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Cycle to work scheme

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krazykayaker	17 Jun 16:17
Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 112 Bike: My Profile	Hi does any one know much about the cycle to work scheme?? i will be totally honest and say now that i would only cycle to work on very rare occasions as i have to use my van daily as part of my job and would only be able to cycle to work if i am to be office bound for the day the reason i am asking is - i want to buy a decent bike for a decent tax free price!! so in a nutshell - can i use the cycle to work scheme if i am not going to cycle to work!!??
My Latest Route: Jan 2010 Corley Circular via Fillongley and Ash Green

krazykayaker

17 Jun 16:17

Joined: 20 Apr 2009

Posts: 112

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Hi does any one know much about the cycle to work scheme??

i will be totally honest and say now that i would only cycle to work on very rare occasions as i have to use my van daily as part of my job and would only be able to cycle to work if i am to be office bound for the day

the reason i am asking is - i want to buy a decent bike for a decent tax free price!!

so in a nutshell - can i use the cycle to work scheme if i am not going to cycle to work!!??

My Latest Route: Jan 2010 Corley Circular via Fillongley and Ash Green

youngbuzzard	18 Jun 06:59
Joined: 18 Jun 2009 Posts: 1 Bike:	Hi, I looked into it recently for you same reasons as you. What i understood from it was that you have to cycle to work for a certain amount of the time, though unless your boss "tells on you" i think that you will be alright. I ended up just buying my bike, after talking to someone who said that they got a bike through the scheme and it took ages. Plus has your company signed up for the scheme? It is also worth knowing that until you have paid for the bike it is owend by your company. They basically buy the bike tax free then sell it to you. Hope this helps!

youngbuzzard

18 Jun 06:59

Joined: 18 Jun 2009

Posts: 1

Bike:

Hi, I looked into it recently for you same reasons as you.
What i understood from it was that you have to cycle to work for a certain amount of the time, though unless your boss "tells on you" i think that you will be alright.
I ended up just buying my bike, after talking to someone who said that they got a bike through the scheme and it took ages.
Plus has your company signed up for the scheme?
It is also worth knowing that until you have paid for the bike it is owend by your company. They basically buy the bike tax free then sell it to you.
Hope this helps!

krazykayaker	19 Jun 08:18
Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 112 Bike: My Profile	Thanks for the reply, i have since found out that although quite a few people have enquired about the scheme at work, my employer does not want to sign up for it :( looks like i better start saving up (or find the credit card ! :))
My Latest Route: Jan 2010 Corley Circular via Fillongley and Ash Green

krazykayaker	19 Jun 08:18
Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 112 Bike: My Profile	Thanks for the reply, i have since found out that although quite a few people have enquired about the scheme at work, my employer does not want to sign up for it :( looks like i better start saving up (or find the credit card ! :))
My Latest Route: Jan 2010 Corley Circular via Fillongley and Ash Green

dudley	22 Jun 12:08
Joined: 16 Jan 2009 Posts: 498 Bike: My Profile	talk him into it tell him you'll help administer it for the office, or something. Costs him nothing. higher rate taxpayer, a Â£1,000 costs you around Â£590, or Â£50 a month. lower rate tax payer, it costs you Â£750 ish or so, i think. bargain! our scheme (which i am yet to get into, but will in September) states that 50% of journeys should be to get to work BUT IT WILL NOT BE CHECKED (it says that in the documentation) you can claim that you cycle to the station - then get the train etc. nobody checks. It is 50% of journeys, not distance, anyway! the bicycle can be purchased by you after 2 years or so (maybe 1?) (technically belongs to company) but generally for around 5% of purchase price (Â£50 on a Â£1,000 bike!) so, take a Â£1,000 bike, pay Â£590 for it, buy it back for Â£50, sell it for Â£500 or so, and get another! brand new machine every two years for next to nothing!! A friend with a small company does this and managed to use this year's allowance to buy two cabon aero racing wheels for his triathlon bike! great scheme - give your boss a slap - give him some chat about Corporate Socail Responsibility i will be using my current bike to cycle to work. (old workhorse - dont mind it getting worn down in th grime, potholes and salty spray) and using my allowance to get a Carbon Chris Boardman affair (priced to hit the max spend limit, i think, although extremely well specced)
My Latest Route: Nov 2009 Forth Estuary Circular

dudley

22 Jun 12:08

Joined: 16 Jan 2009

Posts: 498

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My Profile

talk him into it

tell him you'll help administer it for the office, or something. Costs him nothing.

higher rate taxpayer, a Â£1,000 costs you around Â£590, or Â£50 a month.
lower rate tax payer, it costs you Â£750 ish or so, i think.

bargain!

our scheme (which i am yet to get into, but will in September) states that 50% of journeys should be to get to work BUT IT WILL NOT BE CHECKED (it says that in the documentation)
you can claim that you cycle to the station - then get the train etc. nobody checks. It is 50% of journeys, not distance, anyway!

the bicycle can be purchased by you after 2 years or so (maybe 1?) (technically belongs to company) but generally for around 5% of purchase price (Â£50 on a Â£1,000 bike!)

so, take a Â£1,000 bike, pay Â£590 for it, buy it back for Â£50, sell it for Â£500 or so, and get another!

brand new machine every two years for next to nothing!! A friend with a small company does this and managed to use this year's allowance to buy two cabon aero racing wheels for his triathlon bike!

great scheme - give your boss a slap - give him some chat about Corporate Socail Responsibility

i will be using my current bike to cycle to work. (old workhorse - dont mind it getting worn down in th grime, potholes and salty spray) and using my allowance to get a Carbon Chris Boardman affair (priced to hit the max spend limit, i think, although extremely well specced)

My Latest Route: Nov 2009 Forth Estuary Circular

bx_83	01 Jul 21:37
Joined: 24 Jun 2009 Posts: 2 Bike: My Profile	My work has taken it up this year. It's a good scheme only a couple of people from work have taken it up rest to far away or lazy to go for it. I'm not far from work only used it a couple of times to get to work. I'm more trying to get a bit fitter with it maybe use the bike a bit more for comuting to work later. We pay it back over 1 year and then buy it back from work for somthing like 5% of the price at the end. Good deal to be honest. just wish it was a little less hilly round me.
My Latest Route: Jun 2009 Govan Ibrox Loop (easy)

bx_83

01 Jul 21:37

Joined: 24 Jun 2009

Posts: 2

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My Profile

My work has taken it up this year. It's a good scheme only a couple of people from work have taken it up rest to far away or lazy to go for it. I'm not far from work only used it a couple of times to get to work. I'm more trying to get a bit fitter with it maybe use the bike a bit more for comuting to work later. We pay it back over 1 year and then buy it back from work for somthing like 5% of the price at the end. Good deal to be honest. just wish it was a little less hilly round me.

My Latest Route: Jun 2009 Govan Ibrox Loop (easy)

RonnieG	19 Jul 12:48
Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Posts: 24 Bike: My Profile	It's a great Scheme and you should badger your company to adopt it. The rules state the Bike shold be for commuting. As far as i know you are free to decide what days / day you wish to bike to work and how far...;-). The important point is the amount you wish to spend is locked once you sign - up. That means getting your letter stating 700ukp is no good if you want a 750ukp bike. No change or additions to the declared amount. Unless you buy a Bike for 650 and 50 pounds of cycle accessories. Buying part of a bike (wheels) is against the spirit of the scheme and although not checked directly, jepodises your company's involvement in the scheme. ( The vendor of the goods may be audited). The best bit is knowing Allister Darling has chipped in up to 40% of the cost of your pride and joy. Thanks Al. ....and you can have a new bike every year. Cycle to work....... Love it!

RonnieG

19 Jul 12:48

Joined: 19 Jul 2009

Posts: 24

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It's a great Scheme and you should badger your company to adopt it.
The rules state the Bike shold be for commuting. As far as i know you are free to decide what days / day you wish to bike to work and how far...;-).

The important point is the amount you wish to spend is locked once you sign - up. That means getting your letter stating 700ukp is no good if you want a 750ukp bike. No change or additions to the declared amount. Unless you buy a Bike for 650 and 50 pounds of cycle accessories.

Buying part of a bike (wheels) is against the spirit of the scheme and although not checked directly, jepodises your company's involvement in the scheme. ( The vendor of the goods may be audited).

The best bit is knowing Allister Darling has chipped in up to 40% of the cost of your pride and joy. Thanks Al.
....and you can have a new bike every year.

Cycle to work....... Love it!

banbowers	20 Jul 10:43
Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7 Bike: My Profile	Depends on how your company polices the scheme our company stated they had no intention of policing it .so i got one and have never been checked up on .and have just got a second Bike on the bike to work when the old one finished
My Latest Route: May 2011 Portsmouth and Langstone Harbour

toon	20 Jul 11:00
Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 1 Bike:	have recently taken advantage of this scheme. kent county council have signed up so i got a new bike for the summer (teacher!). basically had 500 quid to use for 22 quid a month for a year! result i would say. just make sure you have costed it out cos you get no change. the bike i wanted went down in price by 45 quid. i therefore had to get 45 quid of accessories or lose it! now i have a decent heart monitor for the handlebars anyway. i would urge anyone to go for this. get the govt money while its there. we don;t of ten get owt for nowt as they say! toon

toon

20 Jul 11:00

Joined: 20 Jul 2009

Posts: 1

Bike:

have recently taken advantage of this scheme. kent county council have signed up so i got a new bike for the summer (teacher!). basically had 500 quid to use for 22 quid a month for a year! result i would say. just make sure you have costed it out cos you get no change. the bike i wanted went down in price by 45 quid. i therefore had to get 45 quid of accessories or lose it! now i have a decent heart monitor for the handlebars anyway. i would urge anyone to go for this. get the govt money while its there. we don;t of ten get owt for nowt as they say!
toon

RonnieG	22 Jul 06:45
Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Posts: 24 Bike: My Profile	The participating company may not be Audited...too many but the Vendor who accepts the Voucher may. Small odds agreed .

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