What you need to know
Starting in January 2025, we’re offering a convenient way for you to plan for commuting expenses and save your own pretax dollars through our commuter benefits program. Eligible expenses include those for public transportation and parking when commuting to a PayPal office.
The smartest way to get to work
Simplify your commuter expenses and benefit from pretax savings
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sets pretax contribution limits annually. In 2025, you can contribute up to $325 per month for public transportation and up to $325 per month for parking expenses related to commuting to a PayPal office. If your monthly expenses exceed the IRS pretax limits, the additional amounts will be taken out of your paycheck as after-tax dollars. After you sign up for the program, your elected amounts will be evenly deducted from your first two paychecks of every benefit month.
Here's an example of how you can save and reduce your taxable income.
Example: $425 transit + $75 parking = $500/month in commuter expenses
Pretax deductions | Post-tax deductions | Total deductions | |
---|---|---|---|
Transit expenses | $325 | $100 | $425 |
Parking expenses | $75 | $0 | $75 |
Eligible program expenses include:
- Public transportation (bus, ferry, train, trolley, subway and passes)
- Parking expenses (meters, garages and parking lots)
Plus, you can start, stop, or change your commuter benefits through HealthEquity/WageWorks at any time throughout the year. Changes made by the 10th of every month will be applied to the following month. You’ll also be able to plan ahead to suspend contributions for a given month if you anticipate a longer break (e.g., a planned sabbatical).
Enroll by the 10th of the month to participate for the following month
If you would like to participate in the commuter benefits program, you’ll need to sign up by the 10th of the month for your benefits to be active on the first of the following month. For example, you would need to sign up by December 10 for your benefits to be active for the January benefit month. If you miss the monthly deadline, your enrollment will be effective for the next benefit month.
Enroll in commuter benefits
You can enroll* in or modify your commuter benefits elections through HealthEquity/WageWorks by following the steps below:
Enroll for transit expenses
- Login using single sign-on (must be on PayPal network; you will be asked to create a username and password if creating a HealthEquity account for the first time)
- Select Transit in the left column
- Click Place Transit order
- Click Next
- Enter your zip code
- Select appropriate transit authority
- Select the specific transit product (i.e., reusable debit card, transit authority-issued card)
- Enter monthly contribution (up to IRS limit of $325 per month)
- Select frequency for contribution
- Confirm contact information
- Submit order
Enroll for parking expenses
- Login using single sign-on (must be on PayPal network; you will be asked to create a username and password if creating a HealthEquity account for the first time)
- Select Parking in the left column
- Click Place Parking order
- Click Next
- Enter your work location address (i.e., 117 Barrow Street, New York, NY)
- Click Next to view parking locations with payment options
- Select payment method (commuter card is a reusable debit card)
- Enter monthly contribution up to $325
- Select frequency for contribution
- Confirm contact information
- Submit order
*If you are a new hire, please wait 7-10 days from hire date to enroll in commuter benefits.
Using your commuter spending account
There’s flexibility in how you pay for expenses:
- Use a HealthEquity/WageWorks debit card. If you are currently enrolled in another HealthEquity/WageWorks program and have a purple chipped debit card, your commuter funds will be added to your current card. If you are not enrolled in another HealthEquity/WageWorks program and/or do not have an existing purple chipped card, you will receive a new card.
- Arrange for HealthEquity/WageWorks to pre-pay your monthly transit or parking expenses directly
- Arrange a “Pay Me Back” option to be reimbursed if you must pay for an eligible parking expense out of your own pocket (receipt required)
You must enroll by the 10th of each month to activate commuter benefits for the following month. You can set your order to recur on a monthly basis, or you can designate in advance which months you wish to receive your commuter benefits.
Questions?
View the HealthEquity/WageWorks help center for more details about the commuter benefits program.