Did you know that effective September 30, 2014 all San Francisco Bay Area employers with 50 or more full-time employees within the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District) geographic boundaries were required to register and offer commuter benefits to their employees?
The first thing you should do is check to see if your employees are within the geographic boundaries or the requirements. If they are, then participation is mandatory. If not, you might still consider offering this benefit. There are potential payroll tax savings, and this benefit can encourage a healthy lifestyle, as well as being a recruiting and retention tool. See the map to determine if the program is mandatory for your organization.
Now, if you have discovered that the program is mandatory in your location, and you have nothing in place... don't panic! The first thing you'll want to do is request an extension from the Air District while you develop your plan.
You'll also want to check out the Employer Guide for helpful information about how to set up this new benefit for your employees.
