Wondering about your payroll-deducted parking fees?

Amid the disruption caused by COVID-19, university leaders say they have been thinking through how best to support those employees who pay for monthly parking at university locations while they have been asked to work from home.

Now they have announced that the university is refunding monthly payments that employees made for university parking for the months of April, May, and June and will not charge monthly parking fees for July. The refund will apply to individuals who worked at home and those who were asked to fill essential positions on campus during that time.

Employees do not have to do anything to receive the refund if they are part of the university payroll-deduction parking program. The refund will appear in participants' mid-July paychecks. For those employees who paid with pretax deductions, under applicable tax guidance the refund is required to be treated as wages or taxable income so they will see that adjustment on their pay stubs.

Monthly parking fees will resume in August. Anyone who wants to cancel their parking because they expect to continue working off-site, or for any other reason, can use an online form to make that request. Cancellations can be made at any time, but in order to avoid paying for August, employees will need to cancel by July 15. People will be able to restart parking when they choose, using the current parking sign-up process for their location, which may require prepayment.

Additional information is on the HR website coronavirus information page under the Parking Refunds header.

In an email to employees, Jane Schlegel, vice president and chief administrative officer; Heidi Conway, vice president for human resources; and Bob McLean, vice president for facilities and real estate, said that parking fees are tied to several issues related to ownership and financing of the parking structures, and the university needed some time to evaluate the situation and finalize an equitable solution. "We appreciate your patience as our institution has tackled a huge number of operational issues that have arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic," they said.