The MTBP is an employer-provided mass transportation fare subsidy that is offered to eligible employees who use mass transportation for their commute to and from work. Employers assign the dollar value of their monthly commuting benefit directly to the employees' registered SmarTrip® cards.
Executive Order 13150, "Federal Workforce Transportation" requires Federal agencies to provide employee incentives to use mass transit to and from work.
To be eligible for the Mass Transportation Benefit Program (MTBP) you must be:
The following types of employees are eligible to receive the subsidy:
The following types of employees are not eligible to receive the subsidy:
Yes, if your agency provides you with free parking, parking at a reduced rate, or any other form of subsidized parking. Employees may not receive a parking pass and transit benefits at the same time. Your local parking office may grant exceptions on a daily basis. MTBP participants may receive up to 5 days of parking per month for personal or work related reasons, if needed.
Yes, if the vanpool is registered with WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority – a.k.a. Metro), DoD employees riding in the vanpool may have their benefits electronically allocated to their vanpool operator's account. Please note that vanpool owner/operators are NOT eligible to receive benefits.
To contact WMATA regarding vanpool registration, call 202-962-1326 or visit the WMATA website.
If you have any questions regarding Pentagon vanpools and/or parking permits, contact the Pentagon Parking Office at 703-697-6251.
MTBP applications can be found online. View the MTBP Application
Yes. There are some cases where DoD NCR employees who will not be issued a CAC card or work at a facility where they do not have access to a CAC enabled computer on the DoD network.
To receive a paper MTBP application, view the MTBP Application or send a request to TransitPass@whs.mil
These participants' continued eligibility will be verified by the employee's DoD component MTBP reviewing official. The DoD NCR MTBP office will provide each organization with a monthly listing of non-CAC participants to certify they are currently employed and eligible. Benefits will be made available on SmarTrip® cards until the component instructs the MTBP office otherwise.
*Important note: The paper application cannot be used by employees waiting for their CAC to be issued. This process is strictly reserved for DoD employees that will not be issued a CAC or work at a facility that does not have access to the DoD CAC enabled network.
A SmarTrip® card is a permanent, rechargeable farecard. It's plastic, like a credit card, and is embedded with a special computer chip that keeps track of the value of the card.
Using a SmarTrip® card is fast and easy. Instead of inserting a farecard through the Metrorail faregate slot, you simply touch the SmarTrip® card to the circular targets on top of or inside station faregates. Likewise, you can tap the SmarTrip® farebox on Metrobus to pay your fare with SmarTrip®.
SmarTrip® cards can be used directly on the following modes of transit:
SmarTrip® cards cannot be used directly on the following modes of transit. You must use a transit benefit allocation or CommuterDirect.com for service on the following transit providers (further details can be found below in question 11):
SmarTrip® cards can be purchased at Metrorail stations with parking facilities, Commuter Stores, CVS stores, online, or at over 400 retail locations across the National Capital Region. Please view the WMATA Sales Locations page for a full listing.
If you already own a SmarTrip® card, you will need to register it correctly with WMATA in order for DoD MTBP to be able to make your transit benefit available on your card (see question 13 below for more details).
Yes. SmarTrip® cards are personal property and can hold your personal funds. The DoD NCR MTBP has the ability to link a transit tenefit account to the ‘transit benefit purse) on your properly registered personal SmarTrip® card (see question 13) every month if you qualify for the program. Transit benefit funds and personal funds are separated on your card.
Yes, the card is the mechanism that enables DoD NCR MTBP to establish your transit benefit account. For these modes of transit you must use either CommuterDirect.com (VRE & MARC) or WMATA's allocation system (vanpools, commuter buses and all other non-SmarTrip® enabled modes of transit). A full listing is provided in question 12 below.
After establishing an account with either CommuterDirect or WMATA, on the first of every month you qualify for the program, your monthly benefit will be transferred from your SmarTrip® Transit Benefit purse and sent to your 3rd party provider for payment. Benefits cannot be delivered through other means. You must have a registered SmarTrip® card in order to participate in the DOD NCR MTBP.
The transportation providers listed below accept SmartBenefits®, but do not have SmarTrip® card readers installed for direct use. Metro has a Passenger Allocation Account tool to pay these companies with employer provided SmartBenefits®. Please follow the instructions below to establish your allocation. Failure to complete the allocation step will cause your benefits to be sent directly to your SmarTrip® card for Metro Rail/bus use. This step must be completed by the stated deadlines in the month prior to benefit delivery.
Your benefit allocation only needs to be set once. Any future claims submitted will be directed from your card to your assigned 3rd party vendor.
Allocations for MARC, VRE, Dillon's, Keller, and Eyre must be set up by the 15th of the month prior to benefit delivery.
Allocations for all other transit providers, including Vanpools, must be set by the 21st in the month prior to the benefit delivery.
Benefits cannot be moved from the card to a 3rd party company within a current month.
Riders of MTA Commuter Buses (Dillon's Bus, Keller Bus, and Eyre Bus, Martz (Maryland based routes)):
Allocation deadline: 15th of the month prior to benefit delivery
Contact: MTA Commuter Direct at 410-967-2212 or questions@CommuterDirect.com
Riders of VRE and MARC
Allocation deadline: 21st of the month prior to benefit delivery
Contact: CommuterDirect.com, 703-228-7433 or questions@CommuterDirect.com
Riders of Vanpools
Allocation deadline: 21st of the month prior to benefit delivery
Contact: SmarTrip® Customer Service, 888-762-7874 or smartrip@wmata.com
Riders of Martz Group/National Coach (Virginia based routes)
Allocation deadline: 21st of the month prior to benefit delivery
Contact: Martz Group, 866-466-2789
Riders of Quick's Bus
Allocation deadline: 21st of the month prior to benefit delivery
Contact: Quick's Bus, 800-786-4192
Riders of Metro Access
Riders of AMTRAK
Allocation deadline: 15th of the month prior to benefit delivery
Contact the MTBP program office at 571-256-0962 or Transitpass@whs.mil
Your Common Access Card (CAC) name is the exact spelling of your first and last name as imprinted digitally on your CAC.
In most cases, this spelling matches the visible spelling on the front of your physical CAC card. In rare cases, the spelling on the front of your physical CAC may be shortened or displays a hyphenated name that is not on the digital imprint.
To verify the digital imprint of your CAC name, visit the MTBP Participant Status Page.
Your CAC name is listed under "Enrollment Status" as last name, first name.
See the screen shot below for an example for John Q Public.
*If your first or last name is more than 15 characters long, please use the first 15 characters from your CAC name to register your SmarTrip® card with WMATA. WMATA's website has a limit of 15 characters to input a name.
To register your SmarTrip® card using your CAC name, visit SmarTrip® Registration
*If you already own a registered SmarTrip® card, you can verify that the WMATA registration matches your CAC name by emailing SmarTrip@wmata.com or by calling 1-888-SMARTRIP (1-888-762-7874).
An expense worksheet is provided on MTBP applications. On paper applications (DD Form #2845), you can find the expense worksheet on page 3. This portion must be fully completed before the application can be sent forward for approval and processing. Please note that modes of transportation, individual stations, bus lines, etc. must be listed where appropriate. A SmarTrip® card serial number is required as well, which can be copied and faxed along with the application. Please provide the 9 digit serial number in the margins of the application or include it on the fax cover sheet.
The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 and the IRS Revenue Procedure 2013-15 increase the maximum monthly statutory limit for mass transit benefits to $245.
You may check the MTBP Participant Status Page (you must use your CAC to access this site) or you can email the program office at transitpass@whs.mil.
Please note that all email queries are answered within 5 business days.
Not in person. Fare media is distributed electronically. Participants will claim benefits using a new CAC-enabled claims module on the DoD NCR MTBP website. Between the 1st and 15th of each month, participants will submit a claim for the following month. The claims module verifies that you are still employed, eligible, and will allow you to evaluate how any planned leave or travel will affect your commuting costs in the upcoming month. Claims are not optional and should take between 3-5 minutes to complete.
An example of the claims process is available in the Claim Instructions.
FAILURE TO SUBMIT A MONTHLY CLAIM WILL RESULT IN A FORFEIT OF NEXT MONTH'S BENEFITS!
Failure to submit a monthly claim will not withdraw you from the Mass Transportation Benefit Program, but you will skip a month of benefits every time you fail to submit a monthly claim within the claim period. To allow for processing time, claims must be submitted by the 15th of the month prior to allocation of benefits. After the claim deadline, benefits are forfeited for the following month, and cannot be reinstated.
An example of the monthly claims process is available on the Claim Instructions.
The monthly claim process is an important internal control that replaces the physical verification of an employee's DoD CAC/ID to ensure continued eligibility. It also serves to document participant attestation to the program rules.
Claims for the next month's benefit are made between the 1st and 15th of the month prior to allocation of benefits. Cutoff dates are driven by WMATA's required deadlines.
Example: In order to receive benefits for November 2011, you must visit the MTBP website and submit a claim between October 1st and 15th. A claim made between October 1st and 15th will ensure issuance of November benefits.
Claims are made by visiting the DoD NCR MTBP website from a CAC enabled computer. If you know that you are going to be away from your CAC enabled computer for the next month's claim period, you can submit a claim up to 2 months in advance.
Participants will be required to make a claim each month to continue receiving benefits. At least three email reminders will be sent during the claim period.
You will not receive the next month's transit benefit allotment. Failure to submit a claim between the 1st and the 15th will result in the forfeiture of benefits for the following month. The monthly claim process is an important internal control. No claim = no benefits.
During the claim period, you will receive 15 email reminders to submit your monthly claim.
If you know that you are going to be away from your CAC enabled computer during the claim period for next month, you can submit a claim up to 2 months in advance.
Instructions vary by transit provider. For more details, please see Instructions for Receiving Electronic Fare Media
Yes. You are still required to recertify once a year. The annual recertification is approved by your supervisor and your organizational reviewing official. Monthly claims do not pass through the same management for approval.
An example of the monthly claims process is available in the Claim Instructions.
Yes. SmarTrip® cards linked to a transit benefit account store funds in two separate "purses:"
*Important Note: You must have personal funds in the personal stored valuepurse in order to leave a Metro parking facility. Even if you have $245 in your transit benefit purse, you cannot pay for parking with transit benefit funds!
You can check the balance of both purses online by creating a WMATA SmarTrip® Online Account
Started in November 2011, Metro implemented the new "autoload" program. This loads your transit benefits directly to your card the first time you tap a SmarTrip® target. Metro fares will automatically draw from your transit benefit purse first (see question 22). Due to this feature, it is recommended that you own a second SmarTrip® card for weekend or personal use.
No. Parking costs have never been allowed as part of the tax free DoD Mass Transportation Fringe Benefit. This rule is specifically detailed in the DoD policy on Mass Transportation Benefits (DoDI 1000.27)
SmarTrip® cards will specifically block transit benefits from being used to pay for parking at Metro facilities.
*Therefore, you must have personal funds in the personal stored value purse in order to pay for parking at Metro facilities. Even if you have $245 in your transit benefit purse, you cannot pay for parking with transit benefit funds!
If you lose your SmarTrip® card or it breaks, please see Procedures for Reassigning Benefits to a New SmarTrip® Card for instructions.
If you are changing organizations within DoD, please complete the MTBP application and choose "making a change."
If you separate from DoD, you must withdraw from the program. See question 26 for more details.
You must submit an application for withdrawal. The application is available on the MTBP website.
When completing the application, please provide an effective date and reason for your withdrawal in the "additional information" section.
Our office will ELECTRONICALLY retrieve any remaining transit funds (government issued) from your SmarTrip® card on the effective date you specify. You are free to use the SmarTrip® card for personal use and any funds you may have added out-of-pocket will remain unaltered by our office.
No. Transit benefits are not taxable and do not have to be recorded on your tax returns.
Transit benefits can only be used during the month they are issued electronically. Unused benefits will expire at the end of the month.
No. Retroactive distributions are not permitted.
No. Transit benefits are used for traveling to and from your work location. They are not transferable or intended to be used for your leisure. Selling or distributing your transit benefits violates the self certification on the application (DD 2845) which states, "WARNING: This certification concerns a matter within the jurisdiction of an agency of the United States and making a false, fictitious, or fraudulent certification may render the maker subject to criminal prosecution under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001, Civil Penalty Action, providing for administrative recoveries of up to $10,000 per violation, and/or agency disciplinary actions up to and including dismissal."
No. Personnel in a TDY or LTT status are not eligible to receive mass transportation benefits under the Mass Transit Fringe Benefit Program. Personnel in a TDY or LTT status may be reimbursed for travel to/from the temporary duty location, if authorized on their orders, by filing a travel voucher.
The MTBP Program Office may be reached viaemail at transitpass@whs.mil or phone at 571-256-0962.
