The solar credit property owners used to get is gone. This one's different.
The residential solar tax credit ended December 31, 2025. What remains is a commercial credit path for business property owners and residential property owners, and locking it in requires a 5% deposit before July 4, 2026. After that, it's gone for everyone.
Why this credit is different from what you've heard before
✗ Section 25D — Expired Dec 31, 2025
The homeowner credit. If you own your system, you claimed this directly on your taxes. It's gone. No extensions. No exceptions.
✓ Section 48E — Expires July 4, 2026
The commercial credit. Only companies that own and lease solar systems can claim it — and pass the value to you through lower lease pricing.
This is not the same credit solar companies have been warning you about for years. That one expired. This is the last remaining federal solar benefit — and the only way to access it as a homeowner is through a lease structure before July 4th.
Time remaining to lock in
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Why 5% is necessary
The 5% payment establishes safe harbor before the deadline, which protects your 30% value and extends your installation timeline through 2030.
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Step 1 of 3
Request your free proposal
No commitment. No deposit yet. We build a proposal specific to your home — then you decide.
Homeowner path: lease structure passes through the value. 5% now preserves your economics and timeline.Business path: direct ownership or lease both work. 5% now preserves your economics and install window.
✓
Proposal request received.
We'll review your address and contact you within 24 hours with a proposal specific to your home — system size, monthly payment, and what your 5% deposit would be. No obligation until you decide to move forward.
How the 5% Safe Harbor timeline works
For projects under 1.5 MW AC, paying 5% before the cutoff can establish BOC safe harbor, preserve 30% value, and extend install timing through 2030.
$40,000
Drag to adjust
5% deposit
$4,000
30% value at stake
$24,000
Value preserved
$20,000
How your 5% is treated
Prepaid lease: your 5% safe-harbor amount is credited toward project economics per signed contract terms.
Path 1 — Before Deadline
5% paid + signed lease
Your address is safe harbored. You keep the 30% economics and can install later.
Install Window
Through Dec 31, 2030
No roof work required before the deadline. The deadline is about locking in, not finishing install.
After Deadline
No new 30% pathway
Projects started after the cutoff lose access to the current federal benefit structure.
TodayStart
Jul 4, 2026Hard Cutoff
Dec 31, 2030Install Deadline
Method 1 — Physical work test: Requires actual qualifying construction work to begin on your specific property before July 4 — permits pulled, racking ordered, rooftop work underway. This path is still technically available for both commercial and residential projects, but it is difficult to execute in ~70 days. It requires moving fast on equipment procurement, permitting, and crew mobilization before the cutoff. Most projects do not have that kind of lead time.
Method 2 — 5% payment safe harbor (recommended path): A signed agreement + 5% deposit to Raynora Solar as installer legally establishes "beginning of construction" under IRS Notice 2025-42 — no physical work required before July 4. What this does is buy time: it extends your installation runway all the way through December 31, 2030. That extended window is especially critical for commercial projects, which involve larger systems, longer permitting cycles, and more complex interconnection. For residential customers, installation can realistically happen well before the end of 2027.
Choose your path
One deadline. Two audiences. Same lock-in principle.
A 5% payment before the cutoff protects project timing and value through 2030. The structure differs by audience, but the action timing is the same.
Homeowner: value through lease structure
Homeowners typically access this remaining federal value through a lease structure where a qualified owner claims the credit and passes through better pricing.
5% deposit + signed agreement before cutoff establishes safe harbor.
You preserve the 30% economics while installation can run through 2030.
Best for homeowners who want low-friction monthly savings and optional later buyout.
Business: direct ownership or lease
Commercial properties can keep the same lock-in timing without requiring a residential-style pass-through structure. Direct ownership and lease can both be valid paths.
5% deposit before cutoff still establishes timeline protection.
Installation window extends through 2030 once safe harbor is locked.
Best for offices, retail, warehouses, multifamily, and nonprofit facilities.
The credit — explained clearly
Two credits. One expired. One closing July 4th.
Homeowners have been told the solar tax credit was expiring for years. Most of them were hearing about the wrong one. Here is exactly what happened and what is still available.
✗ Already gone — expired December 31, 2025
Section 25D — The homeowner credit
This was the credit homeowners claimed directly on their tax return when they purchased or owned their solar system. It required you to own the system, have a tax liability, and install by year-end. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025, terminated it permanently at the end of 2025. No phase-down. No extension. It's done.
Every solar company that warned you about "the credit going away" was talking about this one. They were right. It's gone.
✓ Still available — closes July 4, 2026
Section 48E — The commercial lease credit
This credit is claimed by companies that own and lease solar systems — not by homeowners directly. When a financing company owns the system on your roof, it claims the 30% federal credit and passes that value to you through significantly lower monthly lease pricing than would otherwise be possible. This is the only remaining path to the federal solar benefit for homeowners. It requires a signed lease commitment before July 4, 2026.
This is the one that is still open. This is what Raynora's program uses. And it closes July 4th — permanently.
Source: H.R. 1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21, signed July 4, 2025) · IRC Section 25D · IRC Section 48E · IRS Notice 2025-42
What you're signing up for
A lease-to-own program. Here is exactly how it works.
This is not a loan. It is not a purchase. It is a lease with a built-in path to ownership — structured this way specifically because that structure is what allows the federal credit to flow through to you.
Your lease-to-own timeline
From signature to full ownership
Now — July 4, 2026
You request a proposal
We build a proposal for your specific home. You review terms, monthly payment, and your 5% deposit amount. If you proceed, your address is locked in.
No cost to request
After signing — through 2030
Installation happens
A licensed regional installer permits and installs your system. You pay nothing during this phase — your first lease payment begins when the system goes live.
Your timeline · Up to 2030
System live — monthly
Fixed monthly payments
You pay a fixed monthly lease — lower than your current electric bill for most homes. Your rate is locked. It never escalates.
Fixed rate · No surprises
Year 6 onward
You own it
As early as year six, you have the legal right to purchase the system at a nominal price. It becomes yours permanently — with 20+ years of working life remaining.
Full ownership · Nominal price
Who owns the system — and when
Day 1 through Year 6
Raynora Solar LLC
Raynora's financing entity owns the system. This is what allows the 30% federal credit to be claimed. You lease it from Raynora and pay a fixed monthly rental.
Why this structure exists
The credit requires it
The Section 48E credit can only be claimed by the system owner. The only way a homeowner can benefit from it is through a company that owns and leases the system — passing the value through in the form of lower monthly payments.
Year 6 onward
You
Your lease agreement includes a Promise to Purchase — a legal right to buy the system at a nominal price at year six. After that, the system is yours. No more lease payments. Free electricity for the remaining 20+ year panel life.
Is this a loan?
No. You are not borrowing money. There is no interest rate, no credit check for a loan, and no debt obligation. You are entering a lease agreement — like leasing a car, but with a guaranteed path to ownership built in. The monthly payment is rent on the solar system, not a loan repayment.
What if I want to buy it sooner than year six?
The six-year minimum before the purchase option exists because of the IRS's 5-year ITC recapture period — plus one year of buffer. If Raynora transferred ownership to you before the recapture period cleared, it would trigger a claw-back of the federal credit, which would unwind the economics of the whole program. After year six, the recapture window is fully cleared and the transfer is clean. Early buyout options before year six can be discussed on a case-by-case basis, but they may affect your terms.
What does "nominal price" mean at year six?
Your lease agreement will specify the purchase option price — typically $1 or a small agreed fair market value. This is laid out clearly in your proposal before you commit to anything. You will know exactly what you are signing up for before any deposit is made.
What happens to the lease if I sell my home?
Solar systems consistently increase home resale value and reduce time on market across the Mid-Atlantic region. If you sell before year six, the lease transfers to the new buyer as part of the home sale — a well-understood process for DC, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey real estate transactions. Alternatively, you may have the option to purchase the system before closing and include it in the sale price. We walk you through your options at the time.
The process
How locking in actually works
Three steps. You control each one. No surprises, no pressure between steps.
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Request your proposal — free
Submit the form on this page. We review your address, run a satellite assessment of your roof, and build a proposal specific to your home — system size, estimated production, and fixed monthly payment. No obligation at this stage.
You do: fill out the form
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Review your proposal
We present your proposal within 24–48 hours. You see exactly: the system size designed for your home, your fixed monthly payment, your 5% deposit amount, and the full lease terms including the year-six purchase option. No jargon. No pressure. Ask every question you have.
We do: build and present the proposal
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Sign and make your deposit
If the proposal works for you, you sign the agreement and make your 5% deposit directly to Raynora Solar as the installer. This is the moment your address is legally safe harbored under IRS Notice 2025-42 — your federal benefit is locked in through 2030. Must happen before July 4, 2026.
Locks in your benefit · Must be before July 4
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Installation — your schedule
A licensed installer handles all permits and installation. Because the safe harbor is established at signing, installation can happen at any point through December 31, 2030. No rush. No trucks on your roof before July 4th.
You do: approve the install date
About the 5% deposit — what it is and why it matters
The 5% deposit is paid directly by you to Raynora Solar as the installer at the time you sign your agreement. It is applied against the total system cost as a project-specific commitment — and it is this payment, combined with your signed agreement, that legally establishes the "beginning of construction" under IRS Notice 2025-42 for your specific address. Once made, your address is safe harbored. Your 30% commercial ITC benefit is locked in. The deposit amount will be specified clearly in your proposal before you commit to anything.
Why now matters
This is the best deal solar will ever offer you.
We recognize that homeowners have heard urgency messaging around solar credits for years. Here is why this moment is genuinely different — and why we are confident this is the best value proposition for solar that will exist in your lifetime under current policy.
✓ If you sign before July 4, 2026
Best solar terms you will ever see
The 30% federal credit embedded in your lease pricing is locked in permanently. Your monthly payment is calculated with that credit factored in. No future policy change affects your deal.
Zero upfront cost beyond the 5% deposit
Fixed monthly payment — locked for life of lease
Federal benefit preserved through 2030 installation window
Ownership option as early as year six
DC, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey local incentives stacked on top
✗ After July 4, 2026
The credit is gone permanently
New projects signed after July 4th cannot access the Section 48E credit. Programs like Raynora's — which depend on it — are restructured or discontinued. Solar will still work, but never at these terms.
No federal credit available for new projects
Higher monthly payments — credit no longer subsidizing cost
Zero-down lease programs significantly less viable
No policy roadmap to restore this benefit under current law
We cannot predict what politics or policy will do next. Neither can you. What we know is this.
The Section 48E credit exists today. It closes July 4, 2026. The law that eliminated it was passed by Congress and signed by the President. There are no current legislative efforts to restore it for new projects. Every day you wait is a day you cannot get back. Our job is to secure for you the best deal available right now — before the window closes.
Questions answered
Everything you should ask before signing anything
Because the credit homeowners were warned about already expired. Section 25D — the credit homeowners claimed directly — ended December 31, 2025. That was the one solar salespeople were warning you about. What remains is Section 48E — a completely separate commercial credit that was never available to homeowners directly. It can only be accessed through a commercial lease structure, and it closes July 4, 2026. This is not the same warning. This is the final chapter of a different credit — and it is the last one.
The 5% deposit is paid directly to Raynora Solar as the installer. It is what legally establishes the beginning of construction on your specific address under IRS Notice 2025-42. Without it, your address is not safe harbored and the federal credit is not preserved. The deposit is project-specific — it is applied to the cost of your system. The exact amount will be in your proposal, based on your specific system size, before you commit to anything.
No. This is one of the most important clarifications. For residential rooftop systems — which are all under 1.5 megawatts AC — the IRS specifically preserved the 5% Payment Safe Harbor in Notice 2025-42. A signed agreement and a 5% deposit to Raynora Solar as installer is all that is legally required to establish safe harbor. No trucks, no racking, no roof work required before July 4th. Installation can happen any time through December 31, 2030 under the four-year continuity safe harbor.
Your monthly payment is fixed for the full lease term — it does not escalate. The exact amount depends on your home's system size, which is determined by your energy usage and roof assessment. We present this in your proposal before you commit. What we can tell you now: for most Mid-Atlantic homeowners with electric bills over $150/month, the fixed lease payment is lower than their current utility cost — meaning net savings from month one.
Your lease agreement includes a Promise to Purchase — a legal right to buy the system at a nominal price as early as year six. At that point you own it outright. Solar panels are warrantied for 25 years, so you would own a system with roughly 19+ years of productive life remaining — at no further cost. The six-year minimum exists because of the IRS's 5-year ITC recapture window, plus a one-year buffer, before ownership can safely transfer without triggering a federal credit claw-back.
All five. The federal program is identical across DC, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Each jurisdiction has its own licensed installer requirements, net metering rules, and additional local incentives — all of which stack on top of the federal program. When you submit your address, we confirm installer coverage in your specific area and identify any local incentives that apply to your home.
Submitting this form is not a commitment of any kind. You are requesting a proposal. No deposit is collected, no agreement is signed, and there is no obligation until you review your proposal and choose to proceed. Maryland's Home Solicitation Sales Act also provides a 3 business day cancellation right on any signed agreements. DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey have similar consumer protection provisions. All of this will be disclosed clearly in your agreement at the time of signing.
Yes — but only through Section 48E, the commercial Investment Tax Credit. Section 25D, the residential credit homeowners claimed directly, expired December 31, 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21). Section 48E remains available until July 4, 2026, and homeowners can access it through a commercial lease structure where the financing entity owns the system and passes the value through in lower monthly payments. After July 4, 2026 there is no current federal pathway to the 30% solar benefit on new projects.
The hard cutoff is July 4, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern. Any solar project that has not satisfied beginning-of-construction by that date is ineligible for the 30% §48E federal credit. Section 25D — the separate residential credit — already expired December 31, 2025. The cutoff was set by P.L. 119-21 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025) and is implemented via the safe-harbor framework in IRS Notice 2025-42.
Section 48E is the Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit, codified at 26 U.S.C. §48E. It provides a 30% federal tax credit on the cost basis of qualifying clean-electricity property, including solar. Under P.L. 119-21, §48E is terminated for solar projects that have not begun construction by July 4, 2026. The credit is claimed by the entity that owns the system, which is why residential homeowners typically access it through a commercial lease that passes the value through.
Section 25D (26 U.S.C. §25D) was the Residential Clean Energy Credit — the credit homeowners claimed directly on their tax return when they purchased and owned a solar system. It was terminated effective December 31, 2025 by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. There are no extensions, no phase-down, and no exceptions. Any solar program telling you the residential credit is still available is referencing the wrong statute.
IRS Notice 2025-42 is the Treasury guidance issued in 2025 explaining how taxpayers establish "beginning of construction" for §48E credit eligibility. It preserves two safe harbors: the Physical Work Test (actual qualifying construction work begun on the project site) and the 5% Payment Safe Harbor (paying or incurring at least 5% of total project cost via a binding written contract). For solar projects under 1.5 MW AC — which covers all residential rooftop systems — the 5% Payment Safe Harbor remains available without physical work, and the continuity safe harbor extends placed-in-service deadlines through December 31, 2030.
Beginning of construction (BOC) is the IRS test that establishes when a solar project has been "started" for credit eligibility, regardless of when installation actually finishes. Under IRS Notice 2025-42 you satisfy BOC by either (a) starting physical work of a significant nature on the project site, or (b) paying or incurring at least 5% of total project cost via a binding written contract — the 5% Payment Safe Harbor. Once BOC is established before July 4, 2026, the project has up to four years (through December 31, 2030) to be placed in service under the continuity safe harbor.
The 5% Payment Safe Harbor is an IRS-recognized method to establish beginning of construction by paying or incurring at least 5% of total project cost via a binding written contract before the deadline. It is preserved for residential and small-commercial solar in IRS Notice 2025-42. For Raynora Solar customers, this means a 5% deposit plus a signed agreement before July 4, 2026 locks in the 30% §48E credit and extends the installation window through December 31, 2030 — with no physical roof work required before the cutoff.
For homeowners in 2026, only the lease structure passes through the §48E credit value, because §25D ownership has expired and only the commercial entity that owns the system can claim §48E. For commercial property owners, both direct ownership and lease can access the §48E credit before July 4, 2026 — the right choice depends on your tax appetite, capital position, and operational preference. Raynora's proposal models both options side by side for business clients.
For homeowners in DC, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, the best currently-available solar deal is a §48E-backed lease-to-own structure secured before July 4, 2026: zero down beyond a 5% safe-harbor deposit, fixed monthly payment lower than typical utility cost, and a contractual purchase option starting in year six at a nominal price. After July 4, 2026 this pricing structure is not expected to remain viable on new projects because the underlying federal credit will no longer be available.
Yes — all of Washington, D.C. Coverage includes Capitol Hill, Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, Petworth, Brookland, Anacostia, Shaw, Logan Circle, U Street, Mount Pleasant, Cleveland Park, Tenleytown, Friendship Heights, and the Palisades. Pepco is the utility serving D.C. customers. Service is dispatched from our Bethesda, MD office.
Yes — Maryland statewide. Our Bethesda office at 7272 Wisconsin Ave, 9th Floor, Bethesda, MD 20814 covers Baltimore, Annapolis, Bethesda, Silver Spring, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Frederick, Hagerstown, Columbia, Ellicott City, Towson, Bowie, Germantown, College Park, and the Eastern Shore. Utilities served: BGE, Pepco, Potomac Edison, Delmarva Power, and SMECO. Counties: Montgomery, Prince George's, Howard, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Frederick, Carroll, Charles, Calvert, St. Mary's, and the Eastern Shore counties.
Yes — Virginia statewide. Our Herndon office at 585 Grove St, Herndon, VA 20170 covers Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Reston, Herndon, Loudoun, Prince William, Manassas, Richmond, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton, Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Charlottesville. Utilities: Dominion Energy Virginia, NOVEC, Appalachian Power, and Prince George Electric Cooperative. Counties: Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Stafford, Chesterfield, Henrico, plus statewide coverage. Virginia installers are DPOR-licensed per state law.
Yes — Pennsylvania statewide. Coverage includes Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, Scranton, Bethlehem, Lancaster, Harrisburg, York, and Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties in the southeast. Utilities: PECO, PPL Electric Utilities, Duquesne Light, Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power, and West Penn Power. Service is dispatched from our Jersey City, NJ office for eastern PA and via partner installers statewide.
Yes — New Jersey statewide. Our Jersey City office at 525 Washington Blvd, 3rd Floor, Jersey City, NJ 07310 covers Newark, Jersey City, Trenton, Paterson, Elizabeth, Edison, Toms River, Hoboken, Princeton, and Cherry Hill, across Atlantic, Cape May, Burlington, Camden, Essex, Hudson, Bergen, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Union, and Sussex counties. Utilities: PSE&G, JCP&L, Atlantic City Electric, and Rockland Electric.
Yes. Raynora Solar offers a Sharia-compliant program structure available to all customers regardless of faith. The structure avoids interest-bearing debt (riba) by using a lease-to-own arrangement with predetermined fixed monthly rental payments and a contractual purchase right at year six, which aligns with the principles of murabaha and ijarah financing recognized in Islamic finance jurisprudence. The federal §48E benefit and the July 4, 2026 deadline apply identically.
Service areas
Where Raynora Solar serves residential and commercial customers
Three regional offices serving DC, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The federal §48E safe harbor and the July 4, 2026 deadline apply identically across all five jurisdictions; only utility coverage, installer licensing, and local incentive programs differ by state.
Washington, D.C.
Pepco utility
All eight wards. Service is dispatched from our Bethesda, MD office at 7272 Wisconsin Ave, 9th Floor (20814).
Neighborhoods: Capitol Hill · Georgetown · Dupont Circle · Foggy Bottom · Adams Morgan · Columbia Heights · Petworth · Brookland · Anacostia · Shaw · Logan Circle · U Street · Mount Pleasant · Cleveland Park · Tenleytown · Friendship Heights · Palisades · Navy Yard · NoMa · Truxton Circle · Eckington · Trinidad · H Street · Woodley Park · Glover Park · Kalorama · Chevy Chase D.C. · Brightwood · Takoma · Deanwood · Hillcrest · Congress Heights
Free proposals are available across every listed city, ZIP code, and county. The 5% safe-harbor deposit and the July 4, 2026 §48E deadline apply identically in all five jurisdictions. Call 844-RAYGRID (1-844-729-4743), text 703-440-7670, or email gosolar@raynora.com.
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· Reviewed against current IRS guidance (Notice 2025-42), IRC §48E, IRC §25D, and P.L. 119-21 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act).