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Enrollment and Order Deadlines
Enrollment deadlines:
If your employer is offering the commuter benefit, you can enroll yourself for the benefit through the dashboard. Go to You > Benefits > Ancillary benefits > Commuter benefits. You can complete this at any time.
Once this step has been completed, employees must enroll in Optum Financial and create an account to get started to place a new order. Enrollment does not have a deadline, but please review the order deadlines below.
Both full-time and part-time employees are eligible. Unfortunately, unpaid owners are not eligible for this benefit.
Order deadlines:
Employees have until the 6th of each month to place new orders, make changes, or cancel their order, effective for the following benefit month.
For example, if you place an order on October 27th, this order will be for the December benefit month, as the Oct 6th deadline for November orders will have passed. You will have until November 6th to make any changes to your December order. You’ll then receive your card or transit/parking pass by December 1st or the modifications or cancellations will take effect on December 1st.
Commuters utilizing Metro-North or Long Island Rail Road in NY:
Employees have until the 4th of each month to place new orders, make changes, or cancel their order for the following benefit month, specifically for Metro-North or LIRR.
If you are using a benefit debit card to purchase your Metro-North or LIRR pass in person then your deadline will remain the 6th of the month.
Products Available Through Optum Financial
Optum Financial provides a variety of products that you can select from to meet your qualified transit and parking needs. The Optum Financial Portal will take into consideration how and where you commute from, and will guide you through making orders, and providing recommendations for products that best align with your commuter needs.
You will also have the ability to order multiple products for each benefit month to ensure you are getting the most out of your benefits. This includes passes directly from your local transit authorities, voucher checks to your parking provider, the Justworks Benefit Card, and more. When ordering the Justworks Benefit Card you will be able to swipe directly at your local transit stations and parking venues (some restrictions apply) or submit claims for out-of-pocket parking purchases. Please note, per IRS guidelines, out-of-pocket transit purchases are not eligible for reimbursement.
Optum Financial resources on qualified commuter expenses can be found here.
How to enroll in Optum Financial
For more information on how to enroll and register your account with Optum Financial visit: Registering and Logging into Optum Financial.
Deductions
If you are paid semi-monthly, your contributions will be deducted from the first paycheck of the month. For most employees paid bi-weekly or weekly, you will see deductions on the first payroll on or after the 12th of the month.
Some employees who are paid bi-weekly or weekly may see deductions on the first payroll on or after the 10th of the month. This is dependent on your company's settings. If you have any questions on the timing of your deductions, please reach out to our Customer Service team.
Please note the IRS maximum for pre-tax contributions for commuter benefits is $300 for transit and $300 for parking per month in 2023.
Making changes to your benefit
To make changes, log into your Optum Financial account directly. If you have questions related to changing your benefit selection or the type of selections available for your location, you can contact Optum Financial Customer Support to learn more. You can reach them at 844-881-0242 or email of-service@of.optum.com. Their Customer Support is available 24/7 365 days a year.
Lost cards
If you've lost your card, it's best to contact Optum Financial Customer Support at 844-881-0242 or request a new card directly on the Optum Financial app. Please keep in mind that it's best to reach out to them as soon as you are able.
Separated employees
If you are no longer employed, your Optum Financial account will be canceled immediately. If you have credits on your account due to a transfer or refund those will be forfeited on the day of your separation. To avoid losing commuter credits it may be a good idea to transfer credits to a debit card by the order deadline prior to your separation. If you have a commuter debit card, then you will have 90 days from the date of separation to use the funds on the card. After that, you will lose access to any remaining pre-tax funds and remaining post-tax funds will be returned to you.
Credits
Credits added to your commuter account as a result of a reimbursement or transfer operate differently than funds already available on a commuter debit card. Credits, similar to pre-tax deductions, are subject to IRS rules and are therefore capped at $300 per month for transit orders (2023), $300 per month for parking orders (2023), and expire upon separation of employment.
Contacting Optum Financial
Optum Financial’s Customer Service is open 24/7 365 days a year. If you have any questions or need to contact Optum Financial for help on your account, you can call 1 (844) 881-0242 or email of-service@of.optum.com.
You can also get more information and submit your claims through the Optum Financial app or visit the Optum Financial Commuter Benefits Overview Page here.
Disclaimer
This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, legal or tax advice. If you have any legal or tax questions regarding this content or related issues, then you should consult with your professional legal or tax advisor.