Few details on bike commuter benefit

The bicycle commuter benefit went into effect Jan. 1, and you still don’t know how to take advantage of it. Neither do we.

Businesses are waiting on guidelines from the IRS to implement what could be a very exciting bicycling perk.

As soon as we find more information, you will be the first to know. Check back on our blog, in Traffic Signals and in future issues of ModeShift. In the meantime, the League of American Bicyclists has a thorough FAQ on its website: www.bikeleague.org.

Here’s the gist: Similar to the way businesses let employees pay for their car or transit commute with money before taxes, this bill would allow bike commuters to use up to $20 of their salary each month before it is taxed.

It could even work out that businesses would pay employees up to $20/month for the cost.