onyo vs. cash payment – which really pays off for home-office equipment?
€1,000 paid to the employee sounds fair – but it costs the company €1,200 and only ~€500 net actually reach the employee. The honest comparison with numbers, taxes and impact.
One-off payment or allowance to the salary account so employees buy their own setup.
Curated ergonomic full setup as company asset – about €25/month per employee.
onyo is cheaper, tax-cleaner and visible every single day.
A €1,000 cash payment every 3 years costs the company about €1,200 (incl. employer social contributions) – only ~€500 net land on the employee's account and quietly disappear. onyo costs on average €25/month – about €900 over 3 years – is a pure operating expense without any payroll-tax event, and provides equipment your people use daily. That builds emotional commitment, productivity and performance.
3-year cost comparison
Sample calculation per employee. Actual amounts vary by tax bracket, country and the chosen onyo setup.
| Cash payment to employees | onyo benefit-in-kind | |
|---|---|---|
| Visible amount | €1,000 one-off | ≈ €25 per month |
| Actual employer cost | ≈ €1,200 (incl. employer social contributions) | ≈ €900 over 3 years |
| What lands net with the employee | ≈ €500 (after income tax & SS) | Full setup with market value €1,000+ |
| Payroll-tax relevance | Yes – gross salary, fully payroll-taxable | No – company asset, pure operating expense |
| Accounting treatment | Payroll, possibly one-off rule | Monthly operating expense, fully deductible |
| Impact on productivity & retention | Low – cash disappears in the account | High – employees see and feel the equipment daily |
| Responsibility for ergonomics & safety | With the employee – but employer remains liable | With onyo – ergonomically certified, compliance included |
Cash payment to employees
- Maximum flexibility for employees
- Low initial admin effort
- High loss to payroll tax & social contributions (~50% gone)
- No guarantee the money is actually spent on ergonomics
- Employer remains liable for occupational safety – without any control
- No lasting effect on retention – once paid, quickly forgotten
- Inconsistent setups, hard to standardise or scale
onyo benefit-in-kind
- About 25% cheaper than cash payment – ~€300 saving per employee over 3 years
- Pure operating expense – no payroll-tax event
- Ergonomically certified branded products – compliance & safety covered
- Daily visibility creates emotional commitment & appreciation
- Standardised, scalable solution – from onboarding to offboarding
- Delivery, assembly, service and return logistics included
- Slightly less individual choice than free cash (curated catalogue)
Why a €1,000 cash payment costs the company €1,200
A direct cash payment to employees for home-office equipment is gross salary in legal terms. That means employer social contributions (around 20%) come on top. €1,000 of intended support quickly turns into ~€1,200 of total cost.
It's no better on the employee side: income tax, solidarity surcharge and employee social contributions reduce €1,000 gross to about €500 net. Half of it disappears in payroll – without anything visible to show for it.
With onyo it's different: the platform and equipment are a company asset. The monthly fee (~€25 on average) is a pure operating expense, fully deductible, with no payroll-tax effect. Over 3 years that adds up to about €900 – and the employee gets a setup worth more than €1,000 on the market.
What employees actually want: visibility, not cash flow
Benefit research is clear: cash payments stop being perceived as a benefit after a short while – they merge with the regular salary. Emotional commitment drops to zero quickly.
An ergonomic chair, a sit-stand desk and a good monitor, on the other hand, are used every day. Each session at the desk is a small reminder that the employer is investing in the employee's wellbeing.
That has direct effects on productivity (less back pain, fewer sick days), on loyalty and on how the employer is perceived internally and on the market.
Compliance: responsibility stays – but no longer with you
Even if you pay cash and let the employee set things up themselves: the legal responsibility for occupational safety in the home office stays with the employer. The risk is real – without control it's hard to manage.
With onyo you get certified, ergonomically tested products plus structured risk assessments and instructions. Compliance is not an add-on, it's part of the platform.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the German home-office allowance in 2026?
The daily allowance is €6 per home-office day, capped at €1,260 per calendar year. It's deducted as work-related expense in the employee's tax return – the employer cannot pay it tax-free on top.
Can employers pay the allowance tax-free?
No. The home-office allowance is a deductible expense for employees only. A direct tax-free reimbursement by the employer is not possible. Benefit-in-kind via onyo is, however, fully deductible as operating expense.
Why is onyo cheaper than a €1,000 cash payment?
Because a €1,000 gross payment causes about €1,200 of employer cost (social contributions). onyo costs ~€25/month = ~€900 over 3 years and is a 100% deductible operating expense.
What does the employee actually get with onyo?
An ergonomic chair, a sit-stand desk, monitor and accessories – curated, delivered and assembled. Plus central admin, service and return logistics for offboarding.
What happens when an employee leaves the company?
onyo collects the equipment free of charge or offers the employee a buyout – as a neutral third party, with no admin for your HR team and no tax risk of a hidden gift.
Ready for the future of work?
Let us show you in 30 minutes how onyo can relieve your company.