Company Bike Calculator 2026
A German company bike taken through salary conversion is taxed at 0.25% of its recommended retail price a month, and unlike a company car the commute is not taxed on top. This calculator shows what the leasing rate really costs you net and how much you save against buying the same bike out of taxed income.
What the company bike costs you net
EUR / month
Example calculation with default valuesView sources
The leasing rate comes off your gross, and in exchange you are taxed on 0.25% of the retail price as a benefit in kind. In effect you pay for the bike out of gross rather than net pay, and that is where the saving comes from.
Next step:Calculate the taxable benefit of a company carCalculate the net cost and employer top-up of a company pension
Your details
The maker price at handover, not what your dealer charged.
The amount your employer actually deducts from the gross.
Without the bike, so your ordinary monthly gross.
On top of salary is tax free, salary conversion is not.
Average for 2026: 2.9%. Your own rate is on your insurer’s website.
Childless employees aged 23+ pay a surcharge in long-term care insurance.
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Side by side
Difference-49.50 EUR / month
How the figure adds up
- Taxable benefit (0.25% of the retail price)
- 8 EUR / month
- Gross after conversion
- 3,915 EUR / month
- Net without the bike
- 2,605.50 EUR / month
- Net with the bike
- 2,556 EUR / month
- Same rate out of taxed income
- 85 EUR / month
- Saving per month
- 35.50 EUR / month
- Saving in percent
- 41.76 %
Good to know
The conversion lowers your contribution-liable gross and with it your later pension a little. At ordinary rates the effect is small, but it is not zero.
- Not included is buying the bike at the end of the term. If you buy it below market value, the difference is taxable.
Non-binding estimate based on the 0.25% rule and PAP 2026. S-pedelecs assisting beyond 25 km/h count as motor vehicles and follow the car rules including the commute surcharge, which this calculator does not model. Not tax advice.
The link carries your inputs, not the result: whoever opens it calculates with the current figures.
How much do I save with a company bike?
With a German company bike via salary conversion you are taxed on 1% of a quarter of the recommended retail price a month in 2026, that quarter rounded down to a full 100 euro, so roughly 0.25%, and unlike a company car the commute stays untaxed.
The formula
Taxable benefit per month = a quarter of the recommended retail price, rounded down to a full 100 euro, times 1%. Your gross falls by the leasing rate, the taxable benefit is added to the taxable and contribution-liable gross, and the difference in take-home pay is what the bike really costs.
Worked example
Example: a bike with a recommended retail price of 3,200 EUR and a leasing rate of 85 EUR a month on a gross of 4,000 EUR gives a taxable benefit of 8 EUR. Net, the bike costs you 49.50 EUR instead of 85 EUR when bought from taxed income, so 35.50 EUR less a month.
Key figures for 2026
| Valuation under salary conversion | a quarter of the retail price, rounded down to a full 100 euro, taxed at 1% a month |
|---|---|
| Commute | stays untaxed, there is no 0.03% surcharge as with a car |
| Bike on top of salary | entirely free of tax and contributions (§3 no. 37 EStG) |
| Period the 0.25% rule covers | bikes handed over from 2019 to 2030 |
| Commuter allowance | still claimable in your tax return despite the company bike |
Figures verified:
How a company bike is taxed
There are two routes, and they differ fundamentally. If your employer provides the bike on top of the salary already owed, the whole thing is free of tax and contributions under §3 no. 37 EStG. You pay nothing and give up nothing.
The more common route is salary conversion: the leasing rate is deducted from your gross. In exchange you are taxed on private use at 1% of a quarter of the recommended retail price a month (§6 para. 1 no. 4 sentence 6 EStG together with the state decrees of 9 January 2020). The order decides the figure: quarter first, then round down to a full 100 euro, then 1%. On a bike costing 3,000 euro that is 750 euro, floored to 700 euro, so 7.00 euro a month.
The decisive difference to a company car: the commute is not taxed on top. There is no 0.03% surcharge per commute kilometer. And you may still claim the commuter allowance in your tax return even though you ride the company bike.
Because you pay for the bike out of gross rather than net pay, the saving against buying from taxed income is typically thirty to forty-five percent, depending on tax class and income. The calculator gives you your own figure rather than a rule of thumb.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a company bike really save me?
- It depends on your marginal tax rate and social contributions. Because the leasing rate comes off the gross and only 0.25% of the retail price is taxed, the real net cost is typically thirty to forty-five percent below the rate. The calculator gives you your figure, not the rule of thumb.
- Do I have to pay tax on commuting with the company bike?
- No. The 0.03% surcharge per commute kilometer exists only for company cars. For a bike the commute is covered by the 0.25%, and you can still claim the commuter allowance in your tax return.
- Which is better, salary conversion or a bike on top of salary?
- On top of salary is always better: under §3 no. 37 EStG it stays free of tax and contributions, so it costs you nothing. Salary conversion is the usual route because most employers do not gift the bike, they only provide the tax framework.
- Does salary conversion affect my pension?
- Yes, a little. The conversion lowers your contribution-liable gross, so you collect marginally fewer pension points during that time. At a rate of 80 euro a month the effect is very small, but it belongs in an honest answer.
- What happens at the end of the term?
- The lessor usually offers you the bike, often at around 18% of the retail price. If that price is below market value, the difference is a taxable benefit. This calculator does not model it, because the terms differ by provider.
- Does this apply to an S-pedelec?
- No. An S-pedelec with motor assistance beyond 25 km/h counts as a motor vehicle in traffic law and is treated like a company car, including the commute surcharge. Use the company-car calculator for that.
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As of (tax year 2026) · last verified:
Sources:
Scope of review: formulas and reference values were checked against the sources listed above, by the Nomado24 editorial team. What is verified is the calculation logic, not your personal situation. Not tax or legal advice.