Employers can usually provide bicycles and cycling equipment to employees as a tax-free benefit. The Cycle to Work scheme can help employees save tax and National Insurance on the cost of providing cycling equipment while encouraging more sustainable travel.

Under the scheme, employers can lend or hire bicycles and cyclists’ safety equipment to employees without creating a taxable benefit, provided certain conditions are met. The offer must be available generally to employees and the bicycle must be used mainly for qualifying journeys, such as travelling between home and work. Employees can still use the bicycle for other purposes, including leisure use, provided this is not the main use.

The scheme can cover bicycles, including electrically assisted pedal cycles, together with relevant safety equipment such as helmets and other cycling accessories. Two bicycles may be provided where this is necessary for a qualifying journey, for example where an employee cycles at both ends of a train journey.

Where the conditions are satisfied, employers do not need to report the benefit to HMRC and there is no Income Tax or National Insurance charge for the employee or employer. The scheme is usually operated through a salary sacrifice arrangement, allowing employees to pay for the equipment from their gross salary and benefit from tax and National Insurance savings.