Commuter Benefits

You may elect up to $280/month for transit expenses and up to $280/month for parking expenses. You may increase or decrease your election from month to month based on actual use. If your transit or parking costs are higher than the IRS maximum, you may elect more than $280 per month, and additional funds will be taken from your post-tax payroll amount.

Your transit funds may be used to purchase fare for bus, subway, train, trolley, ferry and light rail as well as verified carpooling programs, such as a metro vanpool and ridesharing programs like UberPool and Lyft Shared.
Parking funds may be used to pay for work-related parking expenses, such as parking garages/lots, meters and parking expenses incurred near a transit station.

Use your convenient MyChoice Accounts debit card to pay for work-related transit and parking costs.

Your MyChoice Accounts debit card is accepted at transit agencies or designated transit retail centers where only transit and vanpool passes, tickets and fare cards are sold, or at fare vending machines. If the transit agency sells any items outside of tickets, the card may be declined.

No. The IRS specifies that these accounts are to be funded and maintained separately. If you find that you are funding incorrectly based on use, modify your election at any time and spend down the funds as needed in each of the accounts.

Bridge or highway toll fees, personal car services (Taxi, Uber, Lyft – any services NOT related to carpooling), commuter expenses for anyone else, airport parking fees, residential parking fees

No, the IRS commuter benefits for transit and parking cannot be used for gas, mileage or personal car maintenance. Your company may have other programs that reimburse for personal car use or travel expenses, but commuter benefits are a separate benefit.

Commuter benefits remain current and in your account for the duration of your employment. Upon separation from the company, unused funds will be returned to the employer.

The best way to stay up to date on your transit or parking account is to log in to your benefits portal online or access your account via the MyChoice Mobile App (iOS or Android). You may also call your member services number listed on the back of your debit card for an automated balance or in-person balance request.

Yes. You may make changes in your online benefits portal or contact member services or your HR department for further information.

You may elect commuter benefits at any time during the year. You will likely be able to adjust your election in your online benefits portal; however, contact your HR department to determine their preferred method of election changes.

No. Commuter benefits are an individual benefit for work-related commuter costs for the covered individual. The IRS prohibits use of one’s benefit for anyone else’s expenses.

Yes. The parking card will only work at parking locations that have a credit card machine that has “Parking” for the Merchant Category Code (MCC).  If for some reason you can’t use the card to pay for parking, you may file a claim through your online benefits portal or the MyChoice Mobile App to be reimbursed.

No. The IRS does not allow transit claim reimbursement. In order to stay compliant with the transit benefits use your MyChoice Accounts debit card. The card can be set up as the funding source for most transit agency ‘Smart Cards’. This allows your transit pass to be automatically funded each month using the funds placed on your card. You may also purchase transit passes from credit card terminals that ONLY sell transit passes. Finally, you may set up the card to pay for certified vanpools and UberPool or Lyft Shared carpooling services.