Practice fit-out & equipment calculator

How to use the fit-out and equipment calculator

A clinic, pharmacy or care centre project is more than a builder's quote. It's the build, the professional fees, the equipment, the furniture and IT, and the months after opening when rent and wages are paid in full but the appointment book or rooms are still filling. Owners who budget for the build alone are the ones who run short just before, or just after, opening day. This calculator puts every part of the project on one page so you can see the whole funding need at once.

Start by choosing your type of business. The equipment labels and the document checklist change to suit it. Then enter your fit-out and set-up costs, each major equipment item, your expected monthly fixed costs once open, and the buffer you'd like to hold. Finally, enter what you're bringing: cash, any landlord contribution, and any property you could offer as security.

What the results mean

Total project cost adds the fit-out and contingency, equipment, working capital buffer and any cost of finance you entered. Funding need is what's left after your cash and landlord contribution.

Could be property-secured estimates how much of that need the equity in your property could cover. It takes the property value, multiplies it by the loan-to-value ratio you chose, subtracts what's already owing and caps the result at $5,000,000. Property-secured business loans run from $20,000 to $5,000,000 as first mortgages, second mortgages or caveats over residential or commercial property.

May suit unsecured or equipment finance is the part left over, where the business has been trading for at least a year. Unsecured, cash-flow and line-of-credit options typically run from $5,000 to $500,000 and are sized on turnover and bank statements. If the business is new, that part is shown as not yet covered, because a new practice usually needs property security or more cash.

Cash runway compares your buffer with the months you expect it to take before income covers costs. Each square is a month after opening. Teal squares are covered by your buffer; coral squares are months your buffer won't reach. If you see coral, consider a larger buffer, a slower fit-out, a phased opening or a line of credit for the ramp-up.

Why there are no interest rates here

Every loan is priced on the business's own circumstances: the security, the trading history, the amount and the term. A calculator that assumed a rate would give you a false sense of precision. If you already have a quote, enter its total cost of finance in dollars and it's included in the project total. Otherwise, a specialist can talk you through real options once they understand your situation.

Tips for a more accurate result

• Use actual quotes, not estimates, for the build and major equipment.
• Include installation, delivery and room works in each equipment line.
• Be realistic about the months to break even. Test a slower case too.
• Remember GST. Many health services are GST-free, and the ATO says you can still claim GST credits on purchases used to make GST-free sales, but you pay the GST upfront and claim it later.
• Read our clinic fit-out timeline to see when each payment usually falls due.

For more on how each part is usually funded, see clinic fit-out finance, medical equipment finance and start-up finance for a new practice. If slow payments are part of your picture, try the claims gap calculator.

Ready to turn the estimate into a real answer?

The calculator gets you close. A conversation gets you certain. The enquiry takes about 60 seconds and there's no credit check when you first ask. Your details go to one team, not a crowd of lenders. A real person who understands clinic and centre projects will look at your numbers and call you. Please use the same accurate figures on the form so we can match you properly the first time. Start your enquiry.