Ah, a ‘tHe sElf eMpLoyEd pAy nO tAx’ thread – it’s been a while 😉
HMRC are the single largest benefactor of my company being in business. They receive more than any single other entity – including me and my co-owner.
I do still get to use a Bike to Work scheme though as a ‘perk’ of being an employee on the books. Which means that I get taxed via PAYE with NI deductions taken off just like everybody else. And twice a year via my Self Assessment.
I pay tax. All of our employees pay tax. Our company pays a quarterly VAT bill, monthly P32 and annual corporation tax bills. But please, don’t let that stop the same tedious bleating about someone being able to save a few quid on a new bike.
To answer the original question – not in our experience. We’ve had a few staff buying bikes via various schemes (I don’t mind signing up for whatever scheme the bike shop they want to use works with) and generally the ‘Scheme’ just deals with everything.
Green Commute Initiative is the best one I’ve found so far – by far the easiest to deal with, lowest fees for the bike shops and flexible repayment terms. If it’s an option for you, it’s definitely the one I’d recommend.