GW Pre Tax Transportation & Metro Parking Program- SmartBenefits

This pre-tax Transportation and Metro Parking benefit allows benefit eligible employees (full-time and regular part-time) to set aside pre-tax dollars each month

to be credited to your SmarTrip card, up to $245 per month for Transit, and up to $110 per month for Metro Parking. You may elect payroll deductions in increments

of $10 starting at $40 up to the current maximum of $245 Transit per month and $110 Metro Parking. SmarTrip cards may be used for Metrorail, Metrobus, and Metro Parking.

Employees who use area transit providers that do not currently accept the SmarTrip card as fare payment such as MetroAccess, Virginia Railway Express (VRE), MARC Train Service, MTA Commuter buses (Eyre, Dillon’s, & Keller) may still take advantage of pre-tax savings by participating in the GW SmartBenefits program. The SmarTrip card allows employees to allocate their benefit to their personal account through either Commuter Direct, or (for residents of Maryland only) MTA to contribute to your order.

To learn more about your SmarTrip card please visit:
http://www.wmata.com

To learn more about how to allocate funds to another provider visit:
http://www.wmata.com/business/employer_fare_program/vanpool_transit.cfm

GW's pre-tax transportation benefits program highlights include:

• Available to all benefits eligible employees
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• SmartBenefits are automatically downloaded to your (registered and formatted) SmarTrip card beginning on the 1st of the month following pre-tax payroll deductions.
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• You may enroll, change or terminate the benefit any time during the year by completing a new form – Bi-weekly paid employees may not cancel for the second deduction in any given month.
  
  
• The maximum stored value for each purse on your SmarTrip Cards is as follows: Personal value of $300; Transit value of $4,045; and Metro Parking has a max value of $4,045.
  
  
• SmartBenefits will always add value to either the Transit, and/or Metro Parking purses based on your elections. The only way to add value to the Transit & Metro Parking purses is to participate in the SmartBenefits program. SmartBenefits will not add value to your Personal purse.
  
  
• Value in your Transit purse will only pay for Transportation expenses, value in your Parking purse will only pay for Metro Parking expenses, and value in your Personal purse can be used for both. Value in Transit and Parking purses have first priority over funds in your Personal purse (stored value).
  
  
• SmartBenefits downloaded to your SmarTrip card will always remain yours until you use them. Any portion of your election that goes unused during the month rolls over adding to the available balance of your Transit and Parking purse each month.
  
  
• The value displayed at Metro exits represents the balance of the purse that actually pays your fare, not a cumulative total of all value currently available on your SmarTrip card.
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• Enrollees who do not register or fail to reformat their SmarTrip cards will not be eligible to participate.
  
  
• Should you make any change to your SmartBenefits election, you must reformat your SmarTrip card in the last two weeks of the month prior to any benefit change amount being made available.
  
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  Participation Deadlines
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  Monthly paid employees: New enrollments, changes or terminations must be received by the 10th of the month in order for the enrollment or benefit to be effective the first day of the following month.
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  Bi-Weekly paid employees: New enrollments, changes or terminations must be received two weeks prior to the first pay of the month in which the deduction is effective. The deductions are only taken the first two pay periods of a month. For a calendar click here: http://financeoffice.gwu.edu/taxpayrollbenefits/payroll/payroll_calendar.html
  
  $245 max allowable pre-tax transit benefit is set by IRS regulation therefore is subject to change.
  
  Learn more about the Pre-tax Transportation benefit by clicking the links below:
  SmarTrip Card Registration
  SmartBenefits Enrollment/Change Form
  SmartBenefits FAQ
  Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority