Short answer: no, in Belgium you can't lease a bike as a private individual separately from your job. Bike leasing is tied to a salary or to a business, so without an employer or self-employed status, it won't work.
The good news: there are two routes that do get you a lease bike. You lease through your employer, or you lease as a self-employed person, including on the side. Below, you'll read why bike leasing for private individuals doesn't exist, which routes are open and what you can already do today. 🚲
Why you can't lease a bike without an employer
The benefit of bike leasing lies in your salary. Your employer leases the bike and you pay it back with part of your gross salary. That's called salary exchange. Because you pay with gross instead of net income, and the bike gets favourable tax treatment, you end up paying a lot less than with a regular purchase.
Without a salary, that mechanism disappears. As a private individual, you have no gross salary to exchange and no employer to sign the lease contract. Leasing a bike privately would then come down to paying off a bike with your net income, without any tax benefit. That's why leasing companies in Belgium don't offer bike leasing to private individuals.
Curious how salary exchange works exactly? Read our article on bike leasing through a cafeteria plan (in Dutch). Do you have a mobility budget? You can use that to lease a bike too, provided your employer allows it. Find out how in our article on the mobility budget and bike leasing.
The two routes that do exist
1. Through your employer
Does your employer offer bike leasing? Then you choose your own bike and pay for it through salary exchange, spread over the term of the lease. Maintenance, insurance and breakdown assistance are usually included, so all you have to do is ride. Read all about bike leasing through your employer.
2. As a self-employed person, including on the side
Are you self-employed, with a sole proprietorship or a company? Then you lease the bike through your business and deduct the costs for tax purposes. That also applies if you're self-employed on the side, in addition to your job as an employee. Find out how leasing as a self-employed person works.
What you can already do today
No lease bike in sight? These steps still get you off to a good start.
- Ask HR. Maybe there's already a bike plan, or one is in the pipeline. A short email is all it takes.
- Put it on the agenda. Your employer doesn't offer bike leasing yet? Then bring it up yourself. For your employer, it can be budget-neutral, and it makes for fitter, happier colleagues.
- Check your status. Do you have a sole proprietorship, a company or a self-employed side activity? Then you can already lease a bike yourself today.
Want to know first what a lease bike would get you? Calculate what it would cost with our calculator, or find out how bike leasing for the self-employed works. We got your back/bike.
As co-founder and CMO at Joule, Laurens stays close to the customer. He understands their needs, knows their challenges, and is always looking for ways to make bike leasing simpler and more accessible. His mission? Getting as many people on a bike as possible, powered by a healthy dose of Joule energy. Can’t reach him? He’s probably working out or on the road with his Tern GSD longtail. Follow Laurens on LinkedIn!
Alles verliep zeer vlot. Geen extra papierwerk, alles werd door Joules geregeld. Heel tevreden over de service.
Goede communicatie en uitleg. De persoon die het concept is komen voorstellen heeft dit duidelijk gedaan. De testritten waren ook goed georganiseerd.
Top ervaring! Klantenservice is top. Je kan er terecht met al je vragen en ze blijven altijd even vriendelijk. En ik heb best veel vragen gesteld. Levering was top. Zeker een aanrader voor iedereen.
Vlotte service, snel antwoord en zeer vlot in gebruik. De offertes van de fietsenwinkel werden snel verwerkt en overzichtelijk afgeleverd in een leasing-formule.
Heel gemakkelijk dat de technieker op het werk komt! De technieker was vriendelijk. Onderhoud was snel gedaan. Ik heb heel gemakkelijk de afspraak kunnen wijzigen. Ik heb daarvoor een heel vriendelijke en behulpzame persoon aan de lijn gehad.
Jouw vragen,
onze antwoorden
Can I lease a bike as a private individual?
No, in Belgium you can't lease a bike as a private individual. The benefit of bike leasing is tied to your salary or to your business. So you lease through your employer or as a self-employed person.
Can I lease if I'm self-employed on the side?
Yes. Even with a self-employed side activity, you lease a bike through your business. Find out how it works on our page for the self-employed.
Can I lease a bike at Decathlon as a private individual?
At Decathlon too, you lease through your employer or as a self-employed person. Decathlon is a Joule partner, so through either of those two routes you simply pick your bike there. More about our partnership with Decathlon (in Dutch).
What if my employer doesn't offer bike leasing?
Just ask HR. Many employers are open to it as soon as someone brings it up, especially since it can be budget-neutral for them. Feel free to send them a link to joule.be, and we'll take it from there.
What's the difference between leasing and renting?
With leasing, the contract runs through your employer or your business, with a tax benefit and a term of several years. Renting a bike is possible as a private individual, short or long term, but then you pay with your net income.
Is bike rental an alternative?
Definitely, if you want a bike quickly without an employer or self-employed status. A rental subscription is flexible and you can stop whenever you want. In the long run, though, you pay more than with leasing, because there's no tax benefit.
Can I finance a bike myself?
Yes, you can finance a bike personally with a loan from your bank. That spreads the cost, but you don't get the tax benefit of leasing. In that case, you also arrange maintenance and insurance yourself.
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