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Comment by rileymat2 | Hacker News Reader

> instead of getting a stipend for a work laptop you'd ordinarily have to hand in after leaving the company, you instead get an interest-free loan that's spread over the course of 3 months that's used to pay for your equipment and whatever else you need for your remote work space.

I am missing why this is better in any way.

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I never understood why company's don't just give you the equipment, to keep, forever.

A laptop/monitor/chair/etc is a trivial expense compared to the person's salary and you don't end up with a bunch of random weird ergonomic devices floating around from the ghosts of employees past.

"to keep, forever" <-- they would need to include this on your W2, versus the current situation where it is depreciated equipment over 3 years or whatever.

Personally, I woud be fine with that. I think they could even call it a "signing bonus". From what I understand, some signing bonuses are even contingent upon your staying for at least a specified period of time, or you have to pay it back.

You don't understand the tax implications, you'd have to pay income and payroll taxes on the laptop, depending on your marginal rate that could cost you an additional 40% of the cost of the laptop. And the company would pay payroll taxes on it as well. Versus the company buying it as their property and being able to fully deduct it over time.

So people don't ever get signing bonuses either then, right? Gotcha.

ps. Don't assume that people don't understand something just because they don't hold your opinion.

Data protection policies may apply to the hard drive.

> you instead get an interest-free loan

My employer has lent me money in the past. While they were happy to do so interest-free, they were advised by their accountant that if they did so, what would be at least the prime rate interest they were foregoing would be declarable by me (on the basis that you generally cannot get an interest-free cash loan in the market).

(Which is tangential to your point and even so, it could easily take $5K-10K to set up a workspace. That could be a big loan to repay in 3 months.)

also, it seems like it leaves the door open for this laptop to be a personal item, which makes IP murky when you are offsite and use it.

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