Pre-Tax Commuter Benefits

Please read the following information before applying.

This information is for full-time Faculty and Staff.

If you are an Adjunct Faculty member, you can find more information and eligibility criteria on the Adjunct Faculty Commuter Benefits page.

If you are a part-time staff member, please contact the Benefits Team at benefits@usfca.edu.

Important: The Benefits Team only determines eligibility and processes the setting up of your Edenred account. You are responsible for placing/managing your order. If you experience any issues with your order, please contact Edenred and/or Clipper directly, as applicable.

Edenred Commuter Benefits Webinar

Presentation deck

 

  • All full-time Faculty and Staff commuting to a USF campus are eligible to set aside pre-tax dollars for qualified commuting expenses up to the IRS monthly limit of $315 for transit and up to $315 for parking (at public parking garages) per month. For 2025, the monthly limit will be up to $325 for transit and $325 for parking per month. Please note: Clipper cards can only hold a maximum balance of $300.
  • If you have a USF Parking Permit or are listed on a USF Carpool Permit, you are eligible for the pre-tax commuter plan benefit only, not the subsidy. For further eligibility criteria for the subsidy, please see the Pre-tax Commuter Subsidy section below.
  • Edenred administers the Pre-tax Commuter Plan benefit, which allows you to add transit passes and fares directly onto a Clipper Card or onto a Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard using pre-tax dollars deducted from your paycheck.
  • Full-time benefits-eligible faculty and staff may qualify for USF’s Commuter Subsidy contribution of up to $81 per month.
  • If you purchase a USF Parking/Carpool Permit and have an existing Edenred transit order, you may want to consider changing your order since you will no longer be eligible for the subsidy. 
  • Please note that parking orders cannot be used to pay for a USF Parking or Carpool Permit. Parking order funds can be used for public parking garages.
  • If you are on a leave of absence (i.e. paid, unpaid, protected, or unprotected) you are not eligible to participate (this applies to both the plan and subsidy). If you have an order, it may be cancelled when you go on a leave. Upon your return, it is your responsibility to submit a new Commuter Plan and Subsidy Enrollment Form in order to be able to place an order again.
  • In accordance with IRS Treas. Reg. section 1.132-9(b) and IRS Information Letter 2019-0002, any remaining balance on a Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard that includes employee contributions and/or employer subsidy is NOT refundable to you should you leave employment (either voluntarily or involuntarily) or stop participating in the plan. This is an important reminder to place your Commuter Benefits orders for the month in which you will use them.
  • Full-time benefits-eligible Faculty and Staff may qualify for USF's Commuter Subsidy contribution of up to $81 per month.
  • You are not eligible for the Commuter Subsidy if you:
    1. are not commuting to a USF campus
    2. are not actively working (i.e. on a leave of absence, either paid or unpaid)
    3. are not working on campus
    4. do not have a "transit" order placed with Edenred
    5. have a USF Parking Permit
    6. are listed on a USF Carpool Permit
    7. live within a half-mile radius of the perimeter of campus.
  • If you are a full-time Faculty member and your status changes from full-time to adjunct, you will also become ineligible to receive the subsidy. Adjunct Faculty will receive an email each semester in which they are teaching with steps on how to place their order for the Commuter Subsidy specifically for Adjunct Faculty.
  • Subsidy eligibility is regularly audited. You will not be informed if the subsidy is removed. It is your responsibility to be aware of the eligibility criteria.
  • In order to receive the subsidy each month, you must have an active "transit" order with Edenred. If you place a "parking" order with Edenred, you will not receive the subsidy.
  • Any additional amount over $81 subsidy will be pre-tax dollars deducted from your paycheck. Please ensure that your order amount covers the subsidy and any additional pre-tax amount you wish to contribute.
  • There are no refunds, retroactive, or prospective payments of the subsidy.

  • If you return to work from a leave of absence, you must re-apply for the commuter subsidy by submitting a new form.

If you wish to apply for the Pre-tax Commuter Plan and/or Subsidy benefit, please submit a completed Commuter Plan and Subsidy Enrollment Form at any time.

There is one form for full-time faculty and staff to fill out regardless of subsidy eligibility, as subsidy eligibility is determined when applications are processed.

Once you apply for and are approved for the Commuter Plan and/or Subsidy, an account will be established for you with Edenred (company code: 1609), and you will receive an email with instructions on how to access your account and place your order.

You can manage your account either on Edenred’s website or mobile app:

To do so:

  1. Log in to USFWorks
  2. Click on Benefits and Pay.
  3. On the next page, click on Suggested Links on the left-hand side bar, and then click Edenred (Commuter Benefits).

Please note the following:

  • You are responsible for managing your Edenred account. This means you must place, change, or cancel orders by the 10th of each month (9 p.m. PT) to receive Commuter Benefits for the following month. If you miss the deadline, you will not receive the benefit for the following month.
  • Please periodically log in to your Edenred account to confirm your login credentials as well as your transit/parking order(s). You are responsible for reviewing your paycheck(s) to ensure that commuter check deductions are accurate.
  • If placing a Clipper order, you need to ensure that the Clipper card account number you enter matches the number on the back of your Clipper card.
  • If you use a Clipper card, you must tag it by the 16th of each month in order to activate your monthly pass for that month. If you do not tag your Clipper card, your monthly pass will not load and cannot be refunded or recovered.
  • Any missed employee pre-tax commuter deductions (i.e. due to leave of absence, insufficient earnings, or termination of employment) will be deducted from subsequent payroll checks. You can log in to Edenred (company code: 1609) or call Customer Service at 888-235-9223 to change your order to zero (0.00) or suspend your order for certain months so that no catch-up contributions will occur.
  • By placing your order with Edenred, you agree and certify that the transit/parking orders/products will be used by you only for the purposes of commuting to and from work. Additionally, you accept the terms and conditions of the Clipper cardholder license agreement or the MasterCard Cardholder Agreement if you order the Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard.
  • In accordance with IRS Treas. Reg. section 1.132-9(b) and IRS Information Letter 2019-0002, any remaining balance on a Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard that includes employee contributions and/or employer subsidy is NOT refundable to you should you leave employment (either voluntarily or involuntarily) or stop participating in the plan. This is an important reminder to place your Commuter Benefits orders for the month in which you will use them.

In order to receive commuter benefits, you must have an active Clipper card.

USF does not provide Clipper cards.

You must register your Clipper card with Clipper. 

You need to ensure that the Clipper card account number you enter during the order process on Edenred matches the number on the back of your Clipper card.

If you enter the incorrect Clipper card number, the funds are not recoverable from Clipper nor USF. 

IMPORTANT: Clipper cards will hold funds for up to 6 months. If there is no activity during this time period, any funds will expire. Once expired, all subsidy funds will be forfeited and are not refundable to the cardholder. Any of your own pre-tax contributions will be credited to your Edenred account to be used against future orders. As a reminder, the intent of the University's monthly Commuter Subsidy and subsequently, any transit order(s) placed, is that they are used for the month in which you receive these funds. For example: If you place an order for $100.00 for the month of August, you should use these funds for August commuting expenses.

In the event that your Clipper card is lost or stolen, please note the following:  

  • Immediately report lost or stolen Clipper cards by calling Clipper at (877) 878-8883 or logging into your online Clipper account at https://www.clippercard.com and clicking on “Report Lost or Stolen”.
  • Clipper will mail you a replacement card, which will be mailed to the address that Clipper has on file.
  • You can purchase a new Clipper card from several sales locations.
  • Once you have received your new Clipper card, you must immediately register the new card number with both Clipper and Edenred. For Edenred, you do this by updating the Clipper card account number on your order to that of the new Clipper card. Failure to register your new Clipper card will prevent you from using it, and you will not receive your order for the month. There will be no retroactive or prospective payments of any subsidy due to your failure to register your Clipper card or attach it to your transit order.

MUNI requires you to use (i.e. tag) your Clipper Card by the 16th of the month or it is no longer valid for that month. MUNI does not issue refunds, nor does CCD. Please see the MUNI website for more details.

Clipper cards can hold a maximum of $300. If the value of the order causes the value of the card to exceed $300, the order may not load and you will lose any subsidy, if applicable. USF does not issue refunds for a lost commuter subsidy.

Orders will not load if your Clipper card balance is negative.

  • The Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard is a re-loadable commuter benefit card that is accepted at Transit Agencies or designated transit retail centers where only transit passes, tickets, and fare cards are sold. It can also be used at public parking operators that accept Debit MasterCard.
  • The Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard can be used at Fare Vending Machines, which saves you time waiting in line and time locating a customer service desk or staffed sales area.
  • In compliance with the IRS, the Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard can only be accepted at designated outlets that sell transit products exclusively, such as Transit Stations and Kiosks. Stores such as Walgreens or CVS, will not accept the Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard.
  • Please note: transit order funds on a Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard can only be used for transit, not public parking. Likewise, parking order funds on a Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard can only be used for public parking, not for transit.
  • Effective with January 2024 orders, the maximum permitted balance on a Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard is $1,000. If an order would cause your balance to exceed $1,000, it will not be processed. No future orders will be processed until your balance is low enough for the order to process.
  • If you terminate from the university, your Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard will only be active until the end of the month in which you terminate.  Any pending orders will be cancelled on your termination date. Please plan your orders carefully. For example: if you terminate from the university on May 19, 2023, your Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard will be valid until midnight May 30, 2023. In accordance with IRS guidance, any remaining balances left on your MasterCard are not refundable.

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