How do you distinguish a capital (finance) lease from an operating lease?
- An operating lease transfers title automatically once the final payment is made
- Both are capitalized identically, so each produces the same depreciation and interest split on the income statement
- A finance lease stays off the balance sheet as a footnote, while the operating lease is the one that gets capitalized as an asset and liability
- Classification is based on only lease length, so an operating lease always runs longer than a finance lease of the same asset
- A finance lease transfers the risks and rewards of ownership; an operating lease is more like a rental
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