Personal Income Tax Commuter Deduction
Effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2006, the Massachusetts Legislature reenacted a deduction for certain commuter expenses. The following requirements must be met for a taxpayer to qualify for the commuter deduction:

What qualifies?

1. Amounts expended by an individual for tolls paid for through a Fast Lane account or for weekly or monthly transit commuter passes for Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority transit, bus, commuter rail or commuter boat, not including amounts reimbursed by an employer or otherwise. In the case of a single person or a married person filing a separate return or a head of household, this deduction shall apply only to the portion of the expended amount that exceeds $150, and the total amount deducted shall not exceed $750. In the case of a married couple filing a joint return, this deduction shall apply only to the portion of the amount expended by each individual that exceeds $150, and the total amount deducted shall not exceed $750 for each individual.
2. MBTA Passes eligible for the Commuter Deduction. Any MBTA commuter pass or Charlie Ticket that is designated to be a monthly or weekly pass is eligible for the commuter deduction. The MBTA commuter rail “Twelve-Ride” pass and the MBTA express bus or commuter boat “Ten-Ride” passes qualify as weekly passes eligible for the commuter deduction. However, a “Stored-Value” Charlie Ticket does not qualify for the commuter deduction.

Double Tax Benefits Not Allowed. The new commuter deduction is allowable only if the amount is not otherwise deducted.

Married Filing Jointly: In the case of married taxpayers filing jointly, each spouse is limited to his or her own commuter costs not to exceed a deduction of $750 per individual. One spouse cannot transfer his or her excess deduction to the other spouse.Employer Provided Pass. For tax year 2006, where an employer pays for an MBTA pass, the amount by which the value of the pass exceeds $105 a month is included in the employee’s income, and reported as wages on Form W-2. To calculate the commuter deduction in these circumstances, first deduct $105 a month or $1,260 a year from the cost of the pass; the remainder is the amount of the qualifying expenses. The amount of the commuter deduction is the portion of the qualifying expenses that exceeds $150, and the total amount deducted cannot exceed $750.

Employee Payment by Payroll Reduction: Where an employee pays for an MBTA pass through payroll reduction, the total cost of the pass is eligible for the Massachusetts deduction, assuming all other requirements are met.

Dependents:  The deduction is allowed where an individual purchases an MBTA pass for a dependent who is claimed on that individual’s tax return, provided the dependent does not also claim the deduction. However, the total amount deducted cannot exceed $750 for each individual taxpayer who is filing a return. In the case of married taxpayers filing a joint return, the total amount deducted cannot exceed $750 per taxpayer; thus, the maximum deduction for a joint return is $1,500.

Recordkeeping: Monthly passes, FastLane reports, credit card statements, bank statements, pay stubs, and similar records will serve to substantiate this deduction.

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