happytails.ai

Car lease calculator

Work out a monthly car lease payment from the price, residual value, money factor or APR, fees and your own tax rate. See the depreciation fee, rent charge and tax in each payment and the total cost of the lease.

Your result

Report a problem or share an idea.

How to use Car lease calculator
  1. Enter the MSRP, the negotiated price, any capitalized fees and the cap cost reduction.
  2. Enter the residual value as a percentage of MSRP or as an amount.
  3. Enter the money factor, or an APR that is divided by 2400, and the term in months.
  4. Choose how tax is charged, enter your tax rate and the fees due at signing and at return.
  5. Review the payment split and totals, then download the JSON report or the monthly CSV.

Useful next steps

Method

The adjusted capitalized cost is the price plus capitalized fees minus the cap cost reduction. The depreciation fee is the adjusted capitalized cost minus the residual value, divided by the term. The rent charge is the adjusted capitalized cost plus the residual value, times the money factor. Their sum is the base monthly payment. The MSRP is only needed to turn a residual percentage into an amount, so it may be left blank when you enter the residual as an amount. These are the payment terms a lessor must disclose under Regulation M, 12 CFR 1013.4(f) (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, checked 16 October 2026). Converting between a money factor and an APR by 2400 is a widely used convention, not a disclosed rate.

Tax and totals

Tax is applied only as you choose: on each monthly payment, on the total of all payments paid at signing, or not at all. With no tax the tax rate is hidden and not used. No local tax rules are assumed, so check how your area taxes leases. The amount due at signing adds the cap cost reduction, other amounts due at signing, any up-front tax and the first monthly payment, which a closed-end lease collects in advance (Regulation M, 12 CFR 1013.4(b), checked 16 October 2026). The total lease cost adds the cap cost reduction, other amounts due at signing, any up-front tax, every monthly payment and the disposition fee.

Rounding and limits

Amounts are exact in minor currency units and each fee is rounded half away from zero, so the depreciation over the whole term can differ from the exact difference by a few cents; the report shows that difference. Mileage charges, excess wear and early termination are not included. This is a calculation from your own numbers, not financial advice.