Parking and Transit Accounts

The UW System offers eligible employees the opportunity to pay certain work-related parking and transit expenses with tax-free dollars through Parking & Transit Accounts. This is a benefit offered by the University and managed by Human Resources; Transportation Services is not involved in its administration. Please direct all questions to HR.

Parking & Transit Accounts will be offered again to UW System employees effective January 1, 2021. These accounts were previously available to employees prior to June 1, 2018. If enrolled prior to June 1, 2018, you may continue to use the funds available in your parking and/or transit accounts until exhausted or you become ineligible. Any amounts remaining in either of these accounts at the end of the year carry over to the following year.

Optum Financial / ConnectYourCare (CYC) is the plan administrator for the Parking & Transit Accounts.

All employees, including rehired annuitants and student hourly employees, are eligible for this program, except:

  • Student Assistant with one of the following titles: Fellows, Scholars, Trainees
  • Employee-in-Training with one of the following titles: Grad Intern/Trainee, Post-Doc Fellow/Trainee

Account Types

Parking Account

Covers work-related parking expenses such as parking ramps. This account may not be used to pay for parking at a University lot if payroll deduction is available. If you pay for University parking through payroll deduction, your costs are deducted pre-tax and are not eligible for reimbursement with this account.

The monthly contribution limit for a Parking Account for 2021 is $270.

A list of eligible Parking expenses can be accessed in the Forms & Resources section below.

Transit Account

Covers work-related commuting expenses such as public transit passes to and from work (bus, trains subway) and commuter highway vehicles (vanpools).

The monthly contribution limit for a Transit Account for 2021 is $270.

A list of eligible Transit expenses can be accessed in the Forms & Resources section below.

Enrollment

You can enroll in or change your Parking or Transit election at any time. Your election will begin on the first of the month on or following your enrollment. When you enroll in a Parking or Transit Account, you designate an annual election amount which is then divided into equal amounts per paycheck.

These accounts have unlimited carryover, so there is minimal “use-it-or-lose-it” risk.

You must re-enroll each year to participate.

Enrollment can be completed one of two ways:

  • Online: 1) Log into the MyUW Portal, 2) Find the ‘Benefit information’ module and click ‘Launch full app’, 3) On the ‘Summary’ tab scroll to the bottom and click ‘View Benefits Summary Detail’ 4) In the left hand navigation click on ‘Parking & Transit Selections’, 5) To start filling out the form click ‘Add a New Value’ button or to see a form previously submitted click ‘Search’.
  • Fillable PDF or Paper: 1) Open the Enrollment Form located in the Forms & Resources Section below 2) Complete the form and submit it to your institution human resources office. The form is a fillable document that can be completed and submitted via email or printed and delivered in person or mailed.

Claims Submission

If you enroll in a Parking Account you will receive a Payment Card. When used, payment will automatically be deducted from your Parking Account.

For both the Parking & Transit Accounts you may pay expenses out-of-pocket and then submit claims manually. To comply with IRS requirements, documentation is required to substantiate expenses to show they are eligible for reimbursement.

If you pay for your expenses out-of-pocket, there are several methods by which you may submit your claims manually for reimbursement.

Please see the UW System’s Parking & Transit Accounts page for more information