The Prepaid TPO · third-party owned
The tax credit ended in 2025. The Prepaid TPO still captures its value.
A third party owns the system and claims the credit, and it comes off your price as an upfront discount. Same panels, same installer, lower price.
What changed
Buying solar the old way now leaves money on the table.
For years, the federal government gave homeowners a tax credit worth roughly a third of the cost of a solar system. Recent law ended that credit for systems a homeowner buys directly. If you purchase with cash or a standard loan today, that value is simply gone.
It has not disappeared for everyone. The credit still applies to solar that is owned by a third party and leased to you. The Prepaid TPO is built around exactly that structure, so the value flows back into your deal as an upfront discount rather than being lost.
Same panels. Same installer. A structure that keeps what the tax law took away from buyers.
How the Prepaid TPO works
Keep the credit. Pay a fixed monthly. Option to buy after year five.
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The credit is built into your price
A third party owns the system, which is what preserves the federal credit that home buyers can no longer claim on their own. That value is built into your price at the start, working for you from day one instead of on a future tax return.
- 2
You finance the plan, not a lump sum
The prepaid amount can be financed into one predictable monthly payment, with little or nothing out of pocket to start. Prepaying eliminates the escalator, so your payment is fixed for the full term.
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After year five, a buyout option
At year five you have the option to buy the system at its market value. The buyout option and its terms are spelled out in your agreement before you sign, so nothing about it is a surprise.
The Prepaid TPO is available today in AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, MA, NJ, NY, TX, UT, and WA. That is 12 states. Where it is not offered, we present an equivalent financing option. Plan terms, the buyout option, and tax treatment are spelled out in your agreement.
You still choose how to pay
Five ways to pay. Complete math on every one.
The Prepaid TPO is what we recommend for most homeowners now that the credit is gone for buyers, because it keeps that value in your deal. If cash or a conventional loan is a better fit for your situation, we will show you that plainly, with the numbers side by side.
The Prepaid TPO
A third party owns the system and captures the tax credit for you. Its value is built into your price. Your payment is fixed and never climbs, and after year five you have the option to buy the system at its market value. Available as financed ($0 down) or paid once.
Solar loan
Own the system from day one with a conventional loan. A buyer no longer captures the federal credit, so none applies here.
Cash
Own it from day one. Lowest lifetime cost if you have the capital, with the fastest payback, and no federal credit applies here. We show the full numbers so you can compare.
Regular lease
A third party owns and maintains the system and passes the credit value through as a lower payment, but the payment increases every year, and there is no buyout option. We show it for the full picture; it usually costs the most over time.
See your Prepaid TPO payment for your roof.
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Want the background first? Read how the tax credit changed.