How does Fietsplan work?

Almost everyone has heard of Fietsplan, but how does it actually work and does every employer take part in Fietsplan? 

With Fietsplan 2018 you buy a complete bike package through your employer. Besides the bike, this package also includes insurance and any bike vouchers. 

Financial benefits with Fietsplan

You pay your employer back for the package using your gross salary. Gross salary means you can offset the amount for tax purposes with the tax authorities. How much you benefit depends on your tax bracket and can add up to 52% tax savings. How you repay your employer is up to them. This can be in 36 months or for example 24, and can also be settled using overtime or holiday allowance. 

The tax authorities encourage buying a bike in order to increase the number of employees who cycle to the office. This is good for people’s health, especially because there are fewer exhaust fumes (environmentally friendly), so it’s a win-win situation. You do have to meet a number of conditions to qualify for Fietsplan, including using (or planning to use) the bike for your commute. 

For employees, the biggest advantage is that you can get a substantial tax contribution, which makes the net purchase price of the bike much lower. And of course, it’s proven that cycling is much healthier than, for example, using the car. Parking is also far easier, especially in the city. And don’t forget the traffic jams you avoid because in the city you’re often faster by bike than by car.

You can take part in Fietsplan through your employer at no cost. Participation in Fietsplan is also free for your employer. 

Who is it for?

When can you take part in Fietsplan? If you cycle to work on a regular basis, or plan to, you can participate. This also applies if you live more than 15 km from work and only cycle part of your commute. Your employer may set certain conditions for participation. You can find these conditions in the brochure your employer has created especially for this purpose. Your employer must be affiliated with Nationale Fietsplan, otherwise you can’t take part. Not sure? Ask your colleagues and HR about the options for buying a bike through Fietsplan. You can participate in Fietsplan once every three years. 

The maximum tax benefit you can get on a bike is up to an amount of € 749. If the bike is more expensive than this amount, you can of course still buy it, but the amount above € 749 cannot be offset with the tax authorities.

Which bikes can I choose?

In principle, you’re free to choose from all types and sizes, so an e-bike is also an option, since you still have to pedal yourself. See also the article about the electric bike.

Note: for all bikes delivered through Nationale Fietsplan, the first service is free. You can have this free maintenance service carried out 3 months after the bike is delivered. You can pay for any further maintenance using the Nationale Fiets vouchers you received, so you can also make optimal use of the tax benefit on maintenance costs. And don’t forget to pick and take out a bike insurance policy.

Administrative process

Once you’ve picked a bike and filled in the Fietsform, you hand this form in to your employer for approval. They then send the form to Nationale Fiets Projecten to order the bike. Nationale Fiets Projecten makes sure the bike dealer delivers the bike from their own stock. The dealer will let you know when you can pick up your bike. On average, this is about 2 to 6 weeks after Nationale Fiets Projecten has received the Fietsform.

That’s plenty of reasons, we’d say, to make use of Fietsplan. Now you just need to find a suitable bike. Think about the type, brand, dealer, etc. But that it’s worth it, both financially and for your health, is obvious! And if you’re still unsure about buying online or not, first read the articles “When to buy your bike online” and “what to look out for”.