Commuter benefits overview
The money you spend on your work commuting expenses can be deducted from your paycheck pre-tax, within IRS limits. This means you can save up to $2,000 a year, depending on your tax situation.
Eligible expenses include buses, trains, subways, ferries, vanpools and even shared ride services. If your plan includes parking, you can also pay for parking near your work or at your commuting lot.
Online ordering model: Instant access to commuter savings
If your employer’s plan design includes the online ordering model, you’ll enter your parking and transit orders online, and the cost of your orders will be automatically deducted from your paycheck on a pre-tax basis.
No annual enrollment is needed. Simply submit your orders online anytime during the plan year.
You can even set up recurring orders that automatically generate your transit order or pay your contracted parking vendor. If your commuting needs change, you can adjust or cancel your order.
Sign in to your online account and select commuter benefits.
- Select the transit or parking services you want
- Receive your order at home by mail
- The cost of your orders, within the IRS limits, are automatically deducted from your paycheck pre-tax
- Buses
- Trains and subways
- Ferries
- Vanpools
- Commuter highway vehicles
- Car Service Apps — UberX Share and Lyft Shared
- Parking at or near your place of employment
- Parking at a location from which you commute to work
Employer election model: Year-round savings for your commute
If your employer’s plan design includes the employer election model, you’ll enroll annually during open enrollment to save throughout the plan year.
- Enroll in commuter benefits through your employer.
- Choose how much you want to contribute, within IRS limits.
- Your contribution amount will be deducted from your paycheck before taxes.
- Use your Optum Financial payment card to access your funds for qualified transportation costs.
Swipe and save at transit and parking providers
When you use your payment card for qualified transit or parking expenses, there’s no paying cash upfront, no claim forms to fill out and no waiting for reimbursements.
Use your card at parking and transit providers to pay for qualified expenses like mass transit passes, tokens, fare cards and parking expenses. The cost of the expense is automatically deducted from your account. You can check your account balance at any time by signing in to your account.
- Buses
- Trains and subways
- Ferries
- Vanpools
- Commuter highway vehicles
- Car Service Apps — UberX Share and Lyft Shared
- Parking at or near your place of employment
- Parking at a location from which you commute to work
Answers to common questions about commuter benefits
Eligible transit expenses include:
- Buses
- Trains and subways
- Ferries
- Vanpools
- Commuter highway vehicles
- Car Service Apps — UberX Share and Lyft Shared
Eligible parking expenses include:
- Parking at or near your place of employment
- Parking at a location from which you commute to work
Sign in to view your account and check your balance.
Any remaining balance at the end of the month rolls over to the next month. While funds do roll over, you are still limited to spending $300 per account per month.
The IRS limits monthly contributions and expenditures to $300 for parking expenses and $300 for transit expenses for the 2023 calendar year.