HUMAN RESOURCES

Inspira Financial, the vendor who manages Northwestern’s pre-tax commuter transit and parking benefits, is changing the process for how pre-tax funds are used to purchase qualified transit and parking. The new practice will allow faculty and staff more flexibility with how they use their pre-tax commuter funds.

Benefits are available on the 1st day of the benefit month.

The following balances will transfer from Edenred to Inspira. These funds will not be forfeited.

• Edenred Spend Down
• Parking Cash Reimbursement
• Unused Credits
• Balance on Current Card

You will see these funds in your Inspira account between mid-July and mid-August, 2026. If you have a balance in multiple categories mentioned above, they may be transferred from Edenred to Inspira at different times during the transfer period.

Commuter transit

You can only use the Inspira debit card to purchase commuter transit passes directly from the transit authority (e.g., CTA, Metra, etc.). You cannot use the card at a retail location, such as Walgreen’s, or a currency exchange. Additionally, you cannot pay out of pocket for a transit pass and request reimbursement from Inspira.

Commuter parking

You can use the Inspira debit card to pay the parking vendor directly. You also have the option to request payment be sent to select parking vendors directly or pay out of pocket and request reimbursement. See the Inspira website or mobile app for options. 

If you were enrolled in a Flexible Spending Account or Heath Savings Account with Inspira in the past 5 years, you would have been issued an Inspira debit card. The commuter benefit will be deposited directly onto your Inspira debit card. Please note, Inspira debit cards expire five years after they are issued. If you no longer have your card, call Inspira at 844-729-3539 after you place your July commuter benefit order to request a replacement card. New cards may take 10 business days to arrive, so please plan accordingly. There is no fee for a replacement card.

If you have not been enrolled in a Flexible Spending Account or Heath Savings Account with Inspira in the past 5 years, a debit card will be mailed to your home address before funds are deposited for your first benefit month. 

Signing up for both pre-tax transit and commuter parking benefits is easy. Simply go to https://inspirafinancial.com/, create a user logon, and then follow the on-screen instructions.

The monthly cutoff will always be the fifth of the month at midnight. Enrollments or changes that are entered after the monthly cutoff will be delayed by a month.

No. Once enrolled, your deductions and transit program set up will remain in place until you either change or discontinue your participation.

If you have any questions about the Inspira portal or how to enroll on the portal, please contact Inspira at (800) 284-4885.

Several deduction codes will be used depending on whether the deduction is for the transit or parking program or whether the deduction is pre-tax or after-tax. The following descriptions will appear on your pay advice.

• Commuter Transit Before-Tax
• Commuter Transit After-Tax
• Commuter Parking Before-Tax
• Commuter Parking After-Tax

If you no longer wish to participate in the program, you must log into https://inspirafinancial.com/ before the monthly cutoff date (5th of each month) and shut off your deduction. If you do not shut off your deduction before the cutoff date you will receive your transit benefit for one more month. No refunds or adjustments will be provided.

Our vendor supports all transit programs where Northwestern University has employees including the Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. Employees enroll by first selecting the transit region in which they reside which then makes all local transit programs available to them for that region.

In the Chicago area the program covers the popular CTA, Metra, and Pace transit systems. Also, employees who use the South Shore, the Chicago Water Taxi and other local transit systems will be able to take advantage of pre-tax deductions.

The monthly pre-tax limit beginning in 2024 for transit and for parking is $315. The limits are indexed for inflation and the IRS announces the new limits near the end of the year. New limits will be communicated to participants as they become available.

The full cost of your transit expense will be taken through payroll deductions. However, any amounts that exceed the monthly pre-tax limit will be taken as a separate after-tax deduction.

Monthly Metra passes may be sent by our vendor via U.S. Mail to your home address. All passes are placed in the mail no later than the 22nd of each month. You must make sure that your home address is correct in myHR. To check or change your home address, log into the myHR Self Service Portal at myhr.northwestern.edu.

Lost, stolen, or delayed passes will not be refunded.  You may use the Inspira commuter benefit to buy Metra passes using the Ventra card and Ventra app.

Employees must first obtain a fare card from their transit agency before enrolling in the transit benefit program through Inspira. Your card number / account number is required when you enroll online.

If you don't receive your pass and you used the correct mailing address, you may be able to get a refund. You are allowed one refund in the calendar year for a pass you did not receive. Log in to your Inspira account (https://inspirafinancial.com/) and click on "Commuter Benefits" on the left hand side of the screen. Under "Help", follow the non-delivered pass refund instructions.