What is a Commuter Reimbursement Account (CRA) and how do I use it?

A Commuter Reimbursement Account (CRA) is a spending account that allows you to set aside pre-tax dollars. You can spend this money on eligible mass transit and parking expenses.

You can only use a CRA to:

Pay for travel between your primary residence and workplace
Pay for your own personal travel expenses

With a CRA you can save money on your commuting expenses. Money is deducted from your paycheck on a pre-tax basis, reducing your overall taxable income.

This article will teach you about:

Contribution limits

When you set up your CRA, you decide how much money to contribute each month. The IRS sets a limit on how much you can contribute:

Mass transit: $300 per month
Parking: $300 per month

You can choose to contribute money for both transit and parking. This would give you a combined limit of $600 per month.

Example 1: You only take public transportation to work. You want to contribute money to pay for your monthly transit pass. You can contribute up to $300 per month to your CRA.

Example 2: Sometimes you take public transportation to work, but sometimes you drive. You want to contribute money to pay for both your transit tokens and your parking fees. You can contribute up to $300 per month for transportation and $300 per month for parking. This gives you a combined total of $600 per month.

Eligible expenses

You can use your CRA for mass transit or parking expenses, but only for travel between your primary residence and workplace.

Mass transit

Any use of mass transit for your commute to and from work. This includes publicly and privately-owned transit vehicles and bus, rail, or ferry transportation. Eligible expenses include:

Transit passes
Tokens
Fare cards
Vouchers
Pooled ridesharing like UberPool or Lyft Share
Other items that allow you to ride transit to and from work

Parking

Parking expenses for a location at or near your work. Eligible expenses include:

Parking meters
Parking garages
Parking lots

Ineligible expenses

Examples of expenses that aren’t covered by your CRA are:

Tolls
Gas
Mileage
Parking at or near your home
Business or personal commuting expenses
Individual ridesharing like UberX, Lift XL, and Uber Comfort

How it works

After you set up your CRA, you’ll receive a physical card in the mail. You can use your CRA card like a debit card to pay for eligible transit expenses.

You can also pay for your transit expenses out-of-pocket (with your own money) and submit a claim later. As long as these expenses are eligible, you’ll be reimbursed from your CRA.

Can I change my contribution amount at any time?

You can change or stop your contribution amount on a monthly basis. If you submit a change before the 20th of the month, it will come into effect the first pay period of the following month. If you submit a change after the 20th of the month, it won't come into effect until the first pay period two months from when the change was made.

Example One: Imagine you submitted a change to your CRA contribution amount on February 15th. The change comes into effect the first pay period in March.

Example Two: Imagine you submitted a change to your CRA contribution amount on February 25th. The change comes into effect the first pay period in April.

To change your contribution:

1. Log in to your League account.

2. Click "Wallet".

3. Select your Commuter Reimbursement Account.

4. Select "Update Monthly Commuter Contribution" or “Visit Change my Contribution”.

If you don’t see these buttons in your League account, contact our Customer Care team through Chat or email us at help@league.com.

If I cancel my CRA, can I retrieve my unused funds?

You can only use your CRA for eligible transit expenses. You can’t retrieve any money you already contributed to your account. However, you’re able to cancel any future contributions.

Do my CRA funds rollover to the next month?

Yes - if you don’t spend all your funds during the month, you’ll still have access them next month.

What happens to my CRA funds if I leave my employer?

Your last day of work is also the last day you can use your CRA funds or debit card to pay for an eligible expense. Your employer may offer a run-out period, but this is up to your employer and isn’t required. A run-out period gives you a short amount of time to submit any expenses from when you were still employed. You can’t submit any expenses from after your last day.

How do I check my balance?

To view your CRA balance, log in to your account with your CRA administrator. Read about how to access your CRA account.