THE BIKE BENEFIT CONTINUES: CHECK YOUR STATUS IN YOUR VAPAUS ACCOUNT
The tax treatment of your benefit bike from 2026 onwards depends on when your bike agreement was approved. You can easily check this in your personal Vapaus account at user.vapaus.io.
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Agreements approved on or before 23 April 2025 will remain tax-exempt until the end of the agreement period, for a maximum of five years from the start of the benefit.
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Agreements approved on or after 24 April 2025 will become taxable as of 1 January 2026.
The Finnish Tax Administration determines eligibility based specifically on the approval date of the order — not the delivery date of the bike or the technical start date of the agreement.
But here’s some good news: if your bike is stolen, damaged, or needs to be replaced under warranty or for another reason unrelated to your employment, the tax-exempt status of your benefit remains unchanged. In these cases, the agreement is not considered a new contract.
MORE INFORMATION FOR EMPLOYEES
To learn more about Vapaus Bike Benefit 2026 and its advantages for you, we recommend downloading our latest guide. You can download it here!
VAPAUS BIKE BENEFIT 2026 MAKES THE OVERALL PACKAGE EVEN SMARTER
Although the tax exemption will end for new agreements, the overall structure of the bike benefit has evolved. The Vapaus Bike Benefit in 2026 is designed for a changing tax environment where the real value comes from cost control, simplicity, and fairness.
With the new model, the bike benefit:
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works consistently across all income levels
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is not based on marginal tax savings, but on a smart financing structure
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divides costs into clear monthly instalments
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enables employees to acquire a high-quality bike without a large upfront payment
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is easy for employers to manage
In many cases, this makes the bike benefit even more cost-effective than before — particularly for low- and middle-income employees, as well as for employers who value predictable costs and simple administration.
VAPAUS BIKE BENEFIT 2026: NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO ADOPT THE UPDATED MODEL
If your company is considering introducing a bike benefit — or if you want to ensure your existing benefit is fit for today’s reality — now is an excellent time to act. The Vapaus Bike Benefit 2026 has been designed to respond to the changing tax landscape and to make the bike benefit even simpler, more predictable, and more cost-efficient for employers.
Start by exploring the employer guide:
Employer Guide – The Bike Benefit 2026 in Practice
If you’d like to implement the new bike benefit or update your current model, Vapaus experts are happy to help at b2bsupport@vapaus.io. Let’s review your organisation’s situation together and get the wheels turning again.
Frequently asked questions
We understand that the proposed change to the benefit benefit tax exemption raise questions. We’ve compiled answers to the most frequently asked questions below to help provide a clear picture of the situation. This FAQ section is updated regularly as soon as new and more detailed information becomes available.
Read more about the bike benefit in 2026!
Please note: The Finnish Tax Administration determines tax treatment specifically based on the bike order approval date.
A bike benefit can be offered either as part of your salary (salary sacrifice) or on top of your salary. Taxation depends on which model your employer uses.
As part of salary (salary sacrifice)
The cost of the bike is deducted from your salary. For example:
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Your gross monthly salary: 3 000 €
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Your net salary: 2 320 €
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Bike benefit value: 100 €/month
Your employer deducts the 100 € bike benefit value from your net salary, leaving you with 2 220 € take-home pay. You continue to pay tax according to your normal tax rate based on your 3 000 €gross salary.
Note: Under the previous model, the bike benefit portion was tax-exempt income, which reduced your taxable salary (i.e. 3 000 € – 100 € tax-free benefit = 2 900 € taxable income).
On top of salary
The value of the bike benefit is added to your salary (for example, 3 500 € + 100 € = 3 600 €). You pay tax on the new gross salary amount (3 600 €), and the benefit may increase your tax rate.
The final impact on your net salary is always individual. You can and should check your personal situation in MyTax (OmaVero).
Instead of the previous fixed 100 €/month structure, our new model distributes the costs into moderate monthly instalments — starting from as little as 29 €/month — making the benefit accessible to even more employees, regardless of income level.
The package includes comprehensive insurance and is often more affordable than traditional consumer financing.
In many cases, the bike can be transferred to your new employer. However, if the transfer has taken place after 24 April 2025, the agreement is interpreted as new, and the tax exemption will not continue.
When changing employers, it is important to agree on the continuation of the benefit with your new employer. If transferring the benefit is not possible, you can typically return the bike to Vapaus or purchase it for yourself in accordance with the agreement terms.
You can always see your bike’s current redemption value in your Vapaus user account, giving you full transparency into your available options.
The agreement is therefore not interpreted as new, and the tax exemption does not end due to the corporate restructuring.
The decision was outlined in spring 2025 and confirmed in the autumn, when the government submitted its proposal to Parliament stating that the tax exemption would end as of 1 January 2026 for benefit bike agreements approved on or after 24 April 2025. Agreements approved before that date will remain tax-exempt until the end of their contract period.
Although the tax exemption has ended for some users, the bike benefit itself will remain. It continues to be an employer-provided employee benefit, and Vapaus’ new bike benefit model has been designed to ensure cycling remains attractive and accessible even in the changed tax environment.