If you travel to work by public transportation, you can save money by taking part in the City of New York Commuter Benefits Program, which covers the city and the tristate area.
This city benefit enables UFT members to pay for allowable commuting costs with tax-free funds. You can use tax-free funds to travel by many forms of transportation, including train, subway, bus or ferry, and for parking at or near public transit. As of Jan. 1, 2025, the monthly pretax limit for commuter benefits — set by the IRS — is $325 for both transit and parking.
The program, administered by Edenred, covers virtually any transit system in the tristate area. Here’s a partial list:
- New York City Transit, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, NJ Transit, PATH and NY Waterway
- Paratransit and the MTA’s Access-A-Ride program
- Parking at or near public transit to commute to work with the Park-n-Ride program.
How to sign up
You decide how much to contribute toward your commute based on your monthly transit expenses. Funds are moved from your paycheck to your account before taxes are deducted. According to IRS guidelines, unused pretax commuter benefit funds cannot be refunded.
To enroll, change, suspend or discontinue payroll deductions in the Commuter Benefits Program, visit the Department of Education’s payroll portal. Remember to keep your current address updated with Edenred; changing your address with the DOE will not automatically update your address with Edenred. For more information, see Updating Your Commuter Benefits Account at the DOE’s HR Connect site.
Transit plan choices
NYC commuter card: This prepaid card, which is funded monthly with the amount you specify, is fully compatible with the OMNY tap-and go payment system. Use this commuter card the same way you would use a debit card. The card is accepted at transit agencies, fare vending machines, designated transit retail centers and qualified parking facilities in the New York tristate area. You can add the card to your cellphone’s digital wallet or tap the physical card at OMNY readers on buses and at subway turnstiles. UFT members who previously used the annual transit card have been automatically transferred to the unrestricted plan of the NYC commuter card.
Transit pass plan: This plan allows you to arrange for home delivery of your transit provider passes and tickets through Edenred. There is an extensive list of transit providers in the tristate area that are part of the plan.
Park-n-Ride: This plan allows you to use your payroll deductions to pay for parking at or near a public transportation stop or station that you use to get to work. You must be enrolled in one of the other commuter benefits plans in order to participate in the Park-n-Ride program.
Access-A-Ride Paratransit Service: This plan allows you to participate in the MTA’s Access-A-Ride program or other paratransit provider programs. In this plan, you fund an account with Edenred through payroll deductions and select your Access-A-Ride coupons or other paratransit options on the Edenred website. The city pays the monthly administrative fee.
For more information about these plans, visit the Edenred website, call 833‑584‑8109 from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., or email Edenred at nyc [at] commuterbenefits [dot] com (nyc[at]commuterbenefits[dot]com).