Setting up SmartBenefits: DIY

So you’re ready to offer pre-tax or subsidized transit benefits to your employees. Congratulations! You’re one step closer to having happier employees, complying with DC’s new Commuter Benefits Ordinance and helping reduce traffic congestion and pollution in our region.

For employers ready to administer benefits in-house, Metro’s SmartBenefits^SM program allows you to put funds directly on employees’ SmarTrip® cards at no additional cost. SmartBenefits^SM saves you and your employees’ money while making everyone’s commute a little easier. Here’s how the process works:

1. Decide whether you want to offer pre-tax contributions (Ordinance option 1), employer-paid direct benefits (Ordinance option 2), or a combination of the two.
2. Set up your organization’s SmartBenefits^SM account online at wmata.com/smartbenefits.
3. Collect and enter employees’ SmarTrip^® serial numbers and requested contribution amounts online by the 15th of the month. Funds appear on employees’ cards on the 1st of the following month.
4. Watch the FICA and payroll tax savings roll in, as well as the praise from your satisfied employees!

Lorraine Taylor at Metro suggests that you act FAST to set up your account so that your employees and the organization can start to take advantage of the tax savings. Let your employees join the 250,000 SmartBenefits^SM employees taking advantage of the convenience and tax savings.

SmartBenefits^SM can be redeemed anywhere SmarTrip^® is accepted.* Employees can also choose to allocate their SmartBenefits^SM toward MetroAccess, MARC and VRE tickets, vanpool fares, and more.

Need a helping hand with setup and monthly upkeep? Whether you have 5 or 5,000 employees, many third party benefits administrators are available to provide transit benefits on your behalf. Stay tuned for tips on choosing a vendor, and sign up for our employer newsletter to stay informed. Contact goDCgo for complimentary consultation every step of the way: info@godcgo.com.

*SmarTrip^® is accepted by: ART, CUE, DASH, DC Circulator, Fairfax Connector, Loudoun County Transit, PRTC OmniRide, Ride On and TheBus. Employees may redeem benefits for other transit and vanpool fares via their personal SmartBenefits^SM account or Commuter Direct.

The Employer Services program at goDCgo provides complimentary consultation to employers in Washington, DC to make choosing sustainable commutes easier than ever. goDCgo is an initiative of the District Department of Transportation.