The university offers a Qualified Transportation Expense (QTE) Plan administered by EBPA. The QTE Plan enables you to reduce your taxable income by setting aside pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible commuting expenses. You may enroll for or make changes to this plan at any time by submitting a QTE Enrollment-Change Form found in the Benefits Forms and Documents section. Your enrollment or change will take effect on either the first day of the month you indicate on the form or, if no date is indicated, on the first day of the month following receipt of the form.

Once your account is established, you can access it online at www.ebpabenefits.com or by calling EBPA's automated system at 888.678.3457. To set up online access, you enter your employee ID number, which is your social security number, and the employer ID, which is "The New School." Once logged in, you can view your account contributions, reimbursements, and account balance(s) at any time.

There are two types of accounts:

Mass Transit Account

Eligible expenses include commuting expenses incurred for travel to and from work via subway, train, bus, ferry, or van pool. (Taxicab expenses are not eligible.)

Parking Account

Eligible expenses include parking expenses incurred at a parking facility near your workplace or at a parking location from which you commute to work by mass transit or carpool.

How the QTE Account Works

You set aside money from each paycheck to be directed to a Mass Transit Account and/or Parking Account. How much you contribute depends on the cost of your commute. The money set aside is deducted from your paycheck on a pre-tax basis. Funds become available for use as you make paycheck contributions. Once enrolled, you receive a benefits card with a MasterCard logo from EBPA, which you can use to pay for eligible mass transit and/or parking expenses at the point-of-purchase. In order to make a purchase using your card, you must have enough funds available in your account to cover the expense.

If you choose to contribute to a Mass Transit or Parking Account, monthly minimum and maximum elections apply:

In addition to the pre-tax contribution to the Mass Transit and Parking accounts, you can elect to make post-tax contributions if your expenses exceed the maximum pre-tax allowable election. That way, your entire monthly commuting expense can be paid for using your benefits card. Funds in your account(s) not used at the end of the calendar year will be carried over to the next calendar year.

Requesting a Reimbursement

If you pay for QTE eligible expenses out-of-pocket instead of using your Benefits Card, you must print and complete a QTE Reimbursement Claim Form found in the benefits forms and documents section and either:

• Submit your completed Reimbursement Claim Form and receipts (if available) electronically through EBPA's secure document submission portal secure.ebpabenefits.com (select "Reimbursement Accounts").
  or
• Return your completed Reimbursement Claim Form and receipts (if available) to the mailing address or fax number indicated on the form.

If you leave The New School, your participation in the QTE plan will terminate on your employment termination date. You will not be able to use your benefits card to pay for expenses after that date.

To obtain forms and documents related to the QTE plan, go to the benefits forms and documents section.