Monthly Permit

Parking at American University is available as a pre-tax benefit for full-time faculty and staff for $126 per month via payroll deduction. Visit American University Parking and Commuter Services for more information.

Pay by Phone

AU Community members are eligible for a self-park discount code. The code offers a location code for a discounted $0.75/hour rate (plus $0.35 service fee) to park in all general parking areas on campus through the PayByPhone mobile app.

You must use your AU credentials to log in to the Parking Portal and select the "Virtual Self Park Code" option to register your vehicle and obtain the discount code and instructions for use.

You must have/use an Affiliated Login to access this code. If you login using a guest account, you will not have the ability to choose this parking option.

To get a faculty and staff parking permit or to self-park access code, register your car on the AU Parking Portal.

American University’s transit subsidy for full-time staff with a full campus presence work modality is a tax-free benefit intended to help defray commuting and parking expenses. The university is pleased to offer this benefit to support our staff who work exclusively in person.

Beginning on January 1, 2024, full-time staff with a full campus presence work modality who are either enrolled in on-campus AU parking or Optum Commuter Transit Benefit, will automatically receive a monthly transit subsidy of $63 per month for monthly paid staff or $31.50 per paycheck for biweekly paid staff (calculation based on 24 semi-monthly pay periods) tax-free.

If you have any questions, please contact hrpayrollhelp@american.edu.

SmarTrip cards are permanent, rechargeable cards that are used to pay Metrobus and Metrorail fares. If you don’t already have one, you will initially need to purchase a card from WMATA or a participating retailer and register your new card with WMATA.

• SmarTrip card users must make separate elections for transit expenses and for parking expenses at WMATA Park and Ride locations.*

*The use of Optum Financial commuter benefits for parking applies to WMATA® Park and Ride locations only. For parking at AU parking facilities, please contact American University Parking and Commuter Services.

This reloadable prepaid card can only be used to purchase transit fares from qualified transit authorities where Debit Mastercard is accepted^†. We recommend participants load an amount that’s appropriate for their normal monthly commute.

IMPORTANT: Do not order the Commuter Check Prepaid Mastercard if you intend on using it for:

• WMATA Metrobus or Metrorail

• MTA (Baltimore)

Accepted by:

• MARC

• VRE

• WMATA Park and Ride locations
• Uber
• Lyft

^† The Commuter Check Prepaid Mastercard may only be used for qualified commuter benefit purchases in accordance with IRS Tax Code 132(f). No cash or ATM access. This card may not be used everywhere Debit Mastercard is accepted.

In support of our sustainability initiative, American University offers a bicycle benefit that is fully paid by the university. Faculty and staff can receive a $20 voucher* for each month that they commute regularly by bicycle for a substantial portion of their travel between home and work. The voucher is intended to pay for the purchase, storage, repair, and maintenance of a bicycle.

Participants are eligible for only one commuter benefit per month – either the transit commuter benefit, AU parking, or the bicycle commuter benefit. To receive the bicycle commuter benefit:

1. Plan for and monitor your use of the benefit.

2. Print out a Bicycle Commuting Benefit Affidavit, complete, sign and return the affidavit to AhealthyU by the 10th of the month preceding your commuting benefit start date.

3. Log onto optumfinancial.com to enter your election by the 10th of each month for the following month or designate in advance the months that you’ll be biking to work.

4. Update your elections throughout the year to ensure that your anticipated bicycle commuting accurately reflects your actual usage of the bicycle commuting benefit.

*$20 voucher is taxable.