Cycle-to Work Scheme

silvo

Dont know if this has already been posted but they have radio ads on at the moment. Might be of interest to some:

http://www.raleigh2work.ie/home.html

Cleberp

Had a look at the website. They advertise it pretty well. It's just a matter of convincing my work to see the value in it. I took advantage of the same type of scheme through my employer in Scotland. Thankfully the owner of the company was some sort of ex-Iron Man so saw the advantage of exercise and the like.

This is probably the biggest selling point:
"As there is no financial cost to the employer, all of the above only stand to improve the company’s competitive advantage as an employer and within the market place. Even better, the monthly ‘salary sacrifice’ comes from the employees’ gross salary – which is not subject to Employers Pay Related Social Insurance – employers save money too! "

But I'm not the biggest fan of Raleigh.

Does anyone know of any other stores/ or brands [Trek or Giant etc] that do this?

Morgan

You're not limited to Raleigh bikes - check the list of retailers:

http://www.raleigh2work.ie/shops.html

padocon

Hi this may interest you. You can get up to 1,000 off a bike!
http://www.bikescheme.ie/

Morgan

padocon wrote: »

Hi this may interest you. You can get up to 1,000 off a bike!
http://www.bikescheme.ie/

Not exactly - but it's the same scheme.

penexpers

Cleberp wrote: »

This is probably the biggest selling point:
"As there is no financial cost to the employer, all of the above only stand to improve the company’s competitive advantage as an employer and within the market place. Even better, the monthly ‘salary sacrifice’ comes from the employees’ gross salary – which is not subject to Employers Pay Related Social Insurance – employers save money too! "

There is a financial cost though - there is an administritive overhead.

alfalad

I already have a bike through this scheme got it on the 10th of Jan, and the admin cost is pretty small, in our company it was a very simple form which I filled out detailing the overall cost of the bike, the name of the bike shop and how much i was claiming and the monthly repayment out of my gross salary, it was signed by a couple of people but was approved within half an hour of me handing the form over!

AstraMonti

So .. if can explain that a whole bike is written frame in the receipt we could use the money for a new frame?

shapez

The tax return is about €416 if you spend €1000 on a bike & accessories. If you spend over €1000 you only get the tax back on the first €1000.

Very good deal. But if you are after a specific bike from a specific shop or website. It might throw you off if your company only wants you to buy from their list.

Lumen

penexpers wrote: »

There is a financial cost though - there is an administritive overhead.

That's a lousy excuse. Unless you outsource your HR by the hour it's a sunk cost so there is no incremental.

penexpers

shapez wrote: »

The tax return is about €416 if you spend €1000 on a bike & accessories. If you spend over €1000 you only get the tax back on the first €1000.

It's only 416 if you pay tax at the top rate.

Ryaner

Lumen wrote: »

That's a lousy excuse. Unless you outsource your HR by the hour it's a sunk cost so there is no incremental.

Even if you do, the employer prsi saving should write off the cost.

ryan_sherlock

I just sent an email to the greenparty about the front page picture on http://www.bikescheme.ie/

A girl in the middle of the road, with no hands and no helmet... hardly the image they are trying to put forward. (Yes, the pictures is cool in a free/artsy sort of way, but still).

Next website from them www.alwayswearahelmet.ie :P

Vélo

I've seen on a few websites that the employer must agree to sign up to the scheme but where do they sign up. I can't see anything around.

Hungrycol

Employers do not need Revenue approval to run the scheme.

515

Can anyone tell me whether the scheme is open to those who are self employed / sole traders? Using the bike to get around the city for meeting etc...

RobFowl

515 wrote: »

Can anyone tell me whether the scheme is open to those who are self employed / sole traders? Using the bike to get around the city for meeting etc...

I'm in that position and have been told no

Raam

I thought it was open to anyone who pays tax in Ireland?

douglastubbs

scheme is only for employees. on a side note, introduced the scheme into work and only one person said they are interested - slightly disappointed - rant over

Ryaner

douglastubbs wrote: »

scheme is only for employees. on a side note, introduced the scheme into work and only one person said they are interested - slightly disappointed - rant over

I had loads of people interested in my place before xmas, then afterwards when people saw a drop in wages, they all decided against it leaving only two of us getting bikes.

515

RobFowl wrote: »

I'm in that position and have been told no

I phoned today, and was also told no, but they didn't seem certain... Would it be already covered as a deductable anyway if you use it for work activities?

Stark

ryan_sherlock wrote: »

I just sent an email to the greenparty about the front page picture on http://www.bikescheme.ie/

A girl in the middle of the road, with no hands and no helmet... hardly the image they are trying to put forward. (Yes, the pictures is cool in a free/artsy sort of way, but still).

Next website from them www.alwayswearahelmet.ie :P

Afraid she'll fall and crack her head while posing with no hands for the photo?

JuliusCaesar

ryan_sherlock wrote: »

A girl in the middle of the road, with no hands

cool. A disabled cyclist. She must have a specially adapted bike, no?

Traumadoc

RobFowl wrote: »

I'm in that position and have been told no

I work in the HSE ( the "H" stands for health:rolleyes:) and they are not participating - nor, i was told, are the department of education:rolleyes:

JuliusCaesar

Traumadoc wrote: »

I work in the HSE ( the "H" stands for health:rolleyes:)

me too. I asked about getting a cycling allowance for biking to different hospitals for meetings, same as car drivers get. Was told no, although they used to do this in the 70s/80s.

Also pressing for bike sheds and bike racks at every hospital, health centre etc.....

monument

There's also http://www.biketowork.ie/

515

RobFowl wrote: »

I'm in that position and have been told no

Check out this thread... some good news maybe... http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=59057101

SerialComplaint

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

cool. A disabled cyclist.

There is a one-armed cyclist that I see regularly cycling through Ranalagh. His bike is adapted so that both brake cables are wired to one lever.

Stark

I could have sworn I saw a one armed triathlete at two events (one duathlon and one aquathon) in Dublin last year. Wasn't sure if I was imagining things or not.

Caroline_ie

Quick one people ... : do tyres go under accessories or parts? ...

Raam

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Quick one people ... : do tyres go under accessories or parts? ...

part

Hungrycol

Raam wrote: »

part

No.

padocon

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Quick one people ... : do tyres go under accessories or parts? ...

A tyre or spare tyre???
Ether way part!

ChipPanBuddha

Bike to work scheme near completion

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0514/bikes.html


"The Department of Finance says it is close to finalising a bike to work scheme for civil servants five months after it came into effect.
The scheme was announced in last October's Budget and offers an exemption from benefit in kind for employers who are willing to buy bicycles for their employees to travel to work.
But although the scheme has been up and running in the private sector, it has been held up for most of the civil service because of concerns over liability, tendering and warranty.
Advertisement

The Department of Finance said today the scheme is close to being finalised and that the Office of Public Works will be advertising next week to compile a list of authorised suppliers.
Once adopted by the Civil Service, this scheme is expected to be available to all 300,000 workers in the public sector.
Employees repay the cost of bicycles through their wages and effectively write this off against tax, leading to savings of up to €410 on the purchase price.
The Department of Transport, which says it has already implemented the scheme among its own staff recently, announced spending of €2 billion over the next 11 years to quadruple the amount of people cycling to work.
James Leahy of Bike To Work, a company that helps firms implement the scheme, said that in Britain over 30% of all bicycle sales are now processed through a similar tax break there."

Traumadoc

5 months after it was enacted, 7 after it was announced - is there any wonder that public finances are the way they are?:rolleyes:

Acoustic

plus loads of companies dont wanna do it as they dont have the money to pay for the bikes , even though it actually doesnt cost a company anything , but save them in prsi and tax

should be compulsory , as i know 12 guys who want bikes but company wont go with the scheme

Traumadoc

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/new-cycle-to-work-scheme-gets-just-one-query-1658186.html

A spokesman for the Department of Finance also stressed that the Government Supplies Agency is currently drafting a tender document with the intention of setting up a countrywide framework of suppliers of bicycles and safety equipment to service this scheme.

When this framework is in place they will then issue a circular setting out how the framework is to be operated. It is envisaged that this framework should be in place before the end of April.

If the process is only going out to tender now I guess it would be another 6 months before this is operational

monument

I know somebody trying to get a bike via their (correction: private-sector) workplace. The person in charge of it in the company told my friend Revenue said that buying safety gear is a must... this is been confirmed, but it sounds odd... anybody hear anything about this?

Chips Lovell

monument wrote: »

I know somebody trying to get a bike via their (public-sector) workplace. The person in charge of it in the company told my friend Revenue said that buying safety gear is a must... this is been confirmed, but it sounds odd... anybody hear anything about this?

That doesn't sound right to me and I've never seen any reference to it so far. If I were them I'd ring Revenue on 1890 25 45 65 to confirm it.

monument

el tonto wrote: »

That doesn't sound right to me and I've never seen any reference to it so far. If I were them I'd ring Revenue on 1890 25 45 65 to confirm it.

That's what I was thinking, I'll pass that along, thanks.

Also, correction: I meant private-sector workforce, must stop posting on boards while half asleep. Although, I can't see that affecting the issue too much.