In January of this year, bicycles were added to the list of qualified modes of transportation to receive tax free benefits, previously just forms of mass transit qualified for the tax break. If biking to work is your standard commute, you could receive up to $20 month, tax free, too, from your employer. You can use that annual $240 to buy a bike, get some replacement tubes (urban biking leads to many flats!), or to invest in a new helmet. To qualify for the reimbursement you must regularly use your bike for a substantial portion of travel between home and work. However, "substantial portion" is defined rather vaguely defined.

Unfortunately, this program is voluntary so your employer isn't required to ante up even if you peddle yourself to your place of employ. I had hoped that commuting via bike would become a line-item tax credit on the federal income tax form — a cyclist can dream. Have any of you cyclists been able to take advantage of this new tax code? Tell me in the comments section below.

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