Your questions matched with our answers

With a bike lease you get an (electric) bike with a full service package. The standard period for leasing a bicycle is 36 months. At Joule you can pick a leasingterm of 12, 24, 36 or 48 months. The package includes annual maintenance, damage and theft insurance and roadside assistance. You pay a monthly fee for this.

The organization purchases bicycles, or intervenes in a group purchase for the staff. You can also choose a maintenance contract. 

With bicycle leasing, you rent the bicycle. Joule remains the owner of your bike. With a purchase, on the other hand, you fully own the bike. 

Lets summarize the many benefits:

• Financial: a company bicycle is 40% cheaper than buying one yourself. As a self-employed person or employer, a bicycle is 100% tax deductible. As an employee, you don't pay any withholding tax or benefit in kind and you get a bicycle allowance on top of that. 
• Functional: no more traffic jams and stress! With an (electric) bike you save time and can efficiently cover long distances to work.
• Healthy: biking regularly to work is good for your (mental) health.
• Ecological: if you choose a company bicycle, you help reduce CO2 emissions. So it's good for you and the planet. 

• Leasing a bicycle through your company is about 40% cheaper than buying one and at no extra cost to the employer. You pay for your lease bike on your gross salary, which means you end up paying less social security, employer contributions and taxes. Moreover, the cost is spread over a period of 12, 24, 36 or 48 months. 
• When you lease a bike from Joule, you can jump on your bike carefree.Your bicycle package includes annual maintenance, damage and theft insurance and a subscription to breakdown assistance. You can also choose how you want your bike repaired: at home or at a bike store nearby.  

No. At Joule, every company is welcome, regardless of the number of employees. Even self-employed people without employees can come to us.

Joule is a cycling partner for companies, independent workers and governments. Our mission is to get as many people as possible on their bikes. We take charge of the entire process of your bike plan, from concept to maintenance. We distribute more than 30 brands and have our own mechanics who deliver, maintain and repair the bikes. Minimum effort for maximum biking fun!

If you regularly bike to work, the cost of the bike lease is exempt from social security contributions and tax. For the employer, no employer contributions are added to the bicycle leasing benefit.

​In a salary swap, the cost of the bicycle lease is passed on via your salary. Depending on the applicable collective labor agreement, this can be done through one or more gross salary components (e.g. gross salary, end-of-year bonus or bonus). Since bicycle leasing is exempt from employer contributions, a budget is first made of the total wage cost including employer contributions. The cost of the bicycle lease is deducted from that budget.

• As a result, the net impact on your salary can be up to 40% less than the effective cost of the bicycle. 
• Practical example for a bicycle lease of €100/month including VAT .

Attention! The (para)fiscal benefits only apply if you use the bicycle regularly for commuting.

In some sectors, salary exchange is not possible (see next question).

​The possibility of salary exchange is limited in a number of ways. On the one hand, the remaining gross salary may never fall below the sectoral gross salary. On the other hand, there are many collective agreements that exclude the exchange of certain gross salary components for another benefit (such as a bicycle). For more information, please consult your social secretariat. The lease cost can always be deducted from your net salary by mutual agreement, but there are no (para)fiscal advantages attached to this. Your employer can also choose to offer the bicycle lease for free.

The benefit of bike leasing depends on a few factors, including the tax rate. This depends, among other things, on your marital status, the number of dependent children, etc. For a correct calculation of the net cost of bicycle leasing, it is best to consult your personnel department. For a rough estimate you can always consult our calculator.

​Yes, you can, unless the salary would fall so below baremalone, or if this is excluded in a sectoral collective agreement. The calculation is similar to the calculation of the gross salary.

​​The bicycle allowance is an expense allowance for employees for the commuting distance covered by bicycle. This allowance is exempt from taxes and social security contributions up to 0.25€ per kilometer. You then receive an allowance per kilometer traveled by bicycle. The bicycle allowance can be cumulated with the benefit of the lease bicycle.

​​The reimbursement applies only to travel from home to work and not to professional travel. Professional travel is regarded as a cost for the employer. The employee and employer mutually determine which is the best and safest route. 

​​There is no general obligation for employers, but there is an obligation in certain sectors. For example, in PC200 (white-collar workers) there is a minimum bicycle allowance of 10 cents per kilometer.

There is no benefit in kind and therefore no tax if the bicycle is used regularly for commuting. Your employer will, however, request a statement in honor that you agree to use the bicycle regularly for commuting.

There is no legal framework but the NSSO and tax authorities generally accept 20% of commuting as a minimum. 

This is possible provided you take your bike to work on a regular basis.

Your employer will determine what the options are, but there are usually three options:

• you buy the bike at the market value at the time;
• you return the bicycle and pay an administrative fee;
• you pass the bicycle to a colleague.

Battery range depends on three crucial elements:

• Bike battery capacity: 400Wh, 500Wh, 630Wh or 1000Wh.
• Usage of battery: do you ride in eco or turbo mode? 
• The weather conditions: in colder weather, the battery will not last as long.

Make sure to always put the battery inside when freezing!

A belt drive is a drive in which the chain is replaced by a plastic belt. The belt runs over two sprockets and is made of a strong stretch-resistant carbon fiber. 

​There are some important tips to keep your bike's battery in top condition. We list them for you in this blog article.