Free tool
Fit-out budget builder
Cost a shop, café, salon, clinic or workshop fit-out the way a lender will look at it: every line, a sensible buffer, and a clear split between your contribution and the amount to fund.
Total project budget (with contingency)
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- Line items
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- Contingency
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- Amount to fund
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Your contribution Funded
How the funded part might be split
General planning tool only — not an offer of finance. Equipment and works are assessed differently by lenders.
Talk to us about funding it →Why build the budget line by line?
A fit-out quote from a shopfitter is only part of the picture. The premises also needs approvals, services that can handle your equipment, signage people can see from the street, stock on the shelves and enough cash to cover the weeks when you're paying rent but not yet trading. Owners who budget only the builder's number are the ones who run short the week before opening.
Lenders think in lines too. Equipment that can be identified and valued — ovens, chairs, treatment beds, compressors — can often be financed against itself. Building works, joinery and finishes are fixed to someone else's property, so they rely on business cash flow or property security. Splitting the budget this way shows you which parts suit which kind of finance before you have the conversation.
Using the contingency slider
No official rule sets a contingency figure. Older buildings, tenancy works you can't see until the walls are open, and tight opening dates all argue for a bigger buffer. Run your budget at the low and high end of the slider and make sure the higher number still works. If it doesn't, scale the project or find the extra funding now — not halfway through the build.
Before you sign the lease or the quote
- Check zoning and any permits you need with your council before fitting out — business.gov.au flags this as a step to take early.
- Ask the landlord what they'll contribute, what you must remove at the end of the lease, and which works need their approval.
- Get itemised quotes so equipment is separated from building works.
- Map the cash: deposits to trades, progress payments and the final invoice rarely line up with when finance can be drawn.
For a deeper walk-through, read our guide to budgeting a fit-out before you sign and the explainer on business fit-out finance. When the numbers look right, the 60-second enquiry puts them in front of a person who'll work out the best way to fund them — no credit check to ask, and your details aren't passed around a pile of lenders.
Frequently asked questions
How much contingency should a fit-out budget include?
There's no official figure, and it depends on the building. Older premises, hidden services and tight deadlines all argue for a bigger buffer. Many owners choose somewhere around a tenth to a sixth of the build cost and adjust once quotes firm up — the slider lets you test both ends.
Should I include GST in the numbers?
Enter quotes the way your suppliers give them. If you're registered for GST you can usually claim the GST back as a credit on your BAS, but you still need the cash to pay it upfront, so many owners budget the GST-inclusive amount for cash flow.
What usually gets missed in a fit-out budget?
Council and building approvals, design fees, services upgrades such as electrical or plumbing capacity, signage, opening stock, the rent you pay while the site is closed for works, and the cash to trade through the first few quiet weeks.
Can the whole fit-out be financed?
Sometimes, depending on the route. Movable equipment can often be financed against itself, while the built parts of a fit-out usually rely on business cash flow or property security. Most owners combine a contribution of their own with one or two finance types.
Is my budget saved anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser and disappears when you close the page. Note your totals before you leave.
Got a number? Let's fund it properly
Tell us the project and the total. A real person comes back with the mix of finance that suits it — and no credit check to enquire.
No credit check to enquire
Not shopped around
A real person on your file