What's on offer
- A choice of electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles
- New or used cars available
- Fixed monthly cost
- Lease terms between 24 and 60 months
- Payments made directly from your salary via salary sacrifice
What’s included
Your monthly cost covers:
- the cost of the car
- fully comprehensive insurance
- servicing and maintenance
- breakdown cover
- replacement tyres
- road tax
How salary sacrifice works
You choose a vehicle and agree to give up part of your gross salary each month.
- The deduction is taken before income tax and National Insurance
- This reduces your taxable pay
- As a result, you pay less tax and National Insurance overall
How 'Benefits in Kind' (BiK) work
Vehicles provided through the scheme are classed as company cars for tax purposes.
- You’ll pay tax on the Benefit in Kind (BiK) value of the vehicle
- Your tax code will be adjusted to reflect this
- The BiK amount is processed through payroll each month
You can find the latest BiK rates on the Tusker website.
Who can apply
You can apply if:
- you are a permanent employee
- you are employed on eligible terms and conditions (e.g. Single Status, Derbyshire pay scales, Soulbury, or NHS terms)
- your salary remains at least 15% above the National Minimum Wage after all salary sacrifice deductions
AND
- you've passed your probation period
You will only be able to register on the portal if you meet the eligibility criteria listed.
Employees on teacher's terms and conditions of employment, members of the Teachers' Pension Scheme, relief workers, and those on fixed-term contracts are not eligible for the scheme.
Employees on a secondment are only eligible for the scheme if their substantive post meets the criteria on this page. They'll need to contact HR Services by emailing cst.payrollprocessing@derbyshire.gov.uk before accessing the Tusker portal.
If you believe you meet the eligibility criteria but are unable to register on the portal, contact HR Services for more information, email cst.payrollprocessing@derbyshire.gov.uk.
Why the 15% buffer applies
We must ensure your pay does not fall below the National Minimum Wage after deductions.
Because NMW rates increase annually, a 15% buffer is applied to protect against future rises.
Example:
NMW: £12.71 per hour
With 15% buffer: £14.62 per hour
based on the lowest estimated deduction for a car, employees will need to earn an actual basic salary of £32,405 per annum, equivalent to SCP 17 of grade 9 or higher, of the Derbyshire pay scales
Additional payments (such as overtime or allowances) are not included in this calculation.
How to apply
- Register on the Tusker portal using your work email, payroll number, and company code (DCC2). If your payroll number begins with a '0' or a letter, please omit these when registering with the portal
- Enter your gross basic salary (excluding any additional payments such as overtime, or standby for example)
- Brose available vehicles based on your salary
- Follow the steps to order
Your application will be reviewed by HR Services to confirm eligibility.
If approved:
- you’ll receive a Salary Sacrifice Agreement with your obligations under the scheme
- Tusker will keep you updated via the portal
- your salary will be adjusted once the vehicle is delivered
Important information
The Tusker portal includes helpful resources such as:
- Employee guide
- Home charging guide
- Understanding BiK guide
- Tusker webinar
Please read the terms and conditions on the Tusker website carefully which include information about what happens to the vehicle if you leave the council or have leave or sickness.
Impact on your pension
The cost of the vehicle is deducted from your gross salary before pension contributions are calculated. This means your pensionable pay is reduced, which can affect your benefits in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
- For CARE scheme members, the amount added to your pension each year will be lower while you are participating in salary sacrifice
- For members of the final salary scheme (pre-April 2014), your overall benefits could be reduced if salary sacrifice applies close to your retirement date
You can choose to buying extra pension to offset any reduction. More information is available from the Derbyshire Pension Fund.
When deductions start
Your salary deduction will usually begin in the same month you receive your vehicle.
- Vehicles are typically delivered between the 1st and 11th of the month
- Depending on the delivery date, your first deduction may be taken the following month
- Your agreement will still run for the full lease term you selected
Claiming for business travel
You can claim reimbursement for business mileage in line with our travel policy.
Please refer to our travelling to work info for current mileage rates applicable to salary sacrifice vehicles.
Parking fines and charges
You are responsible for any costs you incur while using the vehicle, including:
- parking fines
- congestion charges
- speeding fines
If a fine is issued via Tusker:
- Tusker will pay the charge and pass it to the council
- The council will recover the cost from you, along with an administration fee added by Tusker
- The total amount will be deducted from your salary
Register on the Tusker portal using your work email, payroll number, and company code (DCC2) Tusker portal to find out more.