Bike to Work scheme - the Megathread - Read post #1 before posting

Pinch Flat

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Even if very few are truly cycling to work, this has been a fantastic scheme, it's created employment and has encouraged more into doing activities such as cycling. It's a very progressive policy and should be rolled out across other sporting activities

Next up. Roller blading to work scheme. :pac:

AndrewJRenko

OffalyMedic wrote: »

Has anyone got their bike to work through the HSE/NAS how long were ye waiting to collect it after handing in forms?

Have you a good relationship with your bike shop? Mine let me take the bike once I showed approval by our HR manager, so they got payment a few weeks later.

monkeysnapper wrote: »

my HR manager sighed.... "Every employee has had a bike on this scheme ....and the car park is full of cars...not a bike in sight...

Ask them what else they've done to encourage cycling and discourage parking - have they got decent showers, lockers, drying space, safe locking area with proper Sheffield stands for the bikes? Have they done anything positive - like a free breakfast on once a month for cyclists, or a bike repair guy coming on site periodically? Have they done anything negative for drivers - like a no-drive day or no-parking day to get people to try out other options?

OffalyMedic

AndrewJRenko wrote:

Have you a good relationship with your bike shop? Mine let me take the bike once I showed approval by our HR manager, so they got payment a few weeks later.

Unfortunately not, I'm new to the area and bike shop. Rang HR yesterday and they said invoice will be paid next Friday so hopefully get out on bike on Saturday 😄

monkeysnapper

loyatemu wrote: »

which bits are falling apart?

Well to be honest I bought a very cheap bike on scheme , my bike was 300 euro , and it weight a ton , I didn't mind because it was mighty training , it was like something out of a rocky film cycling home long way at night ....saved my lovely racer for weekend ...

Its not all the bikes fault either, the pup eat half the peddles and it lives out in the elements 415 days of the year . ...

In 2019 I'll be back down cycle shop only this time I'll be splashing up to full amount .

Can you get a muzzle on scheme ???

cython

monkeysnapper wrote: »

Well to be honest I bought a very cheap bike on scheme , my bike was 300 euro , and it weight a ton , I didn't mind because it was mighty training , it was like something out of a rocky film cycling home long way at night ....saved my lovely racer for weekend ...

Its not all the bikes fault either, the pup eat half the peddles and it lives out in the elements 415 days of the year . ...

In 2019 I'll be back down cycle shop only this time I'll be splashing up to full amount .

Can you get a muzzle on scheme ???

Sounds like an alternative use for toe clips... :P :pac:

In case it is somehow still not clear the above is not serious, lest it be thought of as advocating animal cruelty on some level.

Moses048

Hi there,

The place I'm currently working offers the scheme. However, I'm only on minimum wage and only work 25hrs per week so I generally only get taxed about 3 euro per week. Aside from the benefit of being able to pay the bike in installments by using the scheme, would I be taking much off the total cost by using the scheme? Since it's based on your tax? I tried using the savings calculator on the bike to work website but the lowest salary amount you can put is 18000 and I only made 12000 last year! :pac:

magicbastarder

doesn't sound like you'll get much (if any) tax efficiency at all from it.

AndrewJRenko

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Ask them what else they've done to encourage cycling and discourage parking - have they got decent showers, lockers, drying space, safe locking area with proper Sheffield stands for the bikes? Have they done anything positive - like a free breakfast on once a month for cyclists, or a bike repair guy coming on site periodically? Have they done anything negative for drivers - like a no-drive day or no-parking day to get people to try out other options?

sweet christ

magicbastarder

magicbastarder wrote: »

doesn't sound like you'll get much (if any) tax efficiency at all from it.

https://www.cyclescheme.ie/calculator says the OP would have a saving of €240 on a €1000 bike so 24% based on 12k income. Is it not based on your tax band and not the amount of tax you pay? So OP would be in the 0-€34,550 band.

cython

Deleted User wrote: »

https://www.cyclescheme.ie/calculator says the OP would have a saving of €240 on a €1000 bike so 24% based on 12k income. Is it not based on your tax band and not the amount of tax you pay? So OP would be in the 0-€34,550 band.

A lot of calculators are overly simplistic, and rather than accounting for edge cases like the OP, or those who are close to thresholds and can be dragged under by a purchase, they naively use a threshold. Put simply, you can't get tax relief on tax you don't pay, and since the mechanism for this is deduction from your gross and a saving in the form of the tax you would otherwise have paid, if you're not liable for the 24% in tax on a full €1k, you can't save it.

magicbastarder

for example, if you're earning €18kp.a., your tax payable would be €3.6k - but you have €3.3k tax credits, so your net income tax due for the year would be €300. add another couple of hundred for USC too.

Cabaal

Have sorted my second use of the Bike to work scheme this month,
Back in 2011 I got a Trek 1.2 road bike, I still have it and although i still use it now and then I prefer to go running then cycle

This time I want a far more practical bike that I can hop on to cycle to shops, family members homes etc. That I don't have to change clothes for and I won't get destroyed on when the ground is wet.

So, with that in mind i'm going with https://www.gazellebikes.co.uk/bikes/orange-c7plus/

CramCycle

Moses048 wrote: »

Hi there,

The place I'm currently working offers the scheme. However, I'm only on minimum wage and only work 25hrs per week so I generally only get taxed about 3 euro per week. Aside from the benefit of being able to pay the bike in installments by using the scheme, would I be taking much off the total cost by using the scheme? Since it's based on your tax? I tried using the savings calculator on the bike to work website but the lowest salary amount you can put is 18000 and I only made 12000 last year! :pac:

If you onjly pay 3euro in tax a week then the most you will save is 3euro a week, so about 156euro over the year. This said I worked with someone in a similar position and they said the benefits of paying for the bike as an interest free loan alone were worth it. My tax calculations and memory may be off though. If your on about 12000 a year, you will get all of that tax back regardless with your P21, so in effect, the scheme saves you nothing.

Deleted User wrote: »

https://www.cyclescheme.ie/calculator says the OP would have a saving of €240 on a €1000 bike so 24% based on 12k income. Is it not based on your tax band and not the amount of tax you pay? So OP would be in the 0-€34,550 band.

Nope, if you haven't paid it, you cannot claim it back.

AndrewJRenko

Deleted User wrote: »

sweet christ

Have you something to share with the class?


The issues mentioned are all things that Smarter Travel employers are doing to reduce car parking costs, improve staff health and fitness, reduce insurance costs and more:


https://www.smartertravelworkplaces.ie/

Hungrycol

Cabaal wrote: »

Have sorted my second use of the Bike to work scheme this month,
Back in 2011 I got a Trek 1.2 road bike, I still have it and although i still use it now and then I prefer to go running then cycle

This time I want a far more practical bike that I can hop on to cycle to shops, family members homes etc. That I don't have to change clothes for and I won't get destroyed on when the ground is wet.

So, with that in mind i'm going with https://www.gazellebikes.co.uk/bikes/orange-c7plus/

... but you didn't get it on the Bike to WORK* scheme I presume?!

*or other qualifying journeys

Idleater

Hungrycol wrote: »

... but you didn't get it on the Bike to WORK* scheme I presume?!

*or other qualifying journeys

There's no exclusivity clause around extra usage of a BTW bicycle. The intention of the purchase is to use it on qualifying journeys, not exclusively on qualifying journeys.

Cabaal

Idleater wrote: »

There's no exclusivity clause around extra usage of a BTW bicycle. The intention of the purchase is to use it on qualifying journeys, not exclusively on qualifying journeys.

Indeed,
Worth noting that even employee's who work from home can avail of the scheme

vicwatson

When will this inequality be squashed to extend the scheme to self employed I wonder

italodisco

Hi folks, just wondering....

I used the scheme in 2014, early in the year.

suggestion of/question about tax fraud edited out. you're asking for assistance with breaking the law.

italodisco

italodisco wrote: »

Hi folks, just wondering....

I used the scheme in 2014, early in the year.

suggestion of/question about tax fraud edited out. you're asking for assistance with breaking the law.

I'm not looking to break the law, I'm just wondering really how flexible they are on it.

I'll be 4 months away from January when I buy it, would it really be a huge issue?

Considering I'm on the lower tax band.

I would love to not wait until January to get a bike....

Staccato_1238

Hey, I got a new job and asked my employer if they do cycle to work scheme. They do, but they told me that I had to wait six months to be eligible. I'm just wondering if this is something they can do? If they can I will have to get the bike myself because I genuinely need it to get to work.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Idleater

Sounds like they offer it after probation? They're allowed to run the scheme as they like.

You could offer to pay for it in one go if you outlined that you actually need it to get to work?

shootermcgee

Does anyone no if it's still available

Sal Butamol

Yes. Got a new bike last week on it.

Highcontrast1

yes, just got my certificate after 21 days.

shootermcgee

What's needed for it and is there much paperwork and what way is the money side of things handled

Weepsie

Threads Merged, please try and search when posting a new one.

Highcontrast1

shootermcgee wrote: »

What's needed for it and is there much paperwork and what way is the money side of things handled

not much needed, you just need a quote from a shop that your company deals with. once you sign up and submit the quote you wait for your certificate to be approved and issued. i'd imagine it varies from employer to employer but this was the process for me.

mirrormatrix

What's the craic with buying from suppliers abroad? Do they need to be on this list?

https://ogp.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/10_08_2018A_Bicycle-Suppliers.pdf

rubadub

mirrormatrix wrote: »

What's the craic with buying from suppliers abroad? Do they need to be on this list?

https://ogp.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/10_08_2018A_Bicycle-Suppliers.pdf

Thats a list for civil service workers. Like I have seen banks who have a list of shops employees must use. Likely they are set up in accounts to do it easier, or the people involved got a brown envelope of some sort.

So depends on if your work has a list or not.