Why Lease Rater

Fast, credible, audit-ready OBRs for FRS 102 (2026) — built by bankers and auditors, designed for UK SMEs.

From 1 January 2026, FRS 102 requires UK SMEs to discount lease liabilities. When the implicit rate isn't available (which is almost always), you can use an Obtainable Borrowing Rate (OBR) the practical, SME-friendly alternative to complex IBR calculations. Getting a credible, audit-ready OBR used to be expensive and time-consuming, until now.

Calculate your OBR now

The OBR problem

Companies need a rate that reflects what they could borrow at for a similar term and security, but obtaining one is harder than it sounds:

  • Banks won't help. Relationship managers give ballpark figures that aren't documented or auditable. Formal rate letters are rare for hypothetical facilities.
  • Loan comparison sites fall short. Generic advertised rates don't account for your entity's credit profile, sector, size, or lease term. They're not FRS 102-compliant.
  • DIY guesswork fails audit. Picking "4–5%" based on gut feel won't stand up to scrutiny. Auditors need a transparent, evidenced methodology.
  • Commissioning a bespoke study is costly. Traditional manual studies cost £500–£2,000+ per calculation, with 2–4 week turnarounds. Not practical for multiple leases or tight deadlines.

Result? Finance teams are stuck between expensive delays and unacceptable audit risk.

How Lease Rater solves this

Lease Rater gives you a credible, auditable OBR in under 2 minutes, combining market data, UK SME lending practice, and credit risk factors into a single, transparent calculation.

  • Instant results. Enter your lease and company details; get your OBR, range, and PDF report immediately.
  • Audit-ready documentation. Professional PDF showing the rate, methodology, assumptions, and risk drivers, ready for your audit file.
  • Term-matched & credit-reflective. Rates adjust for lease duration, security, sector, size, and financial strength, not one-size-fits-all.
  • Built by bankers & auditors. Methodology rooted in real UK SME lending criteria, designed to withstand professional review.
  • No subscriptions. No sales calls. Pay per use or bulk packs. No ongoing fees. No onboarding hassle.

For SME finance teams

Stop wasting time and money

You need FRS 102-compliant discount rates. You don't need a multi-week consulting project or a vague guess from your bank.

  • Fast: Calculate an OBR in minutes, not weeks. Ideal for year-end crunch periods.
  • Affordable: Low per-use pricing. No retainer. No minimum commitment.
  • Repeatable: Run calculations for every lease in your portfolio. Consistent approach across entities and periods.
  • Defensible: Clear narrative showing how the rate was derived. Auditors see the logic; you keep control.

Get your OBR now

For auditors

Independent, third-party OBR support

You need to verify that management's discount rate is reasonable but deriving a full OBR from scratch carries risk, takes time, and isn't your core value-add.

  • Third-party validation. Lease Rater provides an independent benchmark so you're not solely relying on management's estimate or your own back-of-envelope calc.
  • Transparent methodology. Every assumption is disclosed. You can see why the rate landed where it did and whether it's appropriate for the client.
  • Risk mitigation. Reduces the audit risk of accepting an unsubstantiated rate or creating one in-house without proper documentation.
  • Efficiency gains. Spend less time building rates; more time on judgement, testing, and value-adding review work.
  • Consistent standard. Apply the same rigorous approach across all your FRS 102 clients. Supports quality control and firm-wide consistency.

Use Lease Rater as a starting point, sense-check, or corroborating input for sign-off. You retain professional judgement; we provide the toolkit.

What you get

  • Headline OBR with a defensible range (low/mid/high) for sensitivity and professional judgement.
  • Professional PDF report including rate, methodology summary, key drivers, and assumptions ready for working papers.
  • Market-anchored base rate. Aligned to observable UK risk-free benchmarks (SONIA term structure), not plucked from thin air.
  • Credit-adjusted spread. Based on 14 industry-standard financial metrics (profitability, liquidity, leverage, coverage, cash flow, balance sheet strength), security quality, sector risk, company size, and lease concentration. Each metric assessed using 6-band risk classification aligned to UK SME lending standards.

See how it works

Transparent approach, protected IP

We show you how the OBR is built: base rate + spread from four pillars weighted by predictive power:

  • Financial health (45% weight): 14 metrics across profitability, liquidity, leverage, coverage, and cash flow
  • Security/structure (30% weight): Collateral quality, payment terms, credit maturity
  • Sector & size (15% weight): Industry risk and company scale
  • Exposure (10% weight): Concentration ratios

Methodology is transparent and auditable. Exact BPS values within each band are calibrated from UK SME lending data.

Pricing

  • Pay per use: £49 per OBR calculation (introductory offer; standard £99).
  • Bulk packs: 10 calculations for £399 (£39.90 each). Ideal for portfolio work or accountants with multiple clients.
  • No subscriptions. No onboarding. No sales calls. No auto-renewals.

Simple, transparent pricing. You pay for what you use.

Data & security

  • Reports stored securely for your records and audit trail. You can revisit and download past calculations anytime.
  • UK-hosted application with encrypted transport (HTTPS) and secure authentication.
  • No third-party selling. Your data is yours. We don't sell to advertisers or data brokers.
  • See our full Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Who it's for

  • Finance Directors & Controllers who need quick, credible OBRs for FRS 102 lease accounting.
  • Audit teams (Big 4, mid-tier, boutique) seeking independent third-party input to validate client discount rates and reduce audit risk.
  • SME advisors & accountancy practices preparing multiple sets of accounts under FRS 102 (2026). Consistent, scalable approach across clients.
  • CFO service providers supporting portfolio companies or outsourced finance functions.

Disclaimer
Lease Rater is designed for UK SMEs preparing accounts under FRS 102. The Obtainable Borrowing Rate (OBR) calculations provided are based on market data and standardised assumptions to support your lease accounting disclosures. Results are provided for guidance and audit support purposes only and do not constitute financial advice, audit assurance, or a substitute for professional judgement. Company directors remain responsible for the final choice of discount rate and accounting treatment. Lease Rater accepts no liability for reliance placed solely on these outputs without appropriate professional review.