GoodLeap Dealer Fees Explained — What They Are and How to Fight Back (2026)

GoodLeap is the largest solar-specific lender in the country, funding billions of dollars in residential solar loans annually. And embedded in many of those loans is a dealer fee — additional money the solar installer collects from GoodLeap at funding that gets added to the homeowner's loan balance. Most homeowners never know it's there until they get a payoff quote, refinance their home, or look closely at the numbers. Here's the definitive guide to GoodLeap dealer fees.

How GoodLeap Dealer Fees Work

Here's the transaction flow. Solar installer signs you up for a $38,000 system. They submit a loan application to GoodLeap on your behalf — but the loan application is for $52,000, not $38,000. GoodLeap approves and funds the $52,000 loan. GoodLeap pays the installer $52,000. The installer keeps $38,000 for the system and $14,000 as the dealer fee — pure additional profit. You now owe GoodLeap $52,000 plus interest for 20-25 years.

The $14,000 dealer fee, compounded over 25 years at 6.99% interest, costs you approximately $26,000 in total payments. You were never told this fee existed. The loan documents may reference it as an "origination fee" in fine print, or it may not appear at all — which is itself a problem. GoodLeap processes millions of these transactions; the aggregate scale of undisclosed dealer fees across their loan book is enormous.

Which Solar Installers Use the Largest Dealer Fees

Dealer fee size varies by installer. Freedom Forever and Momentum Solar are consistently reported as having among the largest dealer fees — sometimes 40-50% of the stated system cost. Sunrun, when it offers loan financing, also uses dealer fee structures. Regional installers vary widely. The fact that you financed through GoodLeap doesn't tell you the dealer fee amount — that depends entirely on the installer's pricing model.

How to Find Your GoodLeap Dealer Fee

Step 1: Find what you were quoted. Look for any written quote, proposal document, text message, email, or written number from the sales rep showing the system cost. Step 2: Find your actual loan amount. It's on the first page of your GoodLeap loan agreement — the "Amount Financed" or "Principal Amount" line. Step 3: Compare. If your loan amount is higher than the quoted system cost, the difference is likely your dealer fee. Step 4: Check your loan documents for any disclosure of this fee — if it's not clearly disclosed, that's part of your legal claim.

Also see the complete guide to solar loan problems and GoodLeap complaints by state for more context.

Your Legal Options

Undisclosed dealer fees may violate the federal Truth in Lending Act (TILA), which requires clear disclosure of all finance charges. State consumer protection laws — including the New Jersey CFA (automatic triple damages), the Texas DTPA (triple damages for knowing violations), the California CLRA, and many others — also apply to these disclosure failures. The CFPB has been investigating solar lending practices and GoodLeap specifically; file a CFPB complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. State financial regulators (California DFPI, NJ Division of Consumer Affairs) also have jurisdiction over lending disclosure violations.

What to Do Next

If you've identified a dealer fee in your GoodLeap loan, document the discrepancy between quoted system cost and actual loan balance, then get a free review at breakyoursolarcontract.com to identify what your state law gives you against GoodLeap and your installer.