Ways To Pay

How do employees get a tax-free bike for work through Cyclescheme?

Step 1. Once an employer is partnered with Cyclescheme (employers can sign up here) all employees wishing to participate visit a local Cyclescheme Partner Store, in this case All Terrain Cycles, to choose the bike and any safety equipment required.

Step 2. Employees then apply for a Cyclescheme Certificate online using a unique link to the secure Extranet facility. The unique link is provided to employers and distributed to all employees. The employee will usually sign an online Hire Agreement at this time.

Step 3. If the employer approves their application they will countersign the Hire Agreement and pay Cyclescheme for the full retail price of the bike and equipment.

Step 4. Cyclescheme will then post out a paper Certificate, usually to employee’s home address.

Step 5. The Certificate is then redeemed in the bike shop. Salary sacrifice then commences over the hire period (usually 12 months). The salary sacrifice is made prior to Income Tax and National Insurance contributions and, as a result, employees pay less of both.

Step 6. At the end of the hire period the owner of the equipment may choose to offer the employee ownership of the bike for a market value payment, or the employee may pay a small deposit allowing them to remain in possession of the bike and continue to use it.

Please note that the above procedure applies to the vast majority of schemes, but there are some variations to the above. This variation depends on how the employer’s scheme is set up, i.e., the employer may use a finance company to fund the scheme (see below) or a benefits provider.

Who can participate in the scheme?

Any size employer from any sector can partner with Cyclescheme. Eligible employees must receive salary via the PAYE system and earnings should be more than the National Minimum Wage after salary sacrifice. Employers who pay staff close to the National Minimum Wage should contact Cyclescheme to discuss the range of options available that allow lower paid employees to participate in the scheme.  There is no credit check for employees wishing to participate and Under 18s can join the scheme if their guardian signs a guarantor agreement.

What is salary sacrifice and how do participants save?

Salary sacrifice occurs when an employee agrees to give up part of their salary for an agreed period (in the case of the Cycle to Work scheme this is usually 12 months) in exchange for a non-cash benefit such as the loan of a bicycle and safety equipment. As salary sacrifice is taken from the gross salary (before tax) it means the employee pays less income tax and National Insurance.

Figuring out how Salary Sacrifice Arrangements work can be confusing, particularly when participants can only see the gross salary sacrifice amount on their hire agreement. So where’s the saving? Here’s a guide to how it all works.

How do participants save?

The key to understanding the way participants save money on a salary sacrifice arrangement is in understanding how they pay tax.

Cycle to Work scheme participants can potentially save on 2 forms of tax; Income Tax & Employees’ National Insurance Contributions (NICs).

Income Tax and Employees’ National Insurance Contributions (NICs) are expressed as a percentage and applied to participants’ gross salary amounts. The tax deductions are then made and what the participant gets in their pocket is NET salary.

This is the clever bit; by reducing their gross salary they reduce the amount the income tax and NICs are calculated on, hence participants pay less of both.

Sounds confusing?

Here’s an example of how the savings work during the hire period, assuming the following:

• Employee is paid monthly
• Employee is a standard rate tax payer requesting a £500 Certificate
• The hire period is 12 months
• The Employee’s monthly gross salary is £1,200.00 (£14.400 per annum)

So, because the participants pay less income tax and NIC their NET salary reduction is less than the GROSS salary reduction, and this is how savings are achieved. In this example, the employee makes a £41.66 contribution to the employer, but it only costs them £28.33, resulting in a saving of £13.33 per month.

What are the savings for the employee and employer?

Typical savings for employees are between 32% for basic rate taxpayers and 42% for high rate taxpayers, but the actual amount depends on the employee’s personal tax band and the way the employer runs their scheme. If the employer uses external finance then savings will be approximately 5% lower.

Employers can typically save 13.8% of the total value of salary sacrifice, due to reductions in Employers’ National Insurance Contributions due.

Who actually owns the bike?

The bike and equipment remain the property of the employer throughout the hire period, unless the employer uses a finance company to fund the bikes; in this case the finance company or funding bank will own the bikes.

Who is responsible for maintaining the bike and what happens if it is stolen?

It is the employee’s responsibility to maintain the bike. All Terrain Cycles will be able to advise about maintenance and servicing depending on how the bike is used and we offer a free first service. If the bike is stolen, as long as the employee replaces the bike and continues to use it mainly for commuting purposes, the employer can continue to take the salary sacrifice reductions from GROSS salary.  This means the participant can still take advantage of the income tax and National Insurance Contribution (NIC) savings. Cyclescheme strongly recommend that scheme participants insure the bicycle and safety equipment as soon as they collect it from the store.

What's the best way to insure the bike?

Most cycle-specific insurance not only provides cover for the cost of theft replacement, but also provides personal and third party medical insurance cover and, in some cases, a roadside recovery service in the event of breakdowns.  By insuring the bike, scheme participants can now maintain their savings by avoiding hefty replacement costs in the event of theft, and continue to enjoy the full tax exemption for the rest of the hire period.  For further information on cycle-specific insurance please visit Cycleguard on www.cycleguard.co.uk (Cyclescheme participants can obtain a 10% discount on Insurance and Roadside Recovery).

How do I return my bike?

If you do not wish to take ownership of the Equipment or sign the Extended Use Agreement you must return the bicycle to Cyclescheme Ltd.

Does the bike have to be used for commuting?

Employees should use the bike mainly for commuting to and, if relevant, between work places (at least 50% of the bike’s use should be for work purposes). However, the bike can also be used for non-work purposes and there is no need for employers to monitor individual usage or for employees to keep a mileage log. Please note that employees cannot claim business mileage allowance with a bike that is being hired to them by their employer.

What happens at the end of the hire period?

In order to preserve the tax benefits of the scheme, there can be no guarantee or obligation to transfer ownership to the employee immediately after the hire period has ended.  However, employers generally choose to offer this option in addition to others, either directly or via Cyclescheme.

At the end of the hire period, Cyclescheme will contact employees to discuss the options available.

The most attractive option for employees will be to pay a small, refundable deposit (3% or 7% of the equipment value*) and continue to use the bicycle for an extended period of up to 36 months.

At the end of this period, if the employee does not wish to keep the bicycle, then Cyclescheme will refund the deposit in full.  Alternatively, Cyclescheme may at its discretion, offer ownership of the bicycle to the employee at this point, and no further action or payment will be required if they wish to keep the bicycle.

* the lower figure is for an equipment value of less than £500 and the higher one for equipment value of £500 or more. These figures include VAT.

What is the maximum value bicycle and safety equipment package employees can select through the scheme?

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has issued a group consumer credit licence to cover Employers implementing Cycle to Work Schemes that are limited at £1000 inc. VAT per Certificate.  To view and download a copy of the licence please click here.

Employers who have their own Consumer Credit Licence Category B (consumer hire) can allow employees to request Certificates of a higher value.  Alternatively, employers wishing to increase the Cycle to Work Certificate value can apply for their own individual Consumer Credit Licence from the Office of Fair Trading.  For further details please contact our Helpdesk on info@cyclescheme.co.uk.

What happens if an employee leaves their job or is made redundant?

Once signed, the Hire Agreement is non-cancellable following a cooling-off period of 7 working days following collection of the goods. This means that if an employee leaves or is made redundant from their employment during the hire period they are obliged to pay the remaining salary sacrifice amount in full from net pay i.e. without any tax exemptions.

If applicable, the employee may then be offered ownership of the equipment in the normal way (please refer to 'What happens at the end of the hire period?' above).

For further information please see the Department for Transport’s Cycle to Work implementation guide: Cycle to work Guide