Citi Benefits Handbook
How the Program Works
TRIP is made up of two accounts:
- A Transit Account to pay for eligible transit expenses. The Internal Revenue Code defines transit expenses as those for bus, subway, train, ferry and Metro passes, as well as vanpooling. A van must be a "licensed commuter highway vehicle" with seating capacity for six or more adults, excluding the driver.
- A Parking Account to pay for parking on or near Citi's business premises or near a location from which you commute to work by mass transit, vanpool or carpool.
You can enroll to purchase both a transit and parking products in the same benefit month, online, depending on what is required for your commute to and from work. Note that funds for Transit and Parking are not interchangeable once purchased. For transit, you can select to receive a transit pass or a commuter check voucher redeemable for transit passes, tickets, cards, tokens and other fare media. For parking, you can elect to receive a voucher or direct pay to a parking provider. When you enroll, you can set up a recurring purchase, or you can arrange to purchase your pass/voucher each month. The pass or voucher will be mailed to your address of record with the TRIP provider in time for use beginning the 1st of the following month.
When you enroll, you also have the option to elect a prepaid Mastercard debit card (Prepaid Transit Card or Prepaid Parking Card) for added convenience. Your prepaid debit card is a reloadable card that will be automatically updated with your monthly commuter election prior to the beginning of each month. The prepaid debit card can be used for qualified transit and parking expenses where Debit MasterCard®, Maestro® cards and NYCE® cards are accepted. In addition, you can elect to have funds electronically loaded onto your existing Optum financial payment card (the same card you use for the HCSA/ LPSA and/or HSA).
The deadline to enroll or change your TRIP participation is the 10th of every month for participation the 1st of the following month. If you miss the deadline, your enrollment/change will be effective the following month.
Once enrolled, you can cancel or suspend your online purchase at any time. If you cancel or suspend your purchase by the 10th of any month (the monthly purchase deadline), a pass will not be purchased for you for the following month.
Note for rail commuters using the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad (MNR): An earlier deadline applies to you. Your orders and cancellations must be placed by the 4th of the month.
|
If You:
|
Order:
|
Receive:
|
|
Enroll to purchase a transit and/or parking pass on the Optum Financial website, available as a link from My Total Compensation and Benefits at www.totalcomponline.com
|
No later than the 10th of any month; for LIRR and MNR commuters, no later than the 4th of any month
|
Your pass will be purchased and mailed to your address of record so you have it before the 1st of the following month
|
Keep in mind, if your transit pass is lost in the mail, or if you received an incorrect transit product, you are eligible to submit a Refund Claim Form to receive reimbursement for the missing or incorrect product. The Refund Claim Form must be received by the 10th of the benefit month and a refund will only be approved once per calendar year.
Please note: Some transit authorities and products have their own unique refund or replacement policies and thus are not covered by the Refund Claim Policy. For additional detail, please review the Refund Claim Form.