‘Tis the Season—to Enroll in the RTA Benefit Fare Program

PPO, HMO, FSA, HSA! There is a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms used each year during open enrollment season. We’d like to add one more to the mix: RTA. The RTA Transit Benefit Fare Program, that is.

The RTA Transit Benefit Fare Program serves more than 1,100 companies throughout the region. More than 16,000 of their employees enjoy the benefit of saving money while commuting with the CTA, Metra, Pace, South Shore, Amtrak, Chicago Water Taxi, and many other public transportation providers. The low-cost program is easy for companies to administer and manage, providing a one-stop shop for employees’ transit needs.

To encourage public transportation commuting among employees, many employers in the Chicagoland region offer transit benefits to their employees. The IRS code allows employees at companies offering transit benefits to have money (in 2020, that amount is up to $270 per month) deducted pre-tax from their paychecks to pay for their transit fares. Through the pre-tax deduction, employees save up to 40% on their commuting costs.

If an employer joins the RTA Transit Benefit Fare Program through December 31^st using promo code OpenEnrollment19, the RTA will waive the employer’s first monthly fee, which is based on the number of employee participants.

Transit benefits create a win-win situation for both employees and employers. In addition to helping recruit and retain talent, transit benefits save employers an average of 7.65% of the pre-tax deductions on their payroll taxes. This is money that goes directly to a company’s bottom line.

To learn more about the RTA Transit Benefit Fare Program, visit www.mytransitbenefit.com or get in touch at (312) 913-3230.