The Commuter Parking Card is available to University of Pennsylvania benefits-eligible, full-time faculty, staff and Postdoctoral Researchers and Fellows who would like to allocate a pre-set dollar amount on the stored value debit card for as-needed parking. (HUP employees are advised to contact their benefits department for information about HUP commuter cards.)  Similar to other programs administered by Health Equity, parkers can realize significant tax savings by deducting their occasional commuting parking fees, including via payroll, up to $315 a month will be assessed on a pre-tax basis. Any amount over $315 each month is regarded as post-tax dollars. 

This card can be used at Penn garages and lots that allow visitor parking. It is intended to cover parking costs associated with your commute to work, and not for parking costs incurred for work-related travel expenses and non-work-related events and activities. (Note – the card is not intended for permit parkers at Penn parking facilities.) Consult with Health Equity for information on other commuter parking facilities where your card may be used.

Penn faculty and staff may follow these steps to place an order for a Commuter Parking Card:

• Visit the Health Equity Commuter Portal.  You will be prompted to enter your PennKey and password to enter the site.
• Select Enroll in Commuter then Parking. 
• Follow the step-by-step instructions to place your monthly order.  You may select a one-time or recurring monthly amount to be loaded onto the card via payroll deduction.
•  Activate your Commuter Parking Card when it arrives in the mail by phoning the number listed on your new card.  Failure to activate your card will result in your card being declined at any parking kiosk or machine.

IMPORTANT: All orders pertaining to Commuter Parking Cards must be submitted no later than the 10^th day of the month prior to the commuting month requested.  For instance, if you are placing an order for the August commuting month, your order in the Health Equity portal must be made by July 10, in order for it to be effective August 1^st. Your payroll will be deducted in August for the funds you ordered – deductions occur in the commuting month, not the month when an order may be placed.  For weekly-paid employees, the amount will be evenly split based upon the pay cycles for that specific month, while monthly payroll employees will have one payroll deduction.

 View Commuter Parking Card FAQs

  Commuter Contact Info

Please review the changes and current guidelines below to keep your parking account up-to-date and in compliance with the guidelines of Penn Parking.

• Hangtags will no longer expire.
  • All permit holders will receive a new hangtag to utilize year to year as they maintain an account in good standing with Penn Parking. 
  • The cost to obtain a replacement credential is $65.
    
  • Open Lot hangtags must be returned to the parking office to stop payroll deductions. If lost, the replacement fee must be paid and hangtags will be coded as Lost/Stolen to prevent further usage. Never use a Lost/Stolen hangtag to prevent costly fees and towing. If hangtag is found, please return to the Parking Office immediately.
• Student parking is available at the garage located at 40th and Walnut Streets. 
• Monthly permits may be purchased by credit card for a minimum of one month (Walnut 40 - one month min. All other garages have a three month min.)
  
  • The cost of parking may not be prorated for less than a one-month stay.
  • Please request VIP parking passes if staying for less than a four-week period.
• Any ticket or violation received will need to be paid before conducting further parking transactions with Penn Parking & Commuter Services.
  
  • If you are a permit holder with an unpaid violation, this will hinder permit renewals, purchases for specialty parking, even credential replacement.
  • Non-permit holders will no longer be able to purchase VIP, Occasional Parking, or other services should they have an unpaid balance.

Things to remember:

• Hangtags must be completely visible to avoid ticketing.
  • All permit holders must display hangtags when parking on campus.
• To cancel parking, all credentials (hangtag, access card, AVI device) must be returned to the Transportation and Parking Office in order to stop payroll deductions.
  • Credit card payments can be prorated weekly after the one month minimum is fulfilled.
    
  • Garage/lot assignments are only held for permit holders who cancel their parking due to medical leave. Proper verification is necessary upon return in order to reactivate your assignment.
• Any person with ambulatory difficulty requiring special parking arrangements must first contact the Office of Affirmative Action.
  
  • Affirmative action will contact Parking & Commuter Services on your behalf, with documentation and approval for special parking.
    • Please visit our office to pick up your temporary credentials. (the office does not print accessible parking hangtags.
• Permit holders are reminded that their parking accounts must be up-to-date with a current email address to receive notifications.
  • Please login to verify and update your parking account.
    • Verify that the phone numbers and contact information are correct as it may be necessary for Penn Parking to contact permit holders by phone.
    • Always make sure parking@upenn.edu is on your safe list to avoid emails being directed to spam.
• Continue to visit www.upenn.edu/parking for up-to-date information about parking, transportation, and other important announcements. Also, check the FAQs for answers to your questions.

Penn full-time, benefits-eligible employees who participate in the PATCO Freedom Card Program or use New Jersey Transit may pay for their monthly commuter costs via payroll deduction.  Amounts up to $315/month will be assessed on a pre-tax basis. Amounts over $315/month will be considered post-tax dollars and reflected as such on payroll statements.

The monthly commuter cost reflects a five percent subsidy from Penn.

Penn supports discounts for public transportation use by faculty, staff, post docs and students

The University's commuter programs accommodate a variety of circumstances and include discounted, pre-tax purchases of commuter passes and cards that can be used for the robust network of transit systems that serve Penn's campus. Currently, full-time, eligible faculty, staff and post-docs can receive discounted commuter fares or cards. Penn also supports discounted commuter travel for full-time students on SEPTA and NJ Transit. 

Use the Health Equity Commuter Card accepted at Transit Agencies, fare vending machines and designated transit retail centers that sell transit passes, tickets, fare cards and accept the VISA card for payment.  Health Equity Commuter Cards may not be used to purchase the PATCO Freedom Card. 

While SEPTA does not discount this product similar to its monthly pass, Penn does commit to the 5% subsidy.  Further, Federal tax law allows employees to use up to $315 of their pay for this benefit and that it will be in “pre-tax” dollars.

The Health Equity Commuter Card offers eligible employees a five percent subsidy on funds placed on the Commuter Card. Benefits realized from using the Commuter Card are:

• The security of electronic funding. 
• It can link to an existing travel wallet.
• You can choose the exact amount you wish to put on the card.

Penn has negotiated an agreement with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to provide two types of commuter passes:

• TransPasses, for travel within the City of Philadelphia, and
• TrailPasses, for regional rail.  

Full-time, benefits-eligible faculty and staff may purchase monthly passes, which are available as a direct-load product on a SEPTA Key Card at a 10% discount through payroll deduction. The five-percent discount provided by SEPTA is matched by Penn's five-percent subsidy. Ten-trip tickets are also available for purchase at a 5% Penn discount. Up to $315 of your monthly payroll deduction can be paid for through pre-tax deductions.

View Pricing

 Converting to the SEPTA Key reloadable transit fare card requires a three-step process:

• Buy a SEPTA Key Card at any of these locations; septa.org/key/resources/sales.html. There is also a SEPTA Key Card Kiosk at the Penn Bookstore, 3601 Walnut Street, ground floor.
• Register / activate your SEPTA Key Card at www.septakey.org.
• Log in to your WageWorks account to transition your pass to SEPTA Key.

Please know that the SEPTA Key and Commuter Pass Programs are managed by SEPTA and WageWorks, respectively. The following tips may be helpful as you navigate their processes:

• There are some charges associated with getting a SEPTA Key card. There is a card registration fee of $4.95. Also, to activate your new card, you will need to add funds to your card in the minimum amounts of either $1, if activating at a Fare Kiosk, or $5, if activating in person at any SEPTA Sales Office. The total amount will be credited to your SEPTA Travel Wallet. SEPTA has advised us that funds in the wallet can then be used to purchase a weekly pass or pay as you go for the days you will be commuting that month.
• It is critical that you write down the Card Reference ID number. This number is not on the face of your physical SEPTA Key Card. Instead, it is found on the “My Account” page on the SEPTA Key website.  You need to enter this number during the WageWorks’ online process that is necessary to complete your commuter order.  (see next step). Note: although you should write the number down, the safest and most accurate way to capture the number is to use your computer’s copy/paste functions to paste the number directly into your WageWorks account to ensure the integrity of the number.  
• You must log in to your WageWorks account in order to complete your commuter transit order to a SEPTA Key card. WageWorks will load your monthly transit fare product onto the key card.  Reminder – commuter orders for the next monthly cycle must be filed by the 10^th of the month prior to the intended use.

If you have questions about the outlined SEPTA Key Card registration process, please contact SEPTA at 1-855-56-SEPTA (1-855-567-3782) for matters relating to the use or balance of your SEPTA Key Card.  If you have questions regarding your commuter order, please contact Health Equity/WageWorks at 1-877-924-3967 and follow the prompts. 

Apply for Commuter Order

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All of Penn's Commuter Options are managed by WageWorks Commuter Services and are governed by the WageWorks Participant Guide.

Effective July 1, 2022, the following rates apply to students:

When available parking permits are issued on a first-come/first-served basis in August, January, and May to graduate students only.

Parking options are:

• Daily/Commuter Parking (6 am to 11 pm) at Spruce 38 and Walnut 40 garages
• Evening Parking (3:30 pm - 11 pm) at Ludlow, Penn Park, Sansom 38, Palestra, Lower Walnut, Hollenback, River Fields.
• 24-Hour Parking at Spruce 38 Walnut 40 only
• Motorcycle Parking at Spruce 38 Walnut 40 only

Parking fees are paid via the Student Financial Services Account or by credit card at the Parking Office only.

To Apply for Parking

 24-Hour parking permits are issued to students for around-the-clock parking, including holidays.

The Occasional Parking Program is for full-time benefits-eligible faculty and staff who commute to work by transit but find that they need to park from time to time.  To participate in this program, you must be enrolled into and have an active commuter transit benefit either through Jawnt or Health Equity/WageWorks.  The program allows an individual to purchase up to 10 passes For Penn's Walnut 40 Garage at $6.50 per parking pass.  The passes may be purchased only once in a calendar year.  Payment will be made by payroll deduction using pre-tax benefit dollars.  Passes must be requested and paid for at the Penn Parking office located at 3401 Walnut St. Suite 447a.  For questions or concerns please contact the Penn Parking Office at parking@upenn.edu or 215-898-8667.  

If your hangtag or AVI transponder is lost, the Parking Office will issue another hangtag or access card for a fee of $30 per regular hangtag or AVI box, $65 per AVI hangtag, payable by credit or debit card only. Checks or cash will not be honored. Fees will be refunded if old hangtag or garage access is found an returned tot he Parking Office within two weeks. Visit the Transportation and Parking Office, 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 447A, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Damaged hanging tags, AVI transponders, and garage access cards will be replaced at no cost. 

Permit Hangtag Display

Penn Parking hangtags enable patrons to easily park regardless of the car they are driving by simply entering the replacement car information in the online parking system accessible from update your parking and then moving the hangtag. 

Permit holders must park in their assigned garage or lot.  After 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and all day on the weekends, permit holders may choose to park in any open lot.  Permit holders are reminded to always display their hangtag. 

How to Use a Hangtag

• The hangtag must be current and visible from the vehicle's rearview mirror.
• Permit holders must park in their assigned lot or garage during regular business hours.
• Patrons may register multiple vehicles, but only one car may use the hangtag at a time.
• Replacement permit hangtags may be obtained in the Parking Office. A fee will be assessed for lost or stolen permit hangtags. Fees are also charged for replacement AVIs.

Vehicles in violation will receive a $35 ticket. Tickets must be paid before June 30^th of each year to renew parking privileges.  A fee will be assessed for lost garage access cards and/or lost hangtags. The permit holder is responsible for updating their parking account of any change in information, including vehicle and/or license plate number. To temporarily park an unregistered vehicle in an assigned lot (due to new purchase, repair, or emergency), the permit holder must use the same hangtag and immediately notify the Parking Office. Personal notes placed on or inside vehicles are not valid.

Permit Sharing

Parking permits are not transferable and will be revoked in the event of misrepresentation of any applicant, permit, or vehicle.

Permit Cancellation

Parking permits may be canceled at any time during the year. To cancel a permit and a payroll deduction, the permit hangtag, AVI transponder (if issued) and access card must be returned to the Parking Office, 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 447A.  A cancellation to parking access and payroll deduction will be processed, based on the date of receipt of these credentials. Payroll deductions will not be removed until the credentials are returned.

Permit holders that have paid via credit card or Student Financial Services must return all credentials (hangtag, AVI, access card) to receive any refunds. Refunds will be assessed based on the date of receipt of these credentials.

Please notify the Parking Office if the credentials cannot be returned immediately. Any credentials not returned will assess a Lost Permit / Access fee to be paid before re-issuing a replacement permit.