SmartBenefits^® (formerly Metrochek)

Many employers in the Washington, D.C. area offer their empoyees a transit benefit to help with the cost of commuting, and to encourage the use of public transportation. Once called Metrochek, this transit benefit program is now called SmartBenefits. With SmartBenefits, employers assign transit benefits directly to their employees' reusable, rechargeable SmarTrip cards instead of distributing paper Metrocheks.

SmarTrip cards are accepted by the Metro system for bus and rail travel and parking. Many local bus systems and Metro-registered van pools also accept SmarTrip cards. Employees who commute on MARC or VRE commuter rail (which do not accept SmarTrip cards) can have their transit benefits assigned to a personal account with The Commuter Store in Arlington, or online at CommuterDirect.com, in order to receive the tickets or passes they need.

How SmartBenefits Works

SmartBenefits works just like many other commonly available fringe benefits such as employer-provided health insurance. Employees are not taxed for the value of the Metrocheks they receive, and employers can deduct the cost of providing the program as a business expense. The monthly Metrochek benefit can be any amount the employer chooses to provide, although a maximum of $110 per month is allowable tax-free or pre-tax to employees.

Ask your employer if this benefit is available to you. If your company does not yet offer SmartBenefits, Arlington Transportation Partners can provide information about setting up a SmartBenefits program at your company.

For more information about SmartBenefits, see the "How Metrochek Works" page from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

Use SmartBenefits with CommuterDirect.com and The Commuter Store

SmartBenefits can be applied to your CommuterDirect.com account to make purchases from CommuterDirect.com, from the three Arlington locations of The Commuter Store, or from the Mobile Commuter Store. This is a great way to use SmartBenefits to purchase fares from transit providers that don't accept SmarTrip cards, such as VRE and MARC.

Metrocheks are still accepted as payment for transit tickets, tokens and passes at all three locations of The Commuter Store and on CommuterDirect.com.

For more information about using SmartBenefits with the CommuterDirect.com service and at the Commuter Stores, go to CommuterDirect.com and click "SmartBenefits."

SmartBenefits Links and Resources

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) "Welcome to SmartBenefits" page

Department of Defense National Capitol Region Transit Subsidy page