Important Announcement:
The Commuter Benefit Plan is Transitioning to a new Administrator
Click here for a transition timeline
The Commuter Benefit Plan (CBP) will transition from BenefitWallet to the new administrator HealthEquity/WageWorks in 2025.
During the transition, your commuter benefits products will be unavailable for use from May 1, 2025, to May 31, 2025, and the program will transition from a one-month to a two-month timeframe to elect your product purchases.
Please note for May 2025, you will need to purchase your transit and parking products from a source other than the County’s Commuter Benefit Plan.
Ongoing updates will be posted here throughout the transition.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COMMUTER BENEFIT PLAN
The Commuter Benefit Plan (CBP) is a voluntary employee benefit that allows employees to save money by using pre-tax dollars to pay for work-related commuting expenses such as bus/rail passes, transit vouchers, Metrolink passes, Transit Access Pass cards (TAP cards), vanpool fees, and parking. The CBP also offers automatic payment and delivery features for these purchases.
Per IRS regulations, County employees, through the CBP, can contribute up to $325 per month in pre-tax payroll deductions to purchase transit products and up to another $325 per month to pay for parking expenses. Accordingly, employees can make a pre-tax contribution of up to $650 per month for eligible expenses. Please note that pre-tax contributions cannot be refunded.
Civic Center parking payroll deductions count toward the monthly IRS pre-tax parking limit. Participants whose combined Civic Center Parking and CBP parking products pre-tax deductions exceed the monthly limit will have a payroll tax adjustment processed at the end of the calendar year. Alternatively, employees who participate in both Civic Center Parking and the CBP parking benefits can adjust their monthly contributions for CBP parking products to remain under the monthly pre-tax limit.
Employees do not have to pay Federal or State taxes or the Hospital Insurance Tax (HIT), if applicable, on the pre-tax money used to pay for eligible transportation and/or parking expenses under the CBP, thus reducing their overall taxable income. Eligible expenses that exceed the IRS limit are deducted from an employee’s paycheck on an after-tax basis. There is a monthly after-tax administrative fee of $4.00 for plan participation, paid by employees only if there is a current paycheck deduction.
Employees can enroll, make changes, or suspend their participation in the CBP anytime during the year. Commuter orders placed by 8:59 pm PT on the 10th of each month will be fulfilled by the following month. The payroll deduction will appear on the second paycheck of the same month of the associated CBP deadline. For example, an employee placing an order by January 10th will receive that order by February 1st, and the payroll deduction will be reflected on the second paycheck in January.
SEIU Local 721 Subsidy
Employees represented by SEIU Local 721 may be eligible to receive a $70 subsidy while supplies last towards commuting expenses if they meet the following conditions: (1) currently are enrolled in the CBP, (2) spend at least $70 each month on transit pass(es), and (3) do not currently receive the Civic Center monthly transportation allowance. Please note that vanpool expenses do not qualify.
Questions?
For CBP elections, you can contact the current CBP administrator by phone at (866) 225-0067, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday to Friday (except for some holidays).
Should you have any questions about CBP benefits prior to the 2023 benefit year, please contact HealthEquity customer service at (877) 924-3967 or visit their website at www.wageworks.com.
Affiliated
Transportation Agencies
For More Information:
Please Call: (866) 225-0067
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday
(except some holidays)