Title: COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSLYVANIA COMMUTER BENEFITS PROGRAM
1COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSLYVANIA COMMUTER BENEFITS
PROGRAM
2Agenda
- Introduction to the Commonwealths Commuter
Benefits Program - Overview of Commuter Benefits
- TransitCenter Solutions Products and Services
- How the Program Works
- How You Can Enroll
3- Introducing the
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvanias Commuter Benefits
Program - A Great Way for You to Save Money
4Commonwealths Commuter Benefits Program
- With the Commonwealths Commuter Benefits
Program, you can take home more of what you earn! - Thanks to a special provision in Federal law,
Internal Revenue Code Section 132 (f), you can
save money every time you commute by public
transportation - Whether you take a bus, train, subway or
qualified vanpool you can save money every time
you commute - And, if you currently drive to work, consider
using public transportation as a less expensive
alternative to paying for fuel and parking
5Commonwealths Commuter Benefits Program
- When you enroll in the Commuter Benefits Program,
you will be able to use your pre-tax salary to
pay for commuting costs - That means you will pay less in taxes and take
home more of what you earn - Set aside up to 110 per month/1,320 per year
to pay for your commute - Amount can change annually this is the amount
for 2007.
6Take Home More Of What You Earn
- Heres an example of how much you can save
-
- The columns show the difference in take home pay
with and without deductions for Federal Income
Tax, Social Security, and Medicare - In this example, 23 is saved each month
7Commonwealths Commuter Benefits Program
- Its a win/win!
- You win by
- Using pre-tax dollars to pay for commuting
expenses which saves money - Receiving convenient transit products to pay for
commuting costs - The environment wins with
- Reduced traffic congestion
- Improved air quality
8Available Transit Providers
- There are approximately 70 transit providers
serving Pennsylvania - Bus
- Train
- Subway
- Qualified Vanpool
- For a complete list of providers, visit the
website or contact your Human Resource Office
9Product Overview
- Based on the transit provider you use, you will
receive one of the following transit products to
pay for your commuting costs - TransitChek QuickPay Card
- TransitChek Vouchers
- TransitChek CashBack
- Each product is explained further on the next
slides
10What is the TransitChek QuickPay Card?
- Visa Debit Card issued by Bank of America
- Designed to be IRS compliant for mass transit
- No annual or transaction fees
- 24/7 access to account information
- No monthly usage limit
- No transaction limit
- Funds rollover month-to-month
- Quarterly Statements
- Card is funded on the 23rd of the month
11What are TransitChek Vouchers?
- Like cash
- Used to buy tickets and transit passes
- Used for qualified vanpools
- Accepted in Pennsylvania and New Jersey
- Vouchers are received by mail before the end of
each month
12What is TransitChek CashBack?
- Used when the QuickPay Card and Vouchers are not
accepted by the transit provider - Cash reimbursement for transit expenses
- Employees submit CashBack Reimbursement form with
receipts - Reimbursements directly deposited into employees
checking or savings account within 2 weeks
13Tools Available
- Additional information, including a brochure,
Frequently Asked Questions, and contact
information is available on the Commuter Benefits
Website or by contacting your Human Resource
Office
www.transitcenter.com/pacommuterbenefits.aspx
14How the Program Works
- You sign-up for a monthly pre-tax payroll
deduction equal to, but not more than the 110
maximum. (Under some circumstances, post-tax
deductions may also be taken for expenses above
110.) - The payroll deduction is automatically taken from
your pre-tax salary on the first pay of the
month. In addition, a small monthly
administration fee of 3.25 is taken from
post-tax salary - The transit benefit product is made available to
you by the end of the month in which the
deduction is made from your pay - You use the product for expenses in the next
month. (Note This is an after-the-fact
benefit, since deductions are taken in one month
and used the next month.)
15Employee Enrollment How do you enroll?
- Enrollment is easy and takes just a few minutes
- There are two ways an employee can enroll
- Complete an Enrollment Form available on the
website or from your Human Resource Office and
mail or fax as directed on the form - Or, Call our toll-free number, 1-866-591-2435 to
speak with an enrollment technician
16Employee Enrollment What Will You Need to
Enroll?
- When enrolling, employees will be asked to
provide - Employee Personnel Number
- Last name as it appears in employee records
- Home zip code
- The names of all the transit and/or vanpool
services regularly used - Monthly mass transit or vanpool cost
17Employee Enrollment Enrollment Form
- Completed forms should be faxed or mailed to
TransitCenter at the number or address provided
at the bottom of the form
18Customer Service Available
- Customer service available from 830am to 530pm
Monday through Friday (EST) 1(866)823-3248 - Bi-Lingual Customer Service Representatives
- 24/7 access to TransitCenter website
- Employees may also refer questions to their Human
Resource Office
19On-Site Customer Service Available
- Onsite enrollment will be offered for any
employee who has questions before enrolling.
Depending on the popularity of this service,
additional dates may be added in January - Dec. 12 Keystone Bldg. Atrium Strawberry
Square Atrium - Dec. 13 Pittsburgh State Office Building
- Dec. 14 Scranton State Office Building
- Dec. 19 Philadelphia State Office Building
- Dec. 20 Reading State Office Building
- The service will be provided from 800 to 300 on
each day
20Whats next?
- Why wait to save money?
- Initial Enrollment begins December 11th and
continues through January 12, 2007 - First payroll deduction will be made in February.
- Transit benefit product available for use in
March. - Enroll on or before the 9th of any month after
the initial enrollment period ends for new
enrollments or changes to existing enrollments