Employee leasing is an attractive financing option for racing bikes - even expensive ones. The monthly leasing instalment is deducted from the employee's gross salary, which reduces taxable income.
An example: If you lease a bike at the official sales price of 6,000 euros, the monthly instalment for a term of 36 months is around 200 euros. If you earn around 3,000 euros gross, your taxable gross salary is reduced to 2,800 euros. The net amount is only reduced by about half this amount, while at the same time the pension and social security contributions are reduced. This is also the small disadvantage of the advantage: If necessary, you would also receive less money from these pots in line with the lower contributions. After three years, you will have paid around €3,600 net for the racer and could then return the bike and sign a contract for a new one. However, you can also take over the leased bike; the residual value should be negotiated when the contract is concluded. In our example, with the usual 17 per cent of the new price, this would still be a good 1,000 euros, resulting in a theoretical saving of 1,400 euros. In practice, this is usually less: Racing bikes are often offered with discounts on the list price applicable for leasing, and 0.25 per cent of the purchase price - in our example, 15 euros - must be taxed monthly as a non-cash benefit.
Seven leasing providers at a glance
Job bike has been in business since 2008 and is one of the largest and best-known providers. The website is very professional and there is a very informative FAQ section. All costs and conditions are transparent. At Jobrad you can also lease racing bikes from Canyon and Rose. https://www.jobrad.org
Business bike offers leasing deals for companies, employees, the self-employed and specialist dealers and theoretically guarantees an unlimited range of bikes. It doesn't matter whether it's a racing bike, mountain bike, pedelec or cargo bike. The website is clearly organised and the ten most important questions on the subject are answered in an easy-to-understand way. A leasing calculator helps with personalised calculations, and service offers such as repair service or theft insurance can be integrated. https://www.businessbike.de
Company Bike from Munich specialises in employers with more than 500 employees and has more than 2,000 different bike models in its portfolio. Each partner company has its own website through which employees can access the leasing offer. A special feature is the company's own repair service. https://company-bike.com
Eurorad as a subsidiary of the bicycle purchasing cooperative ZEG, mainly offers Bulls and Pegasus bikes, so the selection for racing cyclists is rather small. However, the integrated premium protection offers free replacement of all wearing parts. Another customer-friendly feature is the 24-hour pick-up service throughout Germany in the event of damage that makes it impossible to continue the journey. https://www.eurorad.de
Lease a Bike is part of the Derby Cycle Group and, in addition to its own brands Focus, Kalkhoff and Univega, also offers brands from freely selectable dealers. The transaction works primarily via the online portal. Comprehensive insurance offers round off the range. https://www.lease-a-bike.de
My company bike offers a selection of more than 5,000 bike models from various specialist brands. A clear map helps you to find a dealer (out of a total of 2,500) in your neighbourhood. All necessary documents can be downloaded as a PDF before concluding a contract, and a clearly organised FAQ section helps with questions. https://www.mein-dienstrad.de
Bike leasing from Uslar in Lower Saxony cooperates with more than 2,000 specialist dealers and deliberately does not use mail-order or direct providers. The lessee can use its own app to request help quickly in the event of damage. A binding takeover offer is only made three months before the end of the lease. https://www.bikeleasing.de
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
Plus
- Lower taxable income
- Theft protection, repair and maintenance services or mobility guarantees can be integrated into the lease
- Self-employed persons can claim full tax relief on leasing instalments
- The residual value of the racer is fixed, there are no hidden costs
Minus
- 0.25 per cent of the new price must be taxed monthly as a non-cash benefit
- Not every employer offers bike leasing
- The desired bike is not available from the supplier. Bikes from Canyon and Rose, for example, are only available from Jobrad
- There may be waiting times for popular models
Matthias Borchers
Editor
