Bike Commuter Tax Benefit Passes Both House & Senate

The Bikeleague reports that after 7 years of being tossed back and forth, the bike commuter tax benefit has finally passed both House and Senate, as part of the $700B financial services bailout package. President Bush signed the legislation almost immediately, and it is now law.

Thanks to everyone who wrote to their legislators, and special thanks to Congressman Blumenauer and Senator Wyden, for their ongoing effort to bring a tax benefit to Americans who commute by bike.

What does this legislation mean?

The bottom line is, you can get up to $20/month tax-free from your employer, if he feels like giving it to you, to reimburse you for your bike commuting expenses. Your employer can write it off as a business expense. This benefit goes into effect at the beginning of the year 2009.

The reimbursement can be “for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment.”

This is similar to the tax-free reimbursements offered to transit riders, and cannot be combined with those. Multimodal commuters already getting the transit benefit cannot get the bike benefit too.

Full text of the legislation follows, as the link we supplied earlier expires:

SEC. 211. TRANSPORTATION FRINGE BENEFIT TO BICYCLE COMMUTERS.

(a) In General- Paragraph (1) of section 132(f) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(D) Any qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement.’.

(b) Limitation on Exclusion- Paragraph (2) of section 132(f) is amended by striking `and’ at the end of subparagraph (A), by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (B) and inserting `, and’, and by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

`(C) the applicable annual limitation in the case of any qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement.’.

(c) Definitions- Paragraph (5) of section 132(f) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(F) DEFINITIONS RELATED TO BICYCLE COMMUTING REIMBURSEMENT-

`(i) QUALIFIED BICYCLE COMMUTING REIMBURSEMENT- The term `qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement’ means, with respect to any calendar year, any employer reimbursement during the 15-month period beginning with the first day of such calendar year for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee during such calendar year for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment.

`(ii) APPLICABLE ANNUAL LIMITATION- The term `applicable annual limitation’ means, with respect to any employee for any calendar year, the product of $20 multiplied by the number of qualified bicycle commuting months during such year.

`(iii) QUALIFIED BICYCLE COMMUTING MONTH- The term `qualified bicycle commuting month’ means, with respect to any employee, any month during which such employee–

`(I) regularly uses the bicycle for a substantial portion of the travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment, and

`(II) does not receive any benefit described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1).’.

(d) Constructive Receipt of Benefit- Paragraph (4) of section 132(f) is amended by inserting `(other than a qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement)’ after `qualified transportation fringe’.

(e) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2008.

So, come Jan 1, 2009, start saving your receipts for the bike you ride to work!

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