What are Commuter Accounts?
Commuter Accounts are employee-funded accounts for parking or transit, regulated by the IRS, that allow participants to set aside pre-tax funds to save on work-related commuting expenses.
Parking and transit are not interchangeable - that is, you cannot use money set aside for transit on parking, and cannot use money set aside for parking on transit. You CAN make two separate payroll deductions, however, if you want to use both in a given month.
For example, if you pay for parking at a park-and-ride lot and also pay for a bus pass separately, you could use Commuter Accounts for both. The bus pass would count toward the transit limit, and the parking fee would count the parking limit.
Commuter 2024 Limits: $315 per month for transit and $315 per month for parking.
Commuter 2025 Limits: Not yet announced. Please refer to irs.gov for the latest updates.
Eligible Expenses
Only mass transit and parking costs incurred by you in connection with travel between your residence and your work location are eligible.
Examples include:
- Mass transit fares, including tickets, passes, tokens, vouchers or other fares for riding buses, trains, para-transit vans or other mass transportation vehicles
- Official vanpool fees
- Parking fees at or near your work location
- Parking fees at a location from which you commute to your work location via mass transportation or a carpool (e.g., park-and-ride lot)
What expenses are not eligible*?
- Tolls
- Traffic tickets
- Fuel (except with vanpools)
- Mileage or other costs you incur in operating a vehicle
- Taxi fare or limousine service
- Payments to a fellow participant in a carpool or to a friend who drives you to work
- Parking at your personal residence, your spouse’s place of work, a mall or similar location where you stop on your drive to or from your place of work
- Business travel or other expenses that are reimbursed by your employer
- Bicycle expenses e.g. purchase, repairs
*This list is not all-inclusive
Eligibility
All active blue-badge Intel U.S. employees (full-time and part-time) are eligible. This does not extend to dependents - only Intel employees can use this benefit. Employees are not eligible to participate in the program while on a Leave of Absence (LOA).
Reimbursement & Contribution Limits
When you're ready to start setting aside funds for either commuter benefit, you may enroll or make changes to your commuter account(s) at any time. Elections are done on a per month basis and the full amount of that election is taken on the second paycheck of the month. Once you enroll, your contribution will be available on your card the following month, after the contribution amount is deducted from your paycheck.
Commuter 2024 Limits: $315 per month for transit and $315 per month for parking.
Commuter 2025 Limits: Not yet announced. Please refer to irs.gov for the latest updates.
Commuter Accounts do not have a use it or lose it rule. The balances carry over, but you are not allowed to spend more than the IRS limit. If you are contributing more to your funds than you are using, you can lower your contribution amount at any time, but it may take up to one month before the changes take effect. If your employment with Intel terminates, funds not applied to eligible commuting expenses incurred before your termination will be forfeited.