Guides
Guides
Plain-English guides to insuring and financing business equipment, with every figure traced to its source: finance, certificates, hire, registration and premiums.
Start here · 6 min read
Certificate of currency: what it is and how to get one for financed equipment
A certificate of currency confirms a policy is in force. Why lenders need one before equipment finance settles, what it shows, and how to get one fast.
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Insurance basics
Insurance basics · 4 min read
How much does equipment insurance cost? Real premiums, and what moves them
Real five-year premiums from current policies, from 3.1% to 7.9% of the insured value, the five details that set the price, and…
Insurance basics · 4 min read
Before you insure a machine: eight things to check in any equipment policy
Eight questions to ask before you insure plant or machinery: what’s covered, the excess, how it’s valued, transit, hire, attachments and the…
Insurance basics · 3 min read
Public liability vs plant insurance: what each one pays for
Public liability pays for harm to other people and their property. Plant insurance pays for your machine. Why earthmoving businesses usually need…
Insurance basics · 3 min read
How to protect plant and machinery from theft
Motor vehicle theft hit a 17-year high in 2025. Ten practical ways to protect plant and machinery, from GPS trackers to serial…
Insurance basics · 3 min read
Stamp duty on insurance: the rate in every state and territory
Stamp duty on business insurance runs from 7% in Victoria to 11% in South Australia. Every rate from the state revenue offices,…
Insurance basics · 3 min read
Multi-year vs annual equipment insurance: what changes
An annual policy is re-rated every year; a multi-year policy fixes the premium for up to five years. The real differences, and…
Insurance basics · 3 min read
Why insurance premiums keep rising, and what a fixed premium changes
Household insurance prices rose 47.9% in five years, double inflation. What’s driving premiums up, and what a fixed multi-year premium changes.
Insurance basics · 3 min read
Insurance excess on equipment insurance, explained
An insurance excess is the part of a claim you pay yourself. How it works on equipment claims, with worked examples and…
Insurance basics · 5 min read
Equipment insurance glossary: plain-English terms
Plain-English definitions of the terms you meet when insuring and financing business equipment, from certificate of currency to wet hire.
Finance and tax
Finance and tax · 4 min read
Equipment finance calculator, with insurance included
Work out equipment finance repayments, with or without a balloon, and add a fixed insurance premium to see the full monthly cost…
Finance and tax · 3 min read
Machine hourly rate calculator: what to charge for an excavator, bobcat or dozer
Work out the hourly rate your excavator, bobcat or dozer needs to earn, wet or dry. Enter your own costs: finance, insurance,…
Finance and tax · 5 min read
Chattel mortgage for equipment: how it works, and what your lender needs
A chattel mortgage lets you own equipment from day one while the lender holds security over it. How it works, GST, balloons…
Finance and tax · 3 min read
Balloon payments on equipment finance: lower repayments, higher total cost
A balloon lowers your monthly repayments but leaves a lump sum owing at the end. What it costs, your options when it…
Finance and tax · 7 min read
Insurance premium funding vs paying monthly: what happens if you miss a payment
Premium funding is a loan. Paying your premium monthly isn’t. What each costs, what happens if a payment is missed, and which…
Finance and tax · 6 min read
Certificate of currency: what it is and how to get one for financed equipment
A certificate of currency confirms a policy is in force. Why lenders need one before equipment finance settles, what it shows, and…
Finance and tax · 3 min read
Instant asset write-off: what it means when you buy equipment
The $20,000 instant asset write-off explained for businesses buying plant and machinery: who can use it, what happens above the limit, and…
Hire and registration
Hire and registration · 4 min read
Wet hire vs dry hire: the difference, and who insures what
Wet hire means equipment hired out with an operator. Dry hire means the machine only. What changes for control, safety, paperwork, finance…
Hire and registration · 3 min read
Dry hire agreement: what to put in writing before a machine leaves the yard
A checklist for a dry hire agreement: the machine, the hirer, the operator, damage and insurance, and the three things to hold…
Hire and registration · 6 min read
Conditional registration for machinery: the rules by state, and what it doesn’t cover
Conditional registration gives tractors, graders, forklifts and other plant limited road access. The rules by state, what its CTP covers and what…