Paying to park at work

[apirateslifeforme]

When DH worked in Springfield, MA, he paid $36/month for parking. The killer was, it was also a public garage, so he wasn't guaranteed a space - he usually went to work early to make sure he got a spot!

 

[Gigi22]

OP, at least your employer has enough parking for the employees! Our former employer charged the market rate for employee parking and didn't have enough spaces for all the employees. The available parking spots were rationed among 'deserving' employees. The overflow had to park elsewhere at whatever rate was available, or park on the street (illegal in that area).

 

[lucas]

I work at a university and all faculty and staff must pay to park. And, we are not in a "downtown" area.

 

[IUTBAM]

DH's company provides a bus/light rail pass for free to all its employees (saves us $100 a month), AND as an incentive to use public transportation, the company gives the employees who use the pass and don't drive in an additional $50 a month (SWEET!). If he opted to drive into downtown and park in the private parking garage attached to the building, he would pay $50/month (taken out of his paycheck). He takes public transportation. Driving into downtown every day would be a DRAG.

 

[blearbear4]

I work in Hollywood, CA and parking is free at the office. My BF works in Downtown LA and has to pay to park, about $100/month.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Employee commuting costs, including parking at work, are not deductible expenses on the Federal Tax Return.

Even if the parking is a requirement of the job? Commuting costs, no. Parking at an off-site garage or meter, not. But, this is different. You can't deduct your clothing either - unless you're paying for a uniform that's a requirement of the job. The fact that OP is permitted to have the fee taken out pre-tax makes me think this could be a deductible item. Right?

 

[Bounce_Tigger]

I work at a university in Massachusetts where I am required to live on campus (and housing is part of my compensation) and I still have to pay for parking. The cost comes out of my paycheck (I believe it's about 150 for the year)

 

[tasha99]

Having to pay for parking as an employee seems outrageous to me. In the past, I've had employers provide a parking pass for a local garage, but that was a benefit of working, not something I had to buy. I would be pretty picky about a job that charged a lot for me to park. It would make me wonder what else they cheaped out on, benefits-wise.

 

[fall08CP]

We aren't offered parking so you either pay the meter at 1.25/hr, bike, or take the free (to university employees) bus.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I've never heard of this but I've also never worked downtown.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I've just moved back to the US and have been offered a job in downtown Los Angeles.

I am very happy with most of the offer terms, but was shocked to hear they charge each employee $175 per month to park! (This is the employee parking lot under their building.) I can somewhat understand paying to park if I was in NYC or another city with great mass transit where most people use it, but LA is very much a car city, so this seems a bit strange.

The $175 can come out of my pre-tax earnings, but even so, I really wasn't expecting it. (And I don't earn a great deal - it is a decent middle class job.)

It made me wonder how common this is - hence the question. Do you have to pay for parking at your work?

I do have to do Jury Duty downtown and I just took the train. There are train stations not far from downtown and you can park there for free and take the train in, maybe?

 

[ThisIsJason]

The university I work at used to make employees pay. Since I have been working though they give you one parking pass, which is nontransferable, if you want another one you have to pay $300.

 

[tvguy]

Even if the parking is a requirement of the job? Commuting costs, no. Parking at an off-site garage or meter, not. But, this is different. You can't deduct your clothing either - unless you're paying for a uniform that's a requirement of the job. The fact that OP is permitted to have the fee taken out pre-tax makes me think this could be a deductible item. Right?

Parking at work would not be deductable.
Parking when you go somewhere else for work should be reimbursed by the employer, and if not, it can be written off.

 

[supercarrie]

Thanks for the answers, everyone! And Dan...wonderful to hear from you.

I am actually going to plan on using the train into Los Angeles as much as possible (fortunately I am living with my parents temporarily, who are on one of the rail lines - LA doesn't have a lot of them!) It just means I will have to factor this in to where I choose to live in the future, once my husband also secures employment and we move into our own place. (Or be prepared to pay the $175/month!)

One of the responsibilities of the job will involve traveling to local college campuses near to the office. I think I'll be able to avoid paying the $175/month as I'll be taking the train most days, but my question to them (which I am now waiting to hear back on) is if they will cover costs if I drive to a campus and then need to return to the office for a few hours in the evening. The day rate in the garage is even higher pro rata - $30/day!

Fortunately the other benefits are good (not Google level great, but average for the industry I work in), so this one just seemed a bit surprising.

 

[kaytieeldr]

When I worked in Cambridge MA, my employer arranged for a limited number of underground parking spaces to be leased from the building owner by interested employees. It was a mixed use building: office, retail, residential. $75/month for a while, $100/month by the time I left. Alternative was public transportation or public lots. I got the last underground space, which was great when I would go on vacation in the winter - no snow on my car

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Hi Carrie!

Welcome home.

I work in Redondo Beach, where there is more real estate, so we don't pay for parking here, at least where I work.

 

[sasywtch]

I know things are different in the biggest cities, but I would have a hard time taking a job that does not include a free parking spot. I guess if the pay was good enough, it wouldn't be a big deal, but $2,100 a year to park my car at work seems a little outrageous.
Living in the 20th largest metropolitan area in the nation, one of the industries hit hard by the recession has been the parking industry. There are thousands of empy parking spots weekdays now downtown......and potential tenants expect landlords to include free parking with office space leases.

I was one of those people in that area you're talking about and had to pay 120 a month to park. Most still do I believe. I opted to work across the river, north a little. Free parking. Pay raise of 120 a month.

My BF just retired but he rode the lightrail in for 35 a month (still had to drive5 miles to the station). I prefer to have my own car as it would take me 90 minutes by mass transit for a 20 minute drive.

 

[NMAmy]

DH has to pay to park--I think it's $300 per year but it's in an underground parking lot under his building so super convenient.

I do not have to pay to park but the free lots at the college where I work are few and far between. Last year, I won a spot in a parking lottery and I'm now able to park in a new parking ramp. I have to walk a ways but for the first time in 10 years, I can drive somewhere during the middle of the day and still have a spot when I come back. I used to just schedule all dr's appointments for the end of the day because if I tried to come back, there would be no place to park.

 

[2disneyboys]

In downtown Norfolk, Va (which is by no means a huge city) a lot of the employers do not pay for parking. Employees are told at the interviews that they have to provide parking amnd given a list of options to choose from/contact. My employer always provided parking for all staff but it was counted as a benefit when they would review your "benefit package". Our office has recently moved to Ghent (sort of a suburb or burrough of downtown Norfolk) and parking is free here. Before the move, our office was paying over $17,000 a year just for employee parking for 15 people.

 

[Julylady]

I work for a downtown university. The fee I pay to park in the university ramps is prorated based on my salary. It is still much cheaper than the $6 per day I would have to pay to park in the city owned ramps. (I have several friends who pay this amount since their employers don't subsidize parking at all.)

To answer Carrie's question. I am paid millage for travel from my place of work to another location and return. If I return to work after spending the day at an off site, I still need to pay. If traveling to the off site in the morning directly from home, I get reimbursed for the miles from either home or the office, whatever is less expensive.