The salary sacrifice question every fleet and HR lead asks, answered in about 20 seconds.

5 min read · 17 June 2026. There is now a free salary sacrifice calculator for fleet and HR leads at calculators.covase.co.uk. It models the indicative employer National Insurance effect for your headcount and the indicative net monthly cost for a chosen car on the 2026/27 Benefit-in-Kind position, in about 20 seconds, with no call, sign-up or spreadsheet. Because Orbis intelligence is included with every Perx car, the scheme you model is one you can see in operation once it runs.

The question that stalls most schemes

Salary sacrifice is a powerful staff benefit, and it is also one of the trickiest to get a straight number on. Income tax and National Insurance treatment, Benefit-in-Kind position for 2026/27, contract term, mileage and headcount: every one of those moves the outcome. Most people asking the question are looking for a number they can take to a finance director or a leadership team, not a brochure.

That gap is where otherwise good schemes lose momentum. A benefit that can be run without adding a conventional payroll cost still has to clear an internal "show me the maths" conversation. If producing the maths takes three emails and a meeting, the opportunity dries up.

What the calculators do

The Perx calculator suite covers the full 4-in-1 bundle: electric car, home charger, solar and home battery, all through one payroll line. There are two entry points depending on which hat you wear.

The employer view lets you enter headcount and see the indicative employer National Insurance effect at your scale, alongside what the scheme looks like as a payroll line. Employer National Insurance is charged on reduced pay if salary is surrendered, and the tool models that outcome at 15% employer Class 1 secondary NIC where relevant.

The employee view lets you pick a car, set a tax band, term and mileage, and see the indicative net monthly cost with the 2026/27 Benefit-in-Kind position built in. For context, BiK for fully electric company cars is 4% for 2026/27 and moves up incrementally through to 2029/30. The calculator returns indicative figures only; it is not personal tax advice.

No sign-up. No file upload. No call required before you see a figure. About 20 seconds from landing to a number you can act on.

Why Orbis being in the car changes the calculator

Many providers will show a monthly figure. What most cannot show is what happens to that car over the next three or four years, and that is the point that decides whether a scheme is a clean benefit or a future headache.

A salary sacrifice car is a long-term arrangement. It gets driven hard. The driver is not focused on the contract condition or the mileage at handback. The scheme owner carries the end-of-term liability for excess mileage and condition.

This is the OrbisIO difference. Orbis is OEM-native across more than 30 brands and is included with Perx cars, so from day one the scheme owner sees live mileage against the contracted allowance and the vehicle's real-world condition. A driver drifting toward an excess-mileage charge becomes a managed conversation in month 18, not a surprise invoice at return. The calculator is the front door. The fleet intelligence behind it is the engine room. Read more about that layer in our guide to what fleet intelligence is and about the liability that informal arrangements create in what is grey fleet.

Honest about the numbers

Every result the calculator returns is indicative and depends on individual circumstances: salary, tax position, vehicle, term and mileage all change the outcome. This tool is designed to give a fast, credible starting number so your internal conversation can move from "should we look at this" to "here is roughly what it works out to." It is not personal tax or financial advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional guidance.

See it for yourself

If your team keeps asking what salary sacrifice would mean for them, give them the 20-second answer instead of the three-email round. Model your own numbers at calculators.covase.co.uk, and when you are ready to see the employer view in full the tool will guide you to book a 15-minute call.

OrbisIO builds the fleet intelligence that sits inside every Perx car. Explore the wider toolset at orbisio.co.uk/tools, or see how the scheme comes together on our Perx page.

Figures are indicative and depend on individual circumstances. This article is general information, not tax or financial advice.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free salary sacrifice calculator for employers?

Yes. The Perx calculator suite at calculators.covase.co.uk is free to use, with no sign-up, file upload or call required. The employer view lets you enter headcount and see the indicative employer National Insurance effect at your scale, alongside what the scheme looks like as a payroll line. The employee view models a chosen car, tax band, term and mileage to return an indicative net monthly cost. It takes about 20 seconds from landing to a figure, and the results are indicative only, not personal tax advice.

How does an EV salary sacrifice scheme affect employer National Insurance?

When an employee surrenders salary in exchange for an electric car, employer National Insurance is charged on the reduced pay rather than the original gross. The calculator models this outcome at 15% employer Class 1 secondary NIC where relevant, so an employer can see the indicative effect across their headcount. The figure is indicative and depends on individual circumstances including salary levels, vehicle choice, term and how many employees take up the benefit.

What is the Benefit-in-Kind rate for electric company cars in 2026/27?

For fully electric company cars the Benefit-in-Kind rate is 4% for 2026/27, and it moves up incrementally through to 2029/30. The employee view of the calculator builds the 2026/27 position in when it returns an indicative net monthly cost, so the figure reflects the current-year tax treatment. The calculator returns indicative figures only and is not a substitute for personal tax advice.

What does the Perx 4-in-1 salary sacrifice bundle include?

The Perx bundle covers four components through one payroll line: an electric car, a home charger, solar, and a home battery. Each component can be included or excluded independently. Because Orbis intelligence is included with every Perx car, the scheme owner sees live mileage against the contracted allowance and the vehicle's real-world condition from day one, so a driver drifting toward an excess-mileage position becomes a managed conversation rather than an unexpected charge at handback.