Sign Up for a SmartBenefits Personal Account

What is the SmartBenefits Personal Account Service?

The CommuterStore and CommuterDirect.com are working with WMATA to make SmartBenefits (electronic employee transit benefits) available to riders via a personalized transit account. With the personalized SmartBenefits account, riders will be able to access their transit benefits at an Arlington County Commuter Store or through a mail order account with CommuterDirect.com.

Who is eligible to have a SmartBenefits Personal Account?

In order to be eligible for a Commuter Store or CommuterDirect personalized account, riders must:

• Work for an employer that participates in the WMATA SmartBenefits program
• Have or be willing to get a registered SmarTrip card, and
• Purchase VRE, MARC, or MTA Commuter Bus tickets from an Arlington County based Commuter Store or be willing to establish a recurring mail order account with CommuterDirect.

Will I be able to access SmartBenefits at other transit vendors?

No, personalized accounts will only be available from an Arlington County Commuter Store, the Mobile Commuter Stores, an affiliated Commuter Store, or by mail through CommuterDirect.com.

How do I establish a SmartBenefits personalized account?

You can only register for a SmartBenefits personalized account if your employer has registered you in the WMATA SmartBenefits program. Once registered by your employer visit the link below and fill out the form to add SmartBenefits to your account:

https://www.commuterdirect.com/smartbenefits/.

When will I be able to use SmartBenefits at The Commuter Store?

You will be able to access your SmartBenefits at any of our Commuter Stores on the first business day after the 22nd of the month. If you have any questions, please contact us.

How do I use SmartBenefits at The Commuter Store?

You will be able to go to a Commuter Store and request to purchase tickets with funds from your personalized account. Customers must present the SmarTrip card that is enrolled with The Commuter Store account and a valid photo ID.

How do I use Smart Benefits with CommuterDirect.com?

You will be able to purchase tickets by mail online at www.CommuterDirect.com. You will have to first set up a CommuterDirect account and allocate SmartBenefits funds to CommuterDirect.com through WMATA. The previous subtopic describes how to set up the link; once it is set up, allocated benefits are applied to the customer's account each month on or about the 22nd. Once you identify your ticket needs, either through a recurring order or a One-Time Order, your tickets will be mailed. Recurring orders will be mailed between the 10th and 22nd of each month. If your transit benefit does not cover the full purchase price of your order, CommuterDirect will charge the remaining balance to the credit card you have on file with your account.

How can I add or change my SmartBenefits contribution amount?

The instructions on this page are for customers who have SmartBenefits assigned to CommuterDirect.com.

Please note that these steps must be completed before the 15th of the month prior to the effective SmartBenefits month. If you complete these steps after the 15th of the month prior, your SmartBenefits allocation change will not be effective until the following month's SmartBenefits. In addition, to claim your SmartBenefits for the missed month, please visit any Metro station and download the funds to your SmarTrip card. You can only use those funds on Metrorail, Metrobus or any other public transportation that allows you to physically touch your SmarTrip card to a faregate or farebox.

Steps for Creating a SmartBenefits Allocation:

1. Log into your WMATA SmarTrip account at www.smartrip.com.
2. Click on the SmarTrip card associated with your SmartBenefits
3. Click on "Manage SmartBenefits" (right side)
4. Scroll down to Upcoming Allocation
5. Click on Add Transit Provider
6. Click CommuterDirect from the drop-down menu
7. Enter the dollar amount you wish to allocate
8. Click Save

Steps for Changing Your SmartBenefits Allocation

1. Log into your WMATA SmarTrip account at www.smartrip.com
2. Click on the SmarTrip card associated with your SmartBenefits
3. Click on Manage SmartBenefits (right side)
4. Scroll down to Upcoming Allocation
5. Click the Edit icon for any existing allocation to CommuterDirect.com
6. Update the dollar amount you wish to allocate
7. Click Save

If you need assistance in changing your SmartBenefits contribution amount, or have any other questions or concerns about the electronic SmartBenefits, please feel free to contact us at 703-228-7433 from 7:00am - 6:00pm Monday - Friday.

Is there any cost for me to participate in this service?

If you do not already have a SmarTrip card, you are responsible for the $2 cost of the card. You can also use an existing card in your possession as long as it's registered.

What happens if I do not use all of my allocated benefits in a given month?

SmartBenefits funds are intended to be applied to employees' commuting costs in the month the subsidy is issued. Unused funds may be returned to employers.

Federal employees: CommuterDirect.com has been instructed by the US DOT TRANServe office to provide a full refund of all unused Electronic SmartBenefit funds from all federal employee CommuterDirect.com and Commuter Store customer accounts. Funds that are not used before 2:00 pm on the 21st of each month for the current month's transit passes will be removed from your CommuterDirect.com and Commuter Store account.

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary of Transportation
[Docket No. DOT-OST-2013-0213]
Notice of Transportation Services' OMB Designation, timely return of excess transit benefits to the Treasury, and stakeholder notification of the minimum internal controls
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT.
ACTION: Notice.

If you are not a Federal employee and you receive transit subsidy benefits through private or non-Federal agencies please disregard this notice.

An overview of the process can be seen below

• Transit subsidy funds added into your account during the current month can only be used for the following month transit needs. (Monthly, ten trips, one way and TLC's etc.)
• Funds that are not used before 2:00 pm on the 21st of each month for the current month's transit passes will be removed from your CommuterDirect.com account
• Funds that are not used before close of business on the 21st of each month for the current month's transit passes will be removed from your Commuter Store account
• These unused transit funds will be returned back to the United States Department of Treasury in one single combined deposit on the 21st of every month.
• Documentation to justify the monthly deposit will be provided to the United States Department of Transportation's TRANServe group
• CommuterDirect.com will adhere to this federally mandated policy effective January 22nd until further notice.

If you have unused SmartBenefits funds in your account you may wish to place a one-time order for non-time-sensitive fares before 2:00 p.m. on the 21st. CommuterDirect sells single-trip tickets and multiple-trip passes for most participating transit systems that do not have expiration dates. Review the descriptions of the various passes for the transit system(s) you use to find passes that you can use beyond your regular monthly needs.

Adhering to strict federal policy, CommuterDirect.com can not deviate from the above guidelines. These guidelines also apply to our Commuter Stores customers.

How do I change my benefit allocation or cancel my SmartBenefits account?

You can change the amount of your transit benefit allocation to your SmartBenefits account at any time online at https://smartrip.wmata.com/Account/Login with your SmarTrip card, username and password. If you reduce your allocation to $0, your account will simply no longer be funded. If you change employers, your previous employer will drop you from the SmartBenefits program, discontinuing additional funding to your account. If you are registered with CommuterDirect for a recurring mail order, you must also go to www.CommuterDirect.com and cancel or change your account status. Changes to personalized accounts must be made before the 10th of each month for the next month's benefits.

What do I do if I wish to cancel my account and I have an unused balance?

Transit benefits cannot be refunded once they have been placed into a Commuter Store or CommuterDirect personalized account. If you choose to cancel your account and there is a balance, you can exchange the remaining benefit for other transit tickets.

What do I do if I find an error in my SmartBenefits, Commuter Store or CommuterDirect account?

You can access your SmartBenefits account records through WMATA's SmarTrip system to verify that transit benefits have been allocated as directed to either the Commuter Store or CommuterDirect. You should contact your employer if there is a discrepancy in the amount of the transit benefits allocated from your employer to WMATA.

You can also get an account history from The Commuter Store or CommuterDirect that contains the date, time and product purchased from your account for up to the previous six months.

When can I make a SmartBenefits promise on CommuterDirect.com?

CommuterDirect.com customers can set up a recurring order with a SmartBenefits promise at any time.

For one-time orders, SmartBenefits promises will only be accepted from the 1st to the 21st of each month. From the 22nd through the end of the month, no adjustments can be made to your CommuterDirect.com or your WMATA SmartBenefits Allocation accounts. You can only place an order with the amount of benefits that has been applied to your account. Please note, you can only make adjustments to your WMATA SmartBenefits Passenger Allocation between the 1st and 21st of the month prior to the effective month. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your benefits, please contact a Commuter Direct representative at Questions@CommuterDirect.com or 703-228-7433 (TDD: 711).

Customers using SmartBenefits at MARC Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) must assign SmartBenefits to their account on or before the 21st of the month to have SmartBenefits available for the following month. Customers moving SmartBenefits to TVMs after the 16th won't have benefits available the following month, but the month after that.

Why was my credit card charged when I get SmartBenefits from my employer?

Your credit card will be charged if:

• Your Recurring Order does not include a SmartBenefits promise in the full amount of your order, OR
• You did not register your SmarTrip card in your CommuterDirect.com account, OR
• Your employer did not fund your SmartBenefits allocation.

Outstanding promise balances will be collected from your default payment method if not received by the due date shown on your order invoice. Customers with outstanding balances will be unable to place or receive further orders until their balances are paid.