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Commuting Allowance

Smarter support for the daily commute

Help your team with the cost of getting to work. Give them a flexible commuting budget for trains, buses, parking and more, all on one SideUp card.

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FSA 936x936 (37)
Commuter support

Commuting support that works

The journey to work is one of the biggest costs of the working week. Help your team with rail, bus and parking costs, with budgets you control and every payment tracked.

  • Budgets and categories you set
  • Works for trains, buses, trams and parking
FSA 936x936 (38)
Commuter support

Getting to work adds up. Fast.

Rail fares, bus passes and parking come out of your team's pay every month. A commuting budget takes some of that weight off, whichever way they travel.

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Budgets and categories you set

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Trains, buses, trams, parking and bike share

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Every payment tracked automatically

A Tuesday commute

07:42

Leave home

Ten minutes to the station

07:52

E-bike to the station

Bike Share Pass

Tax-free
08:05

Train into town

Season ticket, Commuting Allowance

£186/mo
08:58

At the office

Both paid on one SideUp card

Illustrative example

Commuting options

Every way your team gets to work

Flexible options for every way your team gets to work.

Public transport

Public Transport

Trains, buses and trams. Season tickets and pay-as-you-go fares.

Parking

Parking

Parking near the office or at the station.

Shared rides and taxis

Shared Rides & Taxis

Shared rides and taxis for the journey to work.

Three ways to support the commute, and how HMRC sees each one

In the UK, help with the cost of getting to work is usually taxable. Cycling is the big exception. Here's the difference in plain English, and where SideUp fits in.

Any way they travel

Commuting Allowance

Lifestyle benefit

Taxable

What it covers

Train and bus fares, season tickets, parking and shared rides.

How it works

You set a monthly budget. Employees pay with their SideUp card.

SideUp's role

Runs the whole benefit for you.

On two wheels

Bike Share Pass

Section 244 ITEPA 2003

Tax-free, when it's set up right

What it covers

Monthly or annual bike share memberships, including e-bikes, paid by your company.

How SideUp keeps it tax-free

Bikes only. Pedal bikes and e-bikes are in. E-scooters are out.

Memberships, not single rides. The pass covers a bike share membership or plan.

Open to everyone. Every employee can take it up, even if not all of them do.

Mainly for getting to work. Including the ride to the station.

Prefer their own bike? Cycle to Work lets employees get one through salary sacrifice, tax-free too.

SideUp's role

Runs Bike Share Pass as its own pot, locked to bike share memberships.

Provided by you

Works buses and workplace parking

Sections 237, 242 and 243 ITEPA 2003

Tax-free, if the conditions are met

What it covers

A works bus, support you give a local bus service your staff use, and parking at or near the workplace.

Worth knowing

These are things your company provides directly. Paying for an employee's own bus pass or parking is still taxable.

SideUp's role

Covers the journeys these don't reach.

A summary, not tax advice. Check your arrangement with a tax adviser.

Set it up once. Your team feels it every week.

Most spending happens on the card, so there's almost nothing to chase. Here's how it works, from day one.

  1. 1

    Add your employees

    Sync your team from your HR system, or add them manually. Either way, it takes minutes.

  2. 2

    Set up your programme

    Choose your benefits, decide when they're paid out, and pick how your company funds them.

  3. 3

    We invite your team

    SideUp emails each employee an invitation to the app. Once they've completed onboarding, their card is issued.

  4. 4

    Manage it month by month

    Track spend and take-up, and keep your compliance information in one place, ready whenever you need it.

SideUpCommuting
Sam Patel•••• 8392

Rail season ticket

Monthly

£186.00

Station parking

Tuesday

£7.50

Commuting budget this month

£193.50 of £200

Illustrative example

Custom Eligibility Icon - Manus One platform

Tax-free and Lifestyle benefits, on one card.

Homeworking Allowance, Work-Related Training & Tuition, DSE Eyecare and your Lifestyle budgets, all managed in one place.

Custom Eligibility Icon - Manus

Automated Admin

Set it up once. Budgets, eligibility and tracking run automatically.

Icon Set Rules for Cat Mascot

Built for HMRC Rules

Each benefit follows its own HMRC rules, so every payment sits on the right side of them.

Pound

One Card Rule

Employees get one SideUp card for everything. Each payment goes to the right benefit automatically.

The SideUp Marketplace

Every pound goes further. And stays local.

Our marketplace brings your team closer to the independent cafés, gyms, shops and services in their own neighbourhood. When they spend their SideUp budget there, they unlock exclusive discounts and freebies, so the same benefit buys more.

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Exclusive discounts for SideUp members

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Freebies and extras from local partners

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Your benefits budget, backing local businesses

A Saturday on the high street

The Corner Café

£8.95

Marketplace discount

−£1.35

Northside Yoga Studio

£12.00

Free mat hire

Freebie

Saved this month

£9.60

Illustrative example

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about commuting benefits in the UK.

What is a commuting benefit?

A budget from your company towards the cost of getting to work: train and bus fares, season tickets, parking and shared rides.

Is a commuting benefit taxable?

Yes. In the UK, help with the cost of travelling between home and a normal workplace is taxable, so Commuting Allowance is a Lifestyle benefit. It still takes a real cost off your team's plate.

Are there tax-free exceptions?

Yes. Cycling is the big one: bikes and e-bikes your company provides, including through a bike share membership or Cycle to Work, are exempt when they're open to all employees and used mainly for getting to work. Works buses, support you give a local bus service your staff use, and parking at or near the workplace are exempt too.

Can SideUp pay for bike share?

Yes, through Bike Share Pass. It's a separate pot that covers monthly or annual bike share memberships, including e-bikes, open to all your employees. E-scooters and single rides aren't included, because they fall outside the cycling exemption.

Does it work for hybrid teams?

Yes. Employees simply use it on the days they travel in.

How much should we offer?

You decide. Set a monthly commuting budget per employee, and a separate Bike Share Pass if you'd like to encourage cycling.

Can employees choose how they travel?

Yes. Employees pick the transport that works for them, within the categories you set.

How does SideUp handle it?

Employees pay with their SideUp card at eligible transport, parking and bike share providers. Commuting Allowance and Bike Share Pass are tracked separately and automatically.

Upgrade your commuting support

Make the journey to work easier

Help your team with the cost of getting to work, with budgets you control and every payment tracked. Book a demo to see Commuting Allowance in action.

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