Benefits

What is my benefit and incentive?

When you take transit, you can take your eyes off of the road, and your wallet. Save significantly on your transportation costs by using your Pre-Tax Payroll Transportation Benefit to set aside up to $315/month pre-tax for public transportation. Set aside an additional $315/month pre-tax for parking where you take public transportation.

To further support your effort to green your commute, the County will automatically match your transit costs dollar for dollar up to $60/month.

How do I sign up?

To sign up for the Pre-Tax Transportation Benefits Program, you need to create an Optum Financial account.

Create your Optum Financial account at MarinCounty.OptumFinancial.com. This is where you order transit passes or cash value to load onto a Clipper Card or order commuter check vouchers used to pay for passes at transit providers. This is also where you can purchase your SMART train passes that are loaded onto your Clipper Card.

For instructions on how to create and manage your account, follow the Optum Financial Commuter Benefits Instructions.

How do I select my benefit?

Use your benefit by ordering transit passes or loading your Clipper Card directly through your Optum Financial online account following these steps:

  1. Log onto your online MarinCounty.OptumFinancial.com account.
  2. Place a transit order.
  3. The Transit Match will be applied to your order at the end of checkout.
  4. Transit orders must be placed by the 10th of each month.
  5. Orders received by the 10th of each month are processed and/or mailed no later than the 23rd of the month.
  6. Use your product during the eligible month.

Use Case Example:

Place your transit order by November 10th. The Transit Match will be automatically applied to your order at checkout. Your request will be processed or delivered no later than the 23rd of November. You can begin using your product beginning December 1. The total cost of product selected is subtracted from your paycheck and reflected on the corresponding pay stub.

Potential Savings

By paying for your bus, train, or ferry costs using the Pre-Tax Payroll Transportation Benefit, you automatically save on your transit costs! The Pre-Tax Payroll Transportation Benefit is a tax-advantage program. Savings vary based on your tax bracket.

Example Use Case With Benefit Without Benefit
Max Monthly Expense (bus, train, or ferry) $315 $315
Max Monthly County Contribution $60 $0
Est. Monthly Tax Savings (based on 30% tax bracket, your savings may differ) $95 $0
Your Monthly Net Cost $163* $317
Total Yearly Net Cost $1,950 $3,804
Total Yearly Savings $1,854 $0

* Monthly cost reflects $2 per month surcharge to load transit order on Clipper Card.

Eligibility & Requirements

Benefits eligible employees are eligible to elect this transportation benefit. Participants in the Pre-Tax Transportation Benefit Program are not required to track trips via the Marin Commutes Tracker.

Where can I redeem my incentive?

Purchase transit passes or load your Clipper Pass directly on Optum Financial. You can also order Commuter Vouchers to be redeemed at participating service providers. Current transit service providers with services to Marin County include:

  • Smart Train website
  • Sonoma County Transit website
  • Marin Transit website
  • Golden Gate Bridge website

To search for more service providers that accept your benefits, you must log on to your MarinCounty.OptumFinancial.com account.

Additional Transit Links

Do you need help finding a bus or train route? Use this trip planner to map your commute route using transit. It is powered by Google Transit, so it works for trips throughout the Bay Area - not just those within the County, and includes all transit providers.

Enter your home address or where you'd like to start from, choose a County Site, or enter your destination.

Clipper Card website

Get a reloadable Clipper card so you aren’t digging for cash each time you want to jump on transit. Clipper card is accepted on most Bay Area transit including SMART, Marin Transit, Sonoma County Transit, and Golden Gate Transit. And don’t forget to use your Pre-Tax Benefits Transportation Benefits to load it.

For more information, visit the RideGreen FAQs.

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