A Staples lease agreement form is the contract your business signs to finance office equipment or furniture through Staples instead of buying it outright, and you get the form from a Staples Business account representative rather than downloading it. The representative generates it as part of your procurement, you complete it with your company’s legal details and the equipment you want, and an authorized signer executes it electronically. The lessor named on the form is a third-party financing company, not Staples itself, so the payments you commit to go to that lender.
How to Get the Form
Staples does not publish a blank lease agreement for public download. The document is generated as part of a procurement process, so you need to work through a Staples Business account representative (the platform was formerly called Staples Advantage). If your company already has an account, your dedicated representative can send the lease application and walk you through the available financing structures. New customers start by contacting Staples Business Solutions directly; the representative will assess your equipment needs and connect you with the appropriate financing partner.
Pay attention to who the lessor actually is. Staples partners with third-party financial institutions to fund these transactions, and which lender appears on your paperwork depends on the size and type of the lease. The header of the agreement identifies the financing company by name, and that company becomes the party you owe payments to. Confirm the name before you treat the deal as a Staples transaction in your records.
What to Gather Before You Start
Have everything below in front of you before you open the form. A missing or mismatched field can stall the credit review and send the application back.
- Legal business name, matching exactly what your state’s Secretary of State has on file. A DBA or trade name alone will not work.
- Federal Tax Identification Number (EIN). Sole proprietors without an EIN may need to provide a Social Security number instead.
- Business structure: LLC, corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. This determines who has authority to sign and how liability attaches.
- Authorized signatory details: full name, title, direct phone number, and email address of the person who will execute the agreement. That person must have legal authority to bind the company to a financial obligation.
- Equipment list with specific product descriptions or Staples item numbers, quantities, and the quoted price for each piece. These should match the procurement quote your representative provided.
- Bank references or financial statements. Recent bank statements, tax returns, or your Dun & Bradstreet number help the financing company move faster on creditworthiness.
Accuracy matters more than speed. If the business name on the form doesn’t match your state registration, or the EIN is off by a digit, the financing company will kick the application back. Check every field against your formation documents before you submit.
Pick Your Lease Structure First
Before filling in financial terms, decide which of the two lease types you want, because the structure drives your monthly payment, your tax treatment, and what happens at the end.
- $1 buyout lease (finance lease): you pay a fixed monthly amount over the term, then purchase the equipment at the end for one dollar. Monthly payments are higher because the financing company recovers nearly the full cost of the equipment during the lease. This fits items you plan to keep long-term, such as office furniture or durable machinery that won’t become obsolete.
- Fair market value (FMV) lease (operating lease): monthly payments are lower because the financing company retains the equipment’s residual value. At the end of the term, you can buy the equipment at its then-current fair market value, return it, or renew. FMV leases are common for technology like printers, copiers, and computers, where upgrading beats owning aging hardware.
FMV lease terms generally run 12 to 60 months. The form will specify which structure applies, so confirm this with your representative before signing. Switching from one type to the other after execution usually means starting over.
Fields and Clauses to Verify Before You Sign
Standard clauses carry real consequences, and the form is where you catch problems. Walk through these before approving the document.
Payment Schedule and Late Fees
The form states the exact monthly payment, the day of the month it’s due, and any grace period before a late fee applies. Late fees vary by financing partner but commonly run between 5% and 10% of the overdue amount, and some agreements add daily interest on past-due balances. Many financing companies require ACH autopay, so expect a bank authorization section to complete.
Commencement Date and Term
The commencement date is when your billing cycle starts and the clock begins on the lease term. It is typically tied to delivery and acceptance of the equipment, not the day you sign. If there’s a delay between signing and delivery, you shouldn’t be paying for equipment you don’t have. Confirm how your agreement handles that gap.
Maintenance and Repair
Nearly all equipment leases put maintenance on the lessee. You’re expected to keep the equipment in good working order under the manufacturer’s guidelines. If you return equipment at the end of an FMV lease with damage beyond normal wear and tear, expect to be charged for the diminished value. Some businesses pair the lease with a separate manufacturer maintenance agreement to manage that risk.
Insurance
The financing company owns the equipment during the lease, so the agreement requires you to carry insurance covering theft, damage, and loss. The form often specifies a minimum coverage amount and may require you to name the financing company as an additional insured or loss payee. Tell your insurance agent about the lease so they can add the endorsement. A lapse in coverage usually counts as a default.
Warranty Pass-Through
Because the financing company technically owns the equipment, manufacturer warranties don’t automatically transfer to you as the end user. A warranty assignment clause in the lease, or a separate assignment letter, is what gives you the right to make warranty claims directly against the manufacturer. Check whether your agreement includes that language, and ask your representative to add it before you sign if it doesn’t.
Whether You’ll Sign a Personal Guarantee
If your business is relatively new or lacks an established credit history, the financing company will likely require a personal guarantee from the owner or a principal. A personal guarantee means that if the business can’t pay, you’re personally on the hook for the remaining balance, and your personal assets become available to satisfy the debt.
Equipment leases sometimes allow more flexibility than other financing because the equipment itself serves as collateral. An established business with strong financials and high-value equipment may be able to negotiate the guarantee away entirely, or cap personal exposure at a set number of months’ payments. If the guarantee is non-negotiable, try to limit it to financial defaults such as missed payments rather than every possible lease violation.
Signing the Form
Most Staples lease agreements are executed electronically through platforms like DocuSign. Electronic signatures carry the same legal weight as ink signatures for commercial transactions under the federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN Act). The platform generates a timestamped audit trail showing who signed, when, and from what device, which protects both parties if a dispute comes up later.
Before you click “sign,” verify every field one more time: the equipment list, the monthly payment, the term length, the lease type (FMV versus $1 buyout), and the identity of the financing company. Once executed, the signed document goes to the financing company’s underwriting department. You’ll receive a fully executed copy by email. Save it somewhere accessible, because you’ll need it at lease end and for your accountant at tax time.
What Happens After You Submit
The financing company runs a credit assessment on your business. Underwriters review payment history, financial statements, and sometimes personal credit if a guarantee is attached. If your business has a Dun & Bradstreet PAYDEX score, that factors in; a score above 80 signals that your company pays on time, while anything below suggests a pattern of late payments. Approval for straightforward applications typically comes within one to three business days. More complex deals or weaker credit profiles take longer.
If approved, the financing company sends confirmation and shipping begins. If denied, you may be offered modified terms: a shorter lease period, a larger security deposit, or a personal guarantee if one wasn’t already required. Some financing partners will also approve at a higher interest rate to offset perceived risk.
What You’re Committing To at Lease End
End-of-lease options depend on which structure you signed. With a $1 buyout lease, you pay the final dollar and the equipment is yours. With an FMV lease, you usually have three choices: buy the equipment at its appraised fair market value, return it in acceptable condition, or extend the lease on renegotiated terms.
Returns are where businesses get caught off guard. The financing company will inspect the equipment, or require photos and documentation, and charge you for damage beyond normal wear and tear. “Normal wear” is subjective, so review your agreement’s definition before the lease ends. Start the return conversation at least 60 to 90 days before expiration. Many leases auto-renew on a month-to-month basis if you don’t give written notice of your intent to return or purchase.
Early Termination and Default
Walking away from an equipment lease early is expensive. Most agreements include an early termination provision that requires you to pay the present value of all remaining lease payments, plus a premium that compensates the financing company for lost yield. Some agreements use a “termination value” schedule printed in the contract; check for it and review the numbers, because lessors sometimes build in a premium that makes early termination costlier than riding out the full term.
Default is typically triggered by missed payments, lapsed insurance, or false information on the application. It gives the financing company several remedies under both the contract and UCC Article 2A, including repossessing the equipment, suing for all accrued and unpaid rent, recovering the present value of rent for the remaining term, and collecting incidental damages like legal fees and repossession costs.1Cornell Law Institute. U.C.C. 2A-529 – Lessors Action for the Rent An acceleration clause is standard, meaning the entire remaining balance becomes due immediately on default rather than on the original monthly schedule.
If cash flow tightens, call the financing company before you miss a payment. Negotiating a temporary restructuring is almost always cheaper than triggering default remedies.