number of years old.
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Your credit scoring system show I’ve got a score of 710, my company is offering a novated lease through a fleet company. My concern is that I won’t get approved because on another free credit site my score is low.
Do leasing companies do credit checks? I’m confused because of the 2 different scores I’ve got.
Hi Nitin,
Thank you for getting in touch with finder.
There are 4 major credit reporting agencies in Australia with different scoring system – Experian, Equifax, Tasmanian Collection Service and Dun & Bradstreet.
We obtain a user’s credit score from Experian. If you got a low score from the other reference that the fleet company got, it is best to ask which credit reporting agency was that from and check your credit history to verify the result.
Leasing companies don’t do credit checks however they use their selected credit reporting bureau as reference for loan applications.
I hope this helps.
Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any other enquiries.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Jeni