An employee reward scheme is a structured way of giving people something tangible for their work, on top of salary. It usually runs on points, vouchers or gift cards, and it can be tied to milestones, performance, values or everyday effort. The schemes that work give employees a say in what they receive, and give managers a budget they can use without a sign-off chain.

The employer buys reward budget, usually as points, and allocates it to managers or sends it to employees directly. The employee then redeems their points against a catalogue of gift cards, experiences and physical rewards. With Perkbox, admins top up a reward wallet by card or bank transfer, set manager budgets, and track spend in real time. Employees redeem in the app whenever they like.

Buying points is simple. Admins can buy and top-up points, then assign a budget to managers or employees directly in just a few clicks. Managers can also make a request for points from their admins. 

Perkbox points are bought and priced in pounds, and the reward catalogue shows what each reward costs in points, so you always know what a reward is worth before you send it. Because GBP is the base currency, what a point buys outside the UK moves slightly with the exchange rate, and the catalogue can be filtered by country to show local prices.

In most cases, yes. Where you fund a reward with a clear monetary value, like a gift card or voucher, that value is usually taxable and liable to Class 1 National Insurance for both employee and employer. Perkbox makes it simple for your finance team with clear, detailed reports on points issued and redeemed. Take independent advice for your own setup.

It’s totally up to your employees! Reward points never expire, so they can spend them right away or save them up for a bigger reward.

Thousands of physical and digital rewards, including gift cards from leading high street and online brands, experiences and days out. Employees browse and redeem in the app, and can filter by country to see what is available where they are.

Reward vouchers are gift cards or digital vouchers given to employees as a thank you, a performance reward or a milestone gift. They are popular because they are simple to send and easy to receive. The drawback is that a voucher for the wrong retailer goes unused, which is why a points-based scheme where people choose their own voucher tends to get better take-up.

A recognition programme is about saying it: the message, the nomination, the shoutout. A reward scheme is about backing it with something tangible. Recognition works without reward, but the two together work harder. 78% of employees say they are more motivated when recognition comes with a financial reward.

Not automatically. HMRC's trivial benefits exemption comes up a lot, but Perkbox access and employer-funded rewards aren't covered by it as a matter of course. Whether it applies depends on HMRC's criteria, including whether there's a contractual entitlement or an expectation that the benefit comes with the job, and cash vouchers are excluded outright. Take independent advice before relying on it.

It should, and this is where a lot of schemes fall down. Rewards that need a desktop, a work email address or a posted voucher exclude the people most likely to feel overlooked. Perkbox rewards are digital, redeemed in the app on any device, and work across countries, so a warehouse team, a hybrid head office and a colleague in another market all get the same experience.

Start with what you want it to change, whether that is retention, manager consistency or simply making good work visible. Decide who can reward and what budget they hold, then choose a platform your people can actually reach. Book a demo and we will walk through it against your structure, your shift patterns and your budget, and give you the launch materials to get it used from week one.