What happens to the company bike during parental leave or a long-term illness?
During parental leave or a long-term illness, you get to keep your company bike—even if your continued pay is suspended and your salary deferral is paused. With Lease a Bike, the “installment default protection” kicks in: It covers the lease payments for up to twelve months—provided the contract has been in effect for at least six months. After the interruption, the contract continues as normal.
The most important information at a glance.
Do I get to keep the bike? Yes, you can continue to use the company bike during parental leave or in the event of illness.
Who pays the installments then? The installment protection plan covers the lease payments if your continued pay is suspended.
How long does the installment protection plan last? For a maximum of twelve months.
What are the requirements? The lease agreement must have been in effect for at least six months.
When is an illness considered “long-term”? Coverage applies if you’re sick for more than 42 days and receiving sick pay.
What happens afterward? After the interruption, the contract continues as normal.
Who must report the interruption? Your employer—via the Lease a Bike portal, ideally before the interruption begins.
Why does the company bike even come up during parental leave or sick leave?
You typically finance your company bike through salary deferral, with the monthly lease payment deducted from your gross salary. This raises the question of what happens in exceptional situations—because without a salary, there’s nothing to defer.
Parental leave or long-term illness are exactly such cases. If continued pay is suspended, the installment can no longer be covered by your current salary. Without a safety net, the question would then arise as to who would be responsible for the installments. The good news: Lease a Bike covers this gap. This means you get to keep the bike, and the costs aren’t borne by you or your employer.
How does Lease a Bike's payment protection work?
Our solution is what’s known as “installment default protection.” Installment default protection is the mechanism that kicks in the very moment continued salary payments end. The principle is simple:
You keep the bike: You may continue to use the company bike for both personal and business purposes throughout the entire interruption.
Lease a Bike covers the payments: For up to twelve months, the payment protection plan pays the lease installments. This ensures that neither you nor your company is left to bear the costs.
The contract is paused but does not end: After the interruption ends, the lease contract continues as normal until the regular 36-month term is reached.
Good to know: Payment protection is not an add-on option that you have to purchase separately. It’s part of our company bike leasing model and takes effect automatically as soon as the requirements are met.
When exactly does the missed payment protection apply - and when does it not?
This protection is subject to specific conditions. Two triggers are explicitly provided for:
Long-term illness: The missed payment protection kicks in if you are sick for more than 42 days and are receiving sick pay. The 42-day period is no coincidence: this is generally how long the employer continues to pay your salary. After that, the health insurance provider takes over with sickness benefits—and from that point on, there is no gross income to be converted.
Parental leave: Transitioning to parental leave also triggers the protection because continued pay ceases.
The minimum contract term is also crucial: The contract must have been in effect for at least six months for the missed payment protection to take effect automatically.
Important: Coverage is capped at a maximum of twelve months. This period is sufficient for most periods of sick leave and parental leave. However, in the case of very long absences, you should keep an eye on this limit (see below).
What happens if the contract has been in effect for less than six months?
If parental leave or a long-term illness begins very early—that is, before the lease agreement has been in effect for six months—the payment protection does not automatically apply. In this case, we’ll work together to find the best solution for everyone involved.
This could include, for example, returning the bike at no cost to you. So even in this situation, you’re not left without a way forward. It’s just that the coverage isn’t provided through the standard mechanism, but rather through an individual arrangement.
How and when is the outage reported?
The suspension is initiated by the employer—not by you as the user. Events such as a long-term illness or the start of parental leave can be reported with just a few clicks via the Lease a Bike portal.
Note: The report should be submitted before the interruption begins, if possible. Therefore, discuss parental leave or a foreseeable prolonged illness with your employer or the appropriate department well in advance to ensure that your coverage is processed smoothly and on time.
What happens after the interruption?
If the interruption ends within the twelve-month period—for example, because you return from parental leave or are able to work again—everything continues as before: The salary deferral resumes, and the contract continues until the end of the 36 months. Nothing is postponed as a result; the regular term remains the framework.
What happens if the interruption lasts longer than twelve months?
The situation is different if parental leave or illness lasts longer than twelve months. Parental leave is available for up to three years per child. Illnesses can also drag on for longer. In such cases, our approach is to work together to find the best solution for everyone involved—including the option of returning the bike on an individual, cost-neutral basis.
In general, the same options apply as in the case of early termination of employment:
User Change: The employer transfers the company bike to another employee for the remainder of the contract term and handles the handover internally.
Early Termination by Mutual Agreement: The lease agreement is terminated for a valid economic reason. You can take ownership of the used bike—optionally, the purchase price can be financed through a standard payment provider.
Cost-neutral return: If no other option applies, the bike is returned; the process is cost-neutral for you.
By the way: If not only continued pay but also the employment relationship itself ends, a change of employer may also be an option—subject to a successful credit check, the contract is transferred to the new employer, and you keep the bike for the remainder of the term.
Checklist: Company bike during parental leave or long-term sick leave
Has my lease agreement been in effect for at least six months?
Do I understand that the payment protection covers a maximum of twelve months?
In case of illness: Am I sick for more than 42 days and receiving sick pay?
Did I coordinate my parental leave or long-term illness with my employer well in advance?
Was the interruption reported via the Lease a Bike portal before it began?
Do I expect the interruption to last longer than twelve months?
Do I understand that I’ll keep the bike during this time and that the contract will continue as normal afterward?