This guide is for office managers, controllers and CFOs whose copier or printer lease is with Canon Financial Services, often shown on invoices as CFS. If your term ends in the next several months, a little planning now makes the change smooth. Canon Financial Services offers several options at the end of the term. We walk through how CFS lease forms handle notice, renewal, return and buyout, and what to check in your own agreement.
Who Canon Financial Services is
Canon Financial Services, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., headquartered in Burlington, New Jersey. CFS describes itself as a commercial finance company focused on financing for Canon customers. It says it finances all Canon products as well as many other equipment types, including software, and that it serves commercial businesses and state and local government entities.
CFS also provides dealer and inventory financing to manufacturers, distributors and equipment dealers. In practice, that means your Canon machine may have been sold by Canon U.S.A. directly or by an independent dealer, with CFS as the lessor either way. CFS publishes separate lease forms for these situations, including a standard Lease Agreement, a “Total Solution” lease that can include maintenance and supplies, and Master Lease Terms used with Canon U.S.A. schedules. The Total Solution form is signed with the dealer, which intends to assign it to CFS, so after assignment CFS becomes the lessor and owner of the equipment.
CFS customers manage accounts through the CFS Customer Portal at mycfs.cfs.canon.com, where CFS says you can make payments and choose electronic or mailed invoices. Contacting CFS through its customer portal early is the easiest way to confirm your options.
How lease end usually works with Canon Financial Services
The details below come from current CFS lease forms published on Canon websites. Your signed agreement may be an older or negotiated version, so confirm each point against your own copy.
Notice: look for the “Renewal; Return” section
In CFS’s standard Lease Agreement (form CFS-1014) and its Total Solution Lease Agreement (CFS-1015), a section titled “Renewal; Return” asks for written notice at least 60 days before the end of the term. The notice says either that you will exercise your purchase option or that you will return the equipment.
If no option is chosen, the agreement continues on a month-to-month basis, at the same payment amount and frequency, until you choose one. The Master Lease Terms that CFS uses with Canon U.S.A. lease schedules (Rider G, version dated September 2025) use the same 60 day written notice and month-to-month language.
Leases with a $1.00 purchase option work differently and do not continue month to month.
Return: coordinated with CFS
Under the same CFS forms, a returned machine goes to a location CFS specifies, in good operating condition apart from ordinary wear and tear, with shipping arranged at the customer’s cost. Returns are timed for the end of the scheduled term.
Once your notice is in, ask CFS for written return instructions and confirm the delivery location before anyone packs the machine.
Buyout: FMV, $1 or a stated amount
CFS lease forms show three end of term purchase option choices on the front page: $1.00, Fair Market Value or “Other,” a stated amount. Find the box that was checked on your signed copy, because it decides which path below applies.
To buy at the end of the term, the forms ask for 60 days of written notice, unless your purchase option is $1.00. For a Fair Market Value or stated amount option, ask CFS for a purchase quote in writing through the customer portal or customer service, so you have the figure in hand before you decide.
The forms also describe an early purchase option with 60 days of notice. If you would like to own the equipment before the term ends, ask CFS about that path too.
Protect your data before any return
Most copiers and multifunction printers keep scanned, copied and printed images on internal storage. Before any machine leaves your office, plan drive wiping or removal with your dealer or IT team. Ask for written confirmation that the work was done, and keep it with your lease records. The Federal Trade Commission’s guide, “Digital Copier Data Security: A Guide for Businesses,” is a useful checklist to follow.
Invoice questions
Depending on your agreement, invoices can include items like property tax or insurance. Canon Financial Services’ customer portal or customer service can explain each line.
The standard CFS form also notes that your payments may include amounts owed to your supplier under a separate agreement, which CFS may invoice on the supplier’s behalf. If your service is bundled this way, the service agreement has its own terms and end date, so review it alongside the lease.
Your 120-90-60 day checklist
- About 120 days out: get your agreement. Pull the signed lease and every schedule from your files or the CFS Customer Portal. Note the form number, end date and purchase option box.
- About 120 days out: read the key sections. “Renewal; Return” and “Purchase Option” tell you the notice deadline and your buyout type. Current CFS forms ask for notice at least 60 days before term end, but confirm on yours.
- About 120 days out: check bundled service. If your dealer’s service is billed through CFS, find the separate service agreement and its own end date.
- Between 120 and 90 days: decide. Return, buy or upgrade. If buying, ask CFS for the purchase quote in writing.
- By 90 days: coordinate any replacement. Line up new equipment so delivery and removal can happen near the old term’s end.
- Before the 60 day mark: send written notice. Say clearly whether you will buy or return, include your agreement number, and keep proof of delivery.
- About 60 days out: confirm. Ask CFS to confirm receipt and send return instructions and the return location.
- Before pickup: protect your data. Have your dealer or IT team wipe or remove the drive, and get written confirmation.
- At return: document everything. Photograph each unit and serial plate, keep shipping records, and confirm with CFS that the account is closed.
Upgrading instead of returning
If you plan to move to newer equipment, the current CFS lease still needs its own notice and its own return or buyout. Because CFS finances Canon products, a new CFS lease is one natural option, and a new lease from another lessor is another. Either way, the new agreement can be timed so the new equipment arrives close to the old term’s end. If a dealer offers to handle the payoff or the return as part of a new deal, get that in writing and confirm who sends the notice to CFS and who arranges freight.
A partner dealer can review your options, including whether returning, buying or replacing fits your volume and budget. We do not promise any specific outcome.
FAQs
How much notice does Canon Financial Services ask for?
Current CFS lease forms ask for written notice at least 60 days before the end of the term to return or buy. Older or negotiated agreements may differ, so check the “Renewal; Return” section of yours.
What happens if no option is chosen by the deadline?
Under current CFS forms, the agreement continues on a month-to-month basis at the same payment and frequency until you choose an option. Leases with a $1.00 purchase option work differently.
How do I get a Fair Market Value buyout figure from CFS?
Ask CFS for the figure in writing through the CFS Customer Portal or customer service. Having it early gives you time to compare it with a return or an upgrade.
How should we handle the copier’s hard drive before return?
Plan drive wiping or removal with your dealer or IT team before the machine leaves, ask for confirmation in writing, and follow the FTC’s copier data security guidance.
Where do I manage my Canon Financial Services account?
CFS customers use the CFS Customer Portal at mycfs.cfs.canon.com, where CFS says you can make payments and choose how you receive invoices. It is also a good place to start any end of term request.
Check your lease before you act
Not sure where your lease stands or which step comes first? Use our free Lease End Check to see what to do first. If you are considering new equipment, you can also request a commercial copier lease quote and we will connect you with a partner dealer who can review your options.
1-800 Office Solutions is not affiliated with Canon Financial Services. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Your lease agreement controls.