- Who can enroll in the Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account Program?
Any active State employee who meets the following eligibility criteria can enroll:
- You drive a personal vehicle to work or to a location from which you commute to work;
- You pay for employment-related parking in a paid facility providing a receipt; and
- You currently do not have a DGS-administered or department-sponsored parking space.
- When can I enroll?
You may enroll at anytime. There is not an "open enrollment" for the program.
- How do I enroll?
Complete a DPA 682 - Reimbursable Account Enrollment Form and give it to your Personnel/Payroll Office. For your deduction to be effective for the current pay period, your enrollment form must be processed and forwarded to SCO's Miscellaneous Deduction Unit by the 10th of the month.
- How much can I have deducted from my paycheck?
You can deduct your actual cost of parking, up to $215/month, for the 2007 tax year.
- Is there a cost to enroll in the Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account Program?
No. Participants in the program are not charged a participation fee.
- How do I get reimbursed?
- You pay your parking fees and receive a receipt for all parking expenditures for the month.
- You complete a DPA 681 - Reimbursable Account Claim Form. Your signature on the claim form attests that the reimbursement is for "qualified parking" and that you meet the eligibility criteria.
- You send the completed reimbursement claim along with the required payment documentation to ASI at the address listed on the form for processing.
- How often can I submit a claim form?
You can submit a claim as often as you like. Some participants are submitting their reimbursement claims on a monthly basis while others are submitting their claims on a less frequent basis. The parking reimbursement checks are mailed once a month at the end of the month. Your claim must be received by ASI by the 15th of the month to be included in the monthly processing cycle.
- What information needs to be included on my parking fee receipt?
The following information should be legible on the parking fee receipt:
- name of the parking facility or company;
- parking date(s) (e.g., July 1-31, 2004);
- parking fee amount; and
- your name.
- What if my parking facility does not provide a receipt when I pay my parking fees?
You can submit other proof of parking fee payment with your claim form. It must include the required information listed in question #8. This documentation can be any of the following:
- copy of money order;
- copy of cashier's check;
- copy of the front and back of a cancelled personal check;
- copy of an invoice and the front of a personal check;
- copy of the front of a personal check on which the parking facility has signed and dated as paid;
- copy of credit card statement;
- copy of bank statement; or
- proof of purchase of a debt card for parking meters.
A copy of your paycheck statement showing the pre-tax parking deduction is not proof of payment for reimbursement.
- Can I change my pre-tax parking payroll deduction at any time?
Yes. You can increase or decrease the amount of your parking payroll deduction at any time by completing a DPA 682 - Reimbursable Account Enrollment Form and giving it to your Personnel/Payroll Office. The change to your payroll deduction will start with the current pay period if your form is processed and received by SCO's Miscellaneous Deduction Unit by the 10th of the month.
- Can I cancel my pre-tax parking payroll deduction at any time?
Yes. You can cancel your parking payroll deduction at any time by completing a DPA 682 - Reimbursable Account Enrollment Form and giving it to your Personnel/Payroll Office. Your payroll deduction will be cancelled in the current pay period if your form must be processed and received by SCO's Miscellaneous Deduction Unit by the 10th of the month.
- Whom do I contact to determine the status of my claim?
If you want to know the status of a recently submitted claim, call 1-800-659-3035
to speak with a customer service representative from ASI, the Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account Program record keeper.
- Whom do I contact if my reimbursement check is lost or stolen?
If you think your reimbursement check is lost or stolen, you will need to complete SCO's Request for Duplicate Controller's Warrant/ Stop Payment form (STD. 435). To request this form, contact the Program Coordinator for the Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account Program at (916) 324-0526 or CALNET 8-454-0526.
- Will my Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account payroll deduction continue when I transfer from one department to another department?
Yes. Your payroll deduction continues when you transfer from one department to another. However, if you do not have to pay for parking at your new department or it has its own parking program, you need to cancel your reimbursement account payroll deduction as soon as possible. You need to complete a DPA 682 - Reimbursable Account Enrollment Form and submit it to your Personnel/Payroll Office so they can process and forward it to SCO's Miscellaneous Deduction Unit by the 10th of the month.
- Do I need to cancel my Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account payroll deduction when I move to a parking lot administered by DGS/OFA or my department?
Yes. The Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account payroll deduction differs from the DGS-administered or department-sponsored parking programs in the way they are coded and processed. If you don't cancel your Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account payroll deduction as soon as possible when you move from a private parking lot to a DGS-administered or department-sponsored lot, you will have duplicate pre-tax parking deductions taken from your paycheck and could face forfeiture of your unclaimed pre-tax reimbursement account funds.
- When I stop participating in the Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account Program and I have money left in my account, will it be automatically refunded to me?
No. The IRC code doesn't allow automatic refunds of excess money in your Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account except for certain circumstances. If you are an active State employee, you have one (1) year from the date of your last activity (deduction or submission of a claim) in which to submit a claim with valid parking receipts for reimbursement.
If you are separating from State service, you also have one (1) year from your date of separation in which to submit a claim for reimbursement of work-related parking expenses incurred prior to your separation.
If you don't submit pre-tax parking reimbursement account claims with these specified time periods, you will forfeit the remaining balance in your account.
- Are there any circumstances in which I can receive a refund of money left in my Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account?
DPA reviews refund requests on a case-by-case basis. Refund requests are not permitted for current participants in the program or for participants who have a pending reimbursement claim on file.
There are certain circumstances when you may be eligible for a refund. If you become disabled or there is a delay in processing your cancellation notice are examples of the circumstances in which you may be eligible for a refund.
DPA reviews the refund requests on a case by case basis.
If you are eligible for a refund, it is issued to you either by check or direct deposit. It is not included in your regular paycheck. Since the deduction is done pre-tax, SCO is required to withhold taxes if you are issued a refund.
- If I go on a Leave of Absence (LOA), will my Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account payroll deduction continue?
If you go on a LOA, the payroll deduction will continue if there is "sufficient gross" in your paycheck. If you are on an Industrial Disability Leave and receiving non-taxable income, your pre-tax parking deduction stops.
Since your Pre-Tax parking Reimbursement Account Program payroll deduction can be cancelled and started at any time, your deduction should be cancelled when you are on a LOA of 30 days or more.
- When I moved from a private parking lot to a DGS-administered lot, I had to write a check for the first month until my payroll deduction started. Can I submit my receipt for reimbursement?
If you have a balance left in your Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account fund, you can submit your receipt for reimbursement by completing a DPA 681 - Reimbursable Account Claim Form and send it to ASI. This also applies if you are moving from a private parking lot to a department-sponsored parking lot.
Current as of July 5, 2006
