IRS commuter benefits

Federal law allows employers three ways to reduce the cost of commuting via public transportation (bus, train, ferry or registered vanpool) or qualified parking for employees. Companies can offer employees:

a tax-free employer-paid subsidy
a pre-tax employee-paid payroll deduction, or
a combination of the above (shared employee- employer-paid)

Tax-exempt and pre-tax limits are set by the IRS. The following are the limits for the 2009 tax year:

$230 per employee per month for vanpool, bus, ferry, rail (all public transportation)
$230 per employee per month for qualified parking, or
$460 per month per employee for both public transportation and qualified parking.

When the employee pays part or all of the cost of public transportation via a pre-tax payroll deduction, the employee can set aside up to $230 a month of pre-tax income. The employee saves federal withholding and FICA payroll taxes on the amount deducted. The employer saves paying FICA on the amount deducted. Employees may also share the cost with employers using after tax income. Pre-tax payroll deductions are referenced in the Internal Revenue Code, Section 132(F), as amended by TEA-21, Title IX, Section 910.

Bicycle Benefits Allowed begining in 2009 -

The 2008 Energy Act adds “qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement” to the list of qualified transportation fringe benefits.

“Qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement” means any employer reimbursement of up to $20 per month for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage if the bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee's residence and place of employment. The $20 amount is not indexed for inflation as are the other qualified transportation fringe benefits.

A “qualified bicycle commuting month” is any month in which an employee:

(I) regularly uses a bicycle for a substantial portion of the travel between his residence and his place of employment, and
(II) does not receive any other qualified transortation benefit for:

vanpool (commuter highway vehicle transportation),
transit, and
parking.

Unlike the other qualified transportation fringe benefits, a qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement benefit cannott be funded through employee pre-tax income.

Please check with your tax advisor.


	Transit tax benefit increased to $230 per month!
	The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009 raised the tax-exempt and pre-tax limit for public transportation (bus, rail, ferry, vanpool) -- from $120 per month to $230 per month. The increase is effective immediately and extends through 2010. Previously, employers were allowed under Section 132(f) of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Code to let their employees use up to $120 per month of their pre-tax income to pay for their transit or vanpool commuting expenses and up to $230 per month for commuter parking. The legislation amends the IRS Code to set the monthly tax-free contribution limit for public transpotation to a maximum of $230 per month.


	Quick links:
	Washington State B&O or Public Utility Tax Credit for Commute Subsidies Metro’s Pre-tax Commuter Benefit Toolkit has easy steps to a pre-tax commuter program, customizable forms, flyers, posters and useful links. IRS regulations on Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefits see the 2001 Federal Register. (155KB .PDF).