Bicycle leasing in education: how it works

June 22, 2026

- Written by:

Bicycle leasing has been possible in the Flemish education sector since 2025. And that's great news! This article covers the ins and outs of bicycle leasing in education. Discover how o2o Bicycle Leasing makes setting up bicycle leasing quick and easy, without the need for mountains of extra admin.

👉 Offering bicycle leasing as a school board

👉 Lease a bicycle as a member of education staff

In a nutshell

Statutory staff — whether full-time or part-time / permanent or temporary — can lease a bicycle through the flexible allocation of their end-of-year allowance. This is known as the flex budget.
Bicycle leasing is not yet available for contract staff.
In Wallonia, bicycle leasing is not yet available in the education sector.

Which educational institutions can offer bicycle leasing?

The following educational institutions can offer bicycle leasing if their payroll is processed through AGODI/AHOVOKS.

Primary and secondary schools
Part-time arts education academies
Adult education centres
Basic education centres
Pupil guidance centres and, where applicable, their permanent support unit
Pedagogical guidance services, as referred to in Article 14 of the Decree of 8 May 2009 on the quality of education
Educational boarding schools
Learning support centres
School community institutions
School groups
Universities of applied sciences → specific rules and conditions apply to these institutions. If you want to offer bicycle leasing as a university of applied sciences, please contact publicsector@o2o.be.

Which educational institutions don’t offer bicycle leasing (yet)?

In Wallonia, bicycle leasing is not yet available in the education sector. Contract staff also do not yet have access to bicycle leasing because they fall under a different joint committee, within which salary sacrifice is not yet possible.

Is there a lot involved in setting up bicycle leasing?

School leadership and administrative staff in education are already overstretched. Setting up bicycle leasing might seem like yet another task to add to the mountain of work. That's why we make bicycle leasing as simple and straightforward as possible, keeping your workload to a minimum. Here's how.

Automation and digitalisation of administration

Paperwork is a thing of the past thanks to our extensive automation and digitalisation. Did you know that our in-house developed tools are the most user-friendly on the market?

From digital reports and approving orders with a single click to tracking your bicycle fleet and calculating end-of-contract costs, our tool makes it all possible!

A simulation tool for your staff members

Running simulations for your staff to calculate their monthly lease price? You don’t have to do that with o2o Bicycle Leasing. Your staff can use our tool to do this themselves, based on the parameters you set.

A bicycle policy tailored to your educational institution

We help you draw up a bicycle policy tailored to your organisation. Our expertise and years of experience enable us to guide you towards a bicycle policy that perfectly aligns with the needs and identity of your organisation.

Enthusiastic support

Your bicycle policy is in place. Now all that's left is getting your staff on their bicycles. And we're here to help with that. We organise great kick-off sessions, on-site test events and even an optional bicycle fleet roadshow. We are always available to assist with any questions from the school board or your staff.

Did you know…

More than 11,000 staff members from Catholic education are already riding leased bicycles from o2o!

Why offer bicycle leasing in education?

Bicycle leasing is a popular fringe benefit for both school boards and education staff.

It is budget-neutral for you as a school board.
It helps ease parking pressure.
It encourages staff to commute by bicycle.
It supports your sustainability policy.
It offers attractive tax benefits for education staff.
Cycling supports the physical health and mental well-being of your education staff.

What does a school need to do to offer bicycle leasing to its staff?

As a school or school board, you decide whether to offer bicycle leasing to your staff. If you choose to do so, there are two ways to select a bicycle leasing partner.

Are you affiliated with the DOKO central purchasing body? If so, you don't need to draw up your own public tender and can immediately sign up for bicycle leasing through o2o Bicycle Leasing.
Are you not affiliated with the DOKO central purchasing body, or do you want to negotiate your own terms? In that case, the selection is done through a public tender that you draw up yourself.

In the public tender, you define the content of the lease agreement yourself and can decide on terms such as:

The duration of lease agreements
The maximum price of a lease bicycle
The extent of the bicycle selection
Which optional protections that you make mandatory
Which service conditions are included

‍Please note: a declaration of intent is mandatory

Have you, as a school board, found a leasing partner and would you like to offer bicycle leasing? Then it is important that the staff members who want to lease a bicycle submit a declaration of intent.

What is a declaration of intent?

With a declaration of intent, education staff indicate that they wish to use (part of) their gross end-of-year allowance to lease a bicycle.

Staff have a deadline for submitting the declaration of intent and must always do so in the year prior to the commencement of the lease. For example, if they want to lease a bicycle in 2028, they must submit the declaration of intent in 2027.

This legal deadline differs between staff with deferred pay and those without deferred pay.

Staff with deferred pay (temporary and partially permanent staff). Deadline: 31 August.
Staff without deferred pay (fully permanent staff). Deadline: 31 December.

Please note: these are the legal deadlines. As a school board, you may set your own deadlines, as long as they remain within the legal deadlines.

Need help with the public tender?

There's quite a lot involved in drawing up a public tender. What to include or exclude? What should you absolutely not overlook? Our experts are on hand to help.

Get in touch for an exploratory conversation: publicsector@o2o.be

How do education staff finance a lease bicycle?

Teachers and other education staff can lease a bicycle through the flexible allocation of (part of) their end-of-year allowance (the flex budget).

If they choose not to lease a bicycle, their end-of-year allowance is simply paid out.
If their end-of-year allowance is too low to cover the lease price, they can make a personal net contribution.

Considering offering bicycle leasing to your education staff?

Download our white paper 'Bicycle Leasing in the Public Sector' to find out everything you need to know.

Download whitepaper

Whitepaper fietsleasing in het onderwijs o2o Bicycle Leasing

What are the advantages of leasing a bicycle as a member of education staff?

For education staff, leasing a bicycle is up to 30% cheaper than buying one yourself. You also receive a nice monthly extra thanks to the bicycle allowance. And it's well worth noting that cycling is good for your mental well-being and physical health. Let's take a closer look.

Leasing a bicycle is cheaper than buying one

If you buy a bicycle yourself, you pay for it with your net salary. But a lease bicycle is paid for using your gross salary, which makes it much more affordable. By leasing a bicycle, you use the part of your salary that would normally go towards taxes to instead finance a bicycle. You also finance your leased bicycle through instalment payments, so you don't have to pay a large, up-front amount for a bicycle.

Tip: calculate your flex budget

The flex budget is the portion of the gross end-of-year allowance that you use to finance your lease bicycle. On Vlaanderen.be/en ,you can calculate the maximum flex budget available for the next calendar year, i.e. your gross end-of-year allowance. The instructional video is available on YouTube.

Everything you need for a great cycling experience is more affordable

Everything you need for carefree cycling is more affordable—from the bicycle to maintenance and protection. How? It’s all part of your lease package, which is paid from your gross salary. All extra services and accessories are therefore also paid from your gross salary.

When you lease a bicycle from o2o Bicycle Leasing, it is automatically covered against damage and theft. You can also opt for roadside assistance or an extended warranty!

You receive a bicycle allowance

Those who commute to work by bicycle enjoy a nice monthly extra thanks to the bicycle allowance. This is not taxed, so the amount appears net on your payslip. What better motivation to cycle to work? Through this bicycle allowance, you can earn back (part of) your monthly lease price.

Want more information about the bicycle allowance? Read our blog: 'Everything about the bicycle allowance'.

Cycling is good for your mental well-being and physical health

Bicycle leasing gives you access to higher-quality bicycles. And those who have a good bicycle tend to use it more often. Not to mention that cycling more often is good for your physical health and mental well-being. You also reduce your ecological footprint by cycling more often.

Looking for more information to get started?

Find everything you need in our bicycle leasing guide for the public sector. It’s packed with practical information.

Download whitepaper

FAQs

A question? Surely you are not alone! You may find the answer below among the frequently asked questions.

Can a teacher lease a bicycle?

In Flanders, education staff can lease a bicycle but it is not yet available for contract staff. In Wallonia, bicycle leasing is not yet available in the education sector.

Please note: whether you can actually participate and how (e.g. through the school board/network, timing, budget rules) depends on your school/school board's bicycle leasing policy.

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What is the flex budget?

The flex budget is all or part of your gross end-of-year allowance that you wish to use to finance your lease bicycle. You flexibly allocate your gross end-of-year allowance —hence the term 'flex budget'.

What is the bicycle allowance for education staff in Flanders?

The bicycle allowance for education staff in Flanders is €0.21 per kilometre. You only receive a bicycle allowance:

On the days you actually cycle to work. Days on which you do not work or do not commute don't count.
For a maximum of one (round-trip) commute per day, per school/institution/centre.

You can find more information on Vlaanderen.be/en.

What does a school need to do to offer bicycle leasing to its education staff?

There are two ways for a school to get started.

Are you affiliated with the DOKO central purchasing body? If so, you can then immediately sign up for bicycle leasing through the leasing partner that works with the purchasing body.

Are you not affiliated with the DOKO central purchasing body, or do you want to negotiate your own terms? In that case, the selection is done through a public tender that you draw up yourself.

What are the tax benefits of bicycle leasing for education staff in the Flemish education sector?

1. The lease bicycle and the entire package are more affordable.

Everything you need for carefree cycling is more affordable—from the bicycle to maintenance and protection—because it’s paid from the employee’s gross salary rather than their net salary.

2. The staff member loses less money if the bicycle is stolen.

If a staff member buys their own bicycle and it gets stolen, they lose their entire investment (unless insured). With leasing, the bicycle is almost always covered against theft. If a lease bicycle is stolen, the staff member has only paid for the lease up to that point. If the bicycle was stolen despite being properly secured, the staff member will receive a discount voucher from o2o Bicycle Leasing for a future lease bicycle (if the theft claim is approved).

3. The staff member doesn't have to pay a large, up-front amount.

Because a lease agreement runs over several years, it is paid in instalments. The staff member pays a set amount each year for 3 to 4 years and can thereby choose a higher-quality lease bicycle that might otherwise be unaffordable.

4. The staff member can buy the lease bicycle at a favourable price at the end of the term or lease a new one.

After the lease period, your staff member can buy the lease bicycle at its residual value. This is usually 16% or 20% of the retail price, depending on the conditions set by your school board.

If your staff member wants to lease a new bicycle, they simply return the lease bicycle to the leasing company free of charge at the end of the lease period and choose a new one.

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What if my end-of-year allowance is not enough to cover the lease price?

You can make up the difference by paying part of it from your net salary or by choosing a more affordable lease package (for example, leasing a different bicycle, different accessories or no accessories).

Tip: on Vlaanderen.be/en, you can calculate the flex budget available for the next calendar year. The instructional video for this is available on YouTube.

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Am I obliged to lease a bicycle if I have submitted a declaration of intent?

No. A declaration of intent just indicates that you give permission to flexibly allocate (part of) your end-of-year allowance. The declaration is a mandatory administrative step to be able to lease a bicycle the following year, but it doesnot oblige you to actually order a bicycle or enter into a lease agreement.

Do I need to flexibly allocate my entire end-of-year allowance for a leased bicycle?

No, you are not obliged to flexibly allocate your entire end-of-year allowance to finance a lease bicycle. But you can, and it is often the smartest choice. Here's why:

If you don't lease a bicycle, your end-of-year allowance is simply paid out in full. If you do lease a bicycle, you have the choice of using part or all of your flex budget. If you allocated more than necessary, the surplus is paid out as an end-of-year bonus rather than an end-of-year allowance. The end-of-year bonus is taxed at a higher rate than the end-of-year allowance: 13.07 per cent versus 3.55 per cent.

However, this is still more advantageous than allocating too little of your allowance. If you allocate too little, you have to pay the difference net. And that's the most expensive option because you then pay with your net salary.

We advise using your entire gross end-of-year allowance as the flex budget for your lease bicycle. This yields the maximum tax benefit from your bicycle lease. If you have flex budget left over after your lease price, you then receive the balance. This is taxed slightly higher but is still more advantageous than a net contribution.

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What if I change schools during my lease agreement?

If you leave (voluntarily or involuntarily), your lease agreement ends and you then have 3 options:

You return your bicycle. In some cases, you pay a termination fee to compensate for the remaining contract value.
You buy the bicycle at its current residual value and it then becomes yours.
You transfer your lease agreement to your new employer. This is only possible if the new educational institution is also a partner institution of o2o Bicycle Leasing in the education sector and you request the transfer of your lease agreement in time (at least 4 weeks in advance).

Does bicycle leasing as a teacher have an impact on my pension?

For permanent staff, bicycle leasing has no impact on their pension. Bicycle leasing can have an effect for temporary or contract staff but it is minimal.