Did you know that a recent ruling by the GAO has opened the door for Federal employees to take part in the Bicycle Commuting Benefit.

With all the legal stuff aside Federal Employees can now take advantage
of the bicycle commuter benefit in 2 ways; one by providing receipts for
reimbursement or by requesting the Commuter Check for Bicycling voucher.

The voucher is a GAO & IRS compliant voucher similar to the Federal transit voucher for use on mass transit.  It is accepted at over 350 bicycle shops nationwide for the purchase of bicycle commute related products and bicycle storage.

To get the voucher contact Commuter Check today at 800.531.2828 or visit www.commutercheck.com for more information.

Here is the background taken from a posting on the GAO website by Daniel I. Gordon, Acting General Counsel.

NIGC participates in the federal government's transportation fringe benefit program under 5 U.S.C. sect. 7905 and Executive Order No. 13150, Federal Workforce Transportation, Apr. 21, 2000, by providing monthly transit passes to employees who certify that they use mass transit to commute to and from work. Several NIGC employees who commute by bicycle and do not participate in the transit pass program have asked whether they can obtain commuting subsidies. They point out that Congress, in 2008, amended the Internal Revenue Code to permit employers to provide up to $20 per month to those employees who commute to work by bicycle to cover the costs of a new bicycle, bicycle improvements and repairs, and storage.

Because the provisions in 26 U.S.C. sect. 132(f) do not specify whether the bicycle reimbursement is available to federal employees, the certifying officer asked if NIGC can extend its transit program to include a $20 cash reimbursement for employees who regularly commute to work by bicycle. 

And the Ruling from the same posting.

In our [GAO's] view, the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) may expand its program to provide a $20 per month cash reimbursement to those employees who use their bicycles to commute to and from work. In designing and executing its program, NIGC should be mindful of the criteria in the Internal Revenue Code and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance.