Commuter Benefits FAQs

There are two types of commuter benefit accounts at EBC.

Transit accounts are used to pay for eligible transit expenses to and from your regular workplace. Eligible transit expenses are defined as passes, tokens, fare cards, vouchers, or similar items for:

• Mass transit (such as train, bus, subway, or ferry)
• Commuter highway vehicle (such as vanpools)

Parking accounts are used to pay for the following types of parking:

• At or near your regular place of employment
• At a location from which you commute to work by carpool, commuter highway vehicle, or mass transit

Additional information about eligible expenses can be found on our Eligible Expense webpage.

For either commuter benefit account, you choose how much pre-tax money you would like to contribute to the account(s), up to the monthly limit.

With commuter benefits, you save approximately 30%* on your eligible expenses, making $1,000 of transit expenses cost you about $700. You get these savings because the contributions you make to your commuter benefits are exempt from Federal, State, and FICA payroll taxes.

*This tax example is a broad approximation of tax liability. Further, your contributions may be subject to state income tax in some states. Your specific savings depend on your tax bracket. You should consult a tax advisor for help with your own situation. Current IRS tax laws control all pre-tax payment and contribution matters and are subject to change.

With commuter benefits, you save approximately 30%* on your eligible expenses, making $1,000 of transit expenses cost you about $700. You get these savings because the contributions you make to your commuter benefits are exempt from Federal, State, and FICA payroll taxes.

*This tax example is a broad approximation of tax liability. Further, your contributions may be subject to state income tax in some states. Your specific savings depend on your tax bracket. You should consult a tax advisor for help with your own situation. Current IRS tax laws control all pre-tax payment and contribution matters and are subject to change.

Depending on your employer’s plan, you will either manage your contributions in your online account or through your employer’s benefit management system.

If you do not have the contribution management functionality set up in your online account, contact your employer on how to manage your contributions through their benefit management system.

Additional information about managing your commuter benefits contributions can be found in your online account.

You can schedule contributions until 11:59 PM CT on the 13th of each month. Your contributions will be available the month after they have been scheduled.

Additional information about managing your commuter benefits contributions can be found in your online account.

You can make changes to a scheduled contribution until 11:59 p.m. Central time on the 13th of the month prior to the benefit month.* Additional information about this can be found in your online account.

*If you manage your contributions through your employer’s benefit management system, please contact your employer for more information.

You can set up a monthly recurring contribution* to have the same amount put in your transit and/or parking account automatically. If your commuter expenses are more variable, you can adjust your contribution amount month-to-month.

*If you manage your contributions through your employer’s benefit management system, please contact your employer for more information.

You can pay for qualified parking and/or transit expenses with your Benefits Card. Your Benefits Card is a prepaid debit card that lets you pay for eligible expenses directly from your commuter benefit account(s).

If you already have an EBC Benefits Card for a health care flexible spending account (FSA), health savings account (HSA), or health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), you will use that same Benefits Card for your commuter benefits. Funds will automatically pull from your commuter benefits account when you use the card for eligible transit or parking expenses.

If you don’t already have an EBC Benefits Card, your Benefits Card will be mailed to you when you set up your first contribution. You’ll receive an email from us when it’s on the way.

Simply swipe the card, use it to pay online, or add it to your digital wallet and use it wherever Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay are accepted. You do not need to call to activate your card—it will work as soon as you use it.

It’s important to note that digital wallet capabilities are only available to primary cardholders.

Parking Claims

If your parking provider doesn’t accept credit cards, you can easily submit a parking claim for reimbursement in your online account.

Your card may be declined if you attempt to use your card for an expense that exceeds your available balance or the monthly IRS limit. If this happens you may request that your merchant enter only the amount of your available balance and then pay for the remainder of the expense using another payment method.

While you are not required to submit your receipts, we recommend that you save your receipts with your other tax records.

The IRS has a maximum monthly pre-tax contribution amount that is reviewed and updated every year. The maximum monthly pre-tax contribution amount refers to the maximum amount of funds that you and your employer combined can contribute to your commuter benefits on a pre-tax basis.

Refer to our Plan Limits Page for the maximum monthly contribution limit for pre-tax commuter benefits.

Your employer may allow you to make post-tax contributions if your pre-tax contributions are not enough to cover your eligible transit and/or parking expenses. To see if your employer allows post-tax contributions, review your My Company Plan.

To access your My Company Plan:

1. 1. Log in to your online account
   2. In the main menu, select CommuteEase under the Account Information section

If your card goes missing, you can lock your card in your mobile app, EBCentral, to prevent any unwanted purchases.

1. 1. Log in to EBCentral
   2. From the dashboard, select Lock Card
   3. When you find your card, you can unlock it by selecting Unlock.

If you can’t find your card or it was stolen, you can replace your card in EBCentral and have a new card mailed to you.

1. 1. Log in to EBCentral
   2. From the dashboard, select Replace
   3. Verify we have the correct address on file and select Replace

Your card will be immediately closed, and a replacement card will be sent. Replacement cards may take up to 10 business days to arrive.

For more information about lost or stolen Benefits Card, watch our Lost or Stolen Benefits Card Video.

Once you have registered your online account, you can add an authorized user to your commuter benefits. Authorized users are able to ask questions about your accounts. To add an authorized user, complete the Participant Authorization Form available on the forms page.