A Transit Account is a provision under the Internal Revenue Code Section 132 that enables employers to allow their employees to have certain commuter expenses taken out of their paycheck on a pretax basis and deposited into an account. These expenses would be taken out before the Federal tax, FICA tax, and the State tax. The TRA also allows the employers to save on the matching FICA that they would have had to contribute on this amount.
An employee elects to have an amount transferred from his gross paycheck, before taxes are taken out, and put into a Transit Account. When the employee incurs an eligible out-of-pocket expense for this account, they would present their TRA Debit Card for payment or receive a receipt indicating the date of service, what was done/purchased, and for how much. If they use their TRA Debit card, the funds would be deducted directly from their account. If they paid for the service or product by some other means, they would submit the receipt with a claim form, and would receive back out of their account the funds. This check would be tax-free.
A Parking Reimbursement Account is a provision under the Internal Revenue Code Section 132 that enables employers to allow their employees to have certain Parking Expenses associated with work to be taken out of their paycheck on a pretax basis and deposited into an account. These expenses would be taken out before the Federal tax, FICA tax, and the State tax. The PRA also allows the employers to save on the matching FICA that they would have had to contribute on this amount.
An employee elects to have an amount transferred from his gross paycheck, before taxes are taken out, and put into a Parking Reimbursement Account. When the employee incurs an eligible out-of-pocket expense for this account, they would present their PRA Debit Card for payment or receive a receipt indicating the date of service, where they parked, and for how much. If they use their PRA Debit card, the funds would be deducted directly from their account. If they paid for the service or product by some other means, they would submit the receipt with a claim form, and would receive back out of their account the funds. This check would be tax-free.
Initial Setup / Installation / Take-Over
Whether it is a new plan or take-over, HR Concepts will take the time necessary to consult with you to design the legal documents, integrate your existing plan, and bring your current plan into compliance.
After the Documents have been completed, HR Concepts will design a customized summary plan description that will be distributed to every eligible employee.
If you require a corporate resolution or adoption agreement, HR Concepts will provide you with a template that you can use or customize onto your own company letterhead.
HR Concepts will provide you with a customized enrollment form that will be used to enroll the employees into the TRA’S and the PRA’S.
Upon the initial setup or takeover, HR Concepts will provide enrollment meetings and education sessions to introduce the Section 132 to the employees. After this initial time, HR Concepts will conduct enrollment meetings for employees annually and when there is a significant amount of new hires.
If employees decide to not use the TRA/PRA Debit card, or for expenses not covered by the card, HR Concepts will provide claims forms that can be submitted for reimbursement from the accounts.
HR Concepts provides employers with a TRA/PRA Debit card for each employee. These cards are considered MasterCards, however, they can only be used at predefined locations. If an expense can not be put through on the card, then the employee can submit this claim by mailing, faxing, or dropping it off to HR Concepts. Upon receipt, the claim will be processed and a check will be dispensed.
Employees will have access to checking their balances of their accounts online. They will also be allowed to download claim forms and enrollment material.
Employers will have access to periodic plan activity and employee’s account balances via the web or by calling HR Concepts.
Resources / Partners
Resources
(Contact HRC 1st for Access Code)
Employer Council on Flexible Compensation
Health Plans