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Transportation Reimbursement Incentive Program (TRIP) > How the Plan Works > Eligible Expenses spacer
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Eligible Expenses
         Ineligible Expenses
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Eligible Expenses
Under federal law, two types of commuting expenses are eligible for this benefit:
  • mass transit fares, including tickets, passes, tokens, vouchers or fares for buses, trains, subways, streetcars, ferries and qualified vanpools (transportation in a personal car, carpool, or taxi is not eligible)
  • parking fees at or near your workplace or parking at a location from which you commute to your work-place via mass transportation or a carpool, such as a park-and-ride lot (residential parking is not eligible)
Only parking and mass transit costs incurred by you in connection with travel between your residence and your workplace are eligible. Costs that have been or will be paid by the Company, as for a business trip, are not eligible.
Out-of-Pocket Qualified Transportation Expenses
Not all transit and parking options are available through the Wage Works catalog, but you can still enjoy tax savings if you elect to be reimbursed and you report your eligible commuting costs as out-of-pocket expenses. Your reimbursement will be processed through your end-of-the-month paycheck.
To get tax savings on a reimbursement basis for commuter expenses that are not available through TRIP, you need to do the following by the election deadline:
  • Go to the Wage Works` website.
  • Choose "Place Commuter Order."
    • For Transit: If you select a provider that is not in the WageWorks catalog, you will be prompted to describe the pass you're looking for and one of the WageWorks customer service representatives will contact you. If you prefer, you may contact WageWorks directly for assistance.
    • For Parking: If you select a provider that is not in the WageWorks catalog or select to contract space, park at a meter or cashbox, or park at different places throughout the month, you can elect the amount you want withheld from your pay to cover qualified expenses that you expect to incur after your election. Your amount withheld will not exceed the before-tax limits. Then, buy the service from the parking provider and obtain a receipt. Follow the instruction on Wage Works' website for submitting a receipt and certifying that the expenses qualify for reimbursement.
If the amount you elected to withhold from your pay exceeds the amount of qualifying expenses that you incurred, you may carry over the unused amounts to pay for qualifying expenses that you incur in the future. However, according to IRS rules, you may lose any unused amounts if they remain unclaimed after 180 days of payment. You must make a request for reimbursement of qualified expenses you incurred prior to 180 days of payment of the benefit.
 
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