Wednesday's Workout

Last Wednesday's Workout focused on staying fit while at work. One of FitBritt’s suggestion was to ride a bike to work and/or talk to your employer about incorporating healthy activities for the office. Well, following up on last Wednesday’s report is some exciting information to incentivize both a bike commute and employer assistance. We have all heard of the Emergency Stabilization Act as basically being the bailout for American financial institutions. However, buried in this large piece of legislation is a gem to fitness fanatics, the Bicycle Commuter Act., which has been enacted in the US Tax Code. The Act allows an employer to reimburse an employee as part of a transportation fringe benefit, up to $20 a month for costs relating to commuting by bicycle. Qualified costs include purchasing a bike, bike improvements, repair and storage. The employee must qualify as a commuter by bike meaning that he or she regularly uses the bicycle for a substantial portion of travel been his or her residence and place of employment. Additionally, the employee cannot receive any other type of transportation benefit, so this cannot be combined with other forms of transportation benefits such as public transit or parking subsidies.

If you are interested in becoming a bike commuter or you already are one, you should talk to your employer about utilizing this benefit. To find copies of the laws, click on the above links. For further information, check out the League of American Bicyclist's website or check your local congress representative's website to see if they provide any details.