GoodLeap solar loans rank among the largest point-of-sale solar lenders in the US by loan volume. Here is how the three main loan structures work, what APR to expect, and the dealer-fee math that affects what the loan actually costs.
GoodLeap offers three solar loan structures, and the one your installer presents depends on which the installer is enrolled to sell and what GoodLeap's underwriting approves for your credit profile.
The default GoodLeap solar loan. Fixed APR between 4.99% and 8.99%, loan term of up to 25 years. The loan is unsecured, with a UCC-1 fixture filing on your solar system rather than a mortgage lien on your home. Payments stay the same across the full term.
Flexpay loans set your payment on the assumption that you will make a lump-sum prepayment within the first 18 months. That prepayment was designed around the 30% federal solar tax credit. If you do not pay the lump sum by month 18, GoodLeap re-amortizes the loan at the higher principal, which raises your monthly payment. Because the homeowner credit ended for systems completed after December 31, 2025, a 2026 borrower would have to fund that prepayment from savings. This is the most frequently misunderstood GoodLeap loan structure.
A refinance product that lets homeowners roll an existing solar loan or home improvement loan into a new GoodLeap financing agreement, sometimes with a longer term. Used to adjust monthly payment amounts.
GoodLeap also finances battery storage, either bundled with a solar panel loan or as a stand-alone upgrade for existing solar systems. The company's GoodGrid virtual power plant initiative, launched in California in August 2024, aggregates GoodLeap-financed batteries to provide grid services during peak demand, with homeowners paid for the capacity. Participation is optional on most residential systems.
Dealer fee is where the real cost hides
The APR GoodLeap advertises is not the full cost of borrowing. The solar installer rolls a 15% to 30% dealer fee into the amount financed, so a 25,000-dollar system becomes a 32,500-dollar loan at a 30% dealer fee. The APR applies to the inflated figure, not the cash price. Our dealer fee explainer shows the math, and the loan calculator lets you model it yourself.
| Term | Monthly payment | Total repaid | Total interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 years | $362.68 | $43,521 | $12,271 |
| 15 years | $280.71 | $50,528 | $19,278 |
| 20 years | $242.09 | $58,102 | $26,852 |
| 25 years | $220.67 | $66,201 | $34,951 |
Worked example: $31,250 financed ($25,000 system plus a 25% dealer fee) at 6.99% APR. GoodLeap solar APRs are commonly reported at 4.99% to 8.99%; longer terms usually price higher. GoodLeap does not publish rates or loan limits by term.
Rates shown are indicative, based on publicly reported GoodLeap product disclosures and installer-shared rate sheets as of October 2026. Your actual rate depends on credit profile, loan structure, state, and the dealer fee your installer applies.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21, signed July 4, 2025) ended the 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) for systems completed after December 31, 2025, and ended the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (Section 25C) for property placed in service after the same date. For a homeowner buying a system in 2026, that changes the math in three ways.
If you financed a system that was completed on or before December 31, 2025, the credit can still be claimed on your 2025 return, and unused credit can carry forward.
GoodLeap solar loans are structurally similar to those of other point-of-sale lenders such as Sunlight Financial: a dealer fee, terms up to 25 years and approval through the installer. Mosaic, long a close competitor, stopped originating new loans after its 2025 bankruptcy. GoodLeap’s advantages are scale and product breadth; its weaknesses are the dealer fee and the installer-related complaints that dominate its reviews.
Compare Loan Options Try the Calculator
Good for homeowners without home equity who want solar now and will read every line of the contract. Skip it if a HELOC or cash purchase is available to you.
Three quick questions. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere.
Point-of-sale solar financing has been the most common way homeowners pay for rooftop systems, but the market contracted sharply. Residential solar installations fell 31% in 2024, according to industry figures reported by pv magazine, and EnergySage reported that loans made up 43% of residential solar contracts in 2024, their lowest share since 2017. In 2025, Mosaic filed for bankruptcy, and Congress ended the homeowner solar credit for systems completed after December 31, 2025. GoodLeap has kept growing through the downturn, reporting more than $38 billion in solar and home-efficiency financing since 2018 for more than 1.7 million homeowners.
Homeowners rarely compare offers across lenders because the sales process happens inside the installer's showroom or at the kitchen table during a two-hour pitch. Whichever lender the installer is enrolled with is the lender the homeowner is offered. This is a structural feature of the market, not a defect of any particular lender, and it is one reason consumer protection regulators have begun paying closer attention to the sector's sales practices and disclosure standards.
A homeowner's best protection in this market is to request a written quote with a full breakdown of system cost, dealer fee, loan term, interest rate, and total of payments before signing. Any installer unwilling to break the quote down into those line items is signaling that the pricing math does not stand up to scrutiny. A properly priced solar system from a well-regarded installer should produce a quote that an informed homeowner can evaluate against alternatives like a home equity line of credit or an unsecured personal loan from a direct lender.