How the Transportation Accounts Work
A deduction for Health Care, Dependent Care, and/or Transportation Spending Accounts contributions cannot be taken and no contribution will be made in any pay period in which your compensation after taxes, adjustments and other Plan contributions does not cover the full deduction amount you elected during Annual Benefits Enrollment or as a result of a subsequent Qualified Status Change.
In most cases, your contributions to the Transportation Spending Accounts are deducted from your pay each pay period and used to pay for your eligible monthly transit commuter pass/ticket and/or parking expenses for the next month. You order your commuter passes/tickets and/or authorize payment directly to your parking facility at the time of your enrollment, and your contributions are automatically deducted each pay period and used to pay these expenses.
If your commuting pattern varies, there are two other options for the accounts:
- For transit and parking expenses, you can use your contributions to purchase a Commuter Card. See "How Commuter Cards Work for Parking/Transit" for more details.
- For parking expenses, instead of the "Pay My Provider" option you can choose the "Pay Me Back" option. With "Pay Me Back," there is no automatic purchase or payment for parking, and you don't receive a Commuter Card for parking. Instead, you pay for parking yourself, and then submit a claim for reimbursement to Health Equity. See "How the "Pay Me Back" Parking Option Works" for more details.
Please Note: Generally, if you are not using a Commuter Card for the Transit Account and the cost of your commuter pass/ticket increases, your payroll deductions will automatically increase to cover the increased cost. In contrast, if your parking expenses increase, you will need to make changes online or by contacting the Transportation Spending Accounts Call Center.