Qualified Fringe Benefits

Reference Number: NFC-24-1733506364
Published: December  11, 2024
Effective: Pay Period 1, 2025

Summary

The monthly limitation for the qualified transportation fringe benefit and the monthly limitation for qualified parking will increase to $325 for tax year 2025.

Implementation

Agency Paid Subsidies

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations state that employee parking subsidies over $325 and transit subsidies over $325 are considered taxable fringe benefits. An Agency’s Time and Attendance (T&A) reporting system can be used to record a parking or subsidy fringe benefit in excess of the IRS limit. This is done via transaction code (TC) 17, Suffix 09, Parking/Taxable Fringe; TC 17, Prefix 10, Transit Subsidy; or TC 17, Suffix 08, Chauffeur Driven Auto. When entering employee parking/taxable fringe, transit subsidies, or chauffeur-driven auto on the T&A, the benefits may be recorded biweekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannually, or annually (in accordance with Agency policy) and must be reported by the end of the tax year.

In addition to the T&A option, some Agencies utilize the reporting of the parking fringe benefit in excess of the IRS limit of $325 (i.e., taxable portion) via Allowance Type 179, Parking Fringe. When using the Web-based Entry, Processing, Inquiry, and Correction System (EPIC Web), EmpowHR, or Agency Front-End System Interface (FESI) to record the taxable portion of this fringe benefit, the amount entered in the Allowance Rate field will be reported each pay period until deleted. The allowance record can be processed via one of the following methods:

Note: Agencies should not enter employee parking or transit subsidies using both the T&A and Allowance Type 179 (EPIC Web, EmpowHR, or FESI) processes. If more than one method is used, the T&A will be suspended. Therefore, timekeepers should check with their servicing personnel office before this information is entered on the employee’s T&A.

Employee Paid Subsidies

In situations where the Agency does not pay the employee’s transit or parking subsidy, the employee can report their payment of a transit or parking expense as pretax on their taxes. This is handled via the processing of an allowance record with Allowance Type 525, Transit Benefits (Non Taxable), and Allowance Type 526, Parking Benefits (Non Taxable). When using EPIC Web, EmpowHR, or FESI to enter these benefits, the amount entered in the Allowance Rate field will be reported each pay period until deleted. The allowance record(s) can be processed via one of the following methods:

Inquiries

For questions about National Finance Center (NFC) processing, authorized Servicing Personnel Office representatives should contact the NFC Contact Center at 1-855-NFC-4GOV (1-855-632-4468) or via the customer service portal at ServiceNow for Federated Users and at ServiceNow for Non-Federated Users.