Adjunct Faculty Benefits

Commuter Benefits

Columbia College Chicago partners with WageWorks to administer the commuter benefit program (CBP). Commuter expenses must be incurred as part of your commute between your place of residence and normal place of work. IRS regulations do not allow a CBP account to be used to pay expenses for anyone other than you. Two types of expenses qualify, qualified mass transit expenses and qualified parking expenses.

​The maximum pre-tax amount you can contribute to each account is limited by the IRS, and is subject to change each year. For current pre-tax maximums visit the WageWorks website. If your commuting costs exceed these amounts, you can pay for the balance with after-tax funds and still get all the benefits of automatic pass orders, direct payment and parking payments. You place your order based on how you currently get to work and then WageWorks fulfills your order (mails you a pass, sends parking payment or whatever is appropriate for your commute) just prior to the beginning of the month.​ For more information, visit the Intranet.

Tax-Deferred Savings Plan & Roth

Employees can set money aside for retirement by enrolling in a tax-deferred savings plan (TDSP). When you save through a TDSP, your savings are not declared as current income for tax purposes. This reduces your reportable income, lowering your taxes and making more money available for savings. In addition, the earnings on the TDSP accumulate tax-free until retirement. When you begin to receive your accumulated savings in the TDSP after retirement, you typically pay less in taxes because your total income will be lower. 

For questions about how to complete the enrollment process or salary deferral agreement, contact TIAA at (800)842-2252 or review their step-by-step instructions.  Also, if you experience any issues using the participant website, report them to TIAA. Consultants are available weekdays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (CT).

For questions about retirement eligibility and benefits, contact Human Resources at hrbenefits@colum.edu or visit our website. 

Manage Your TIAA Account:  

Online: 

• Visit TIAA.org/columbiachicago and log in to your account
• If you are new to TIAA, select Log in, the Register for Online Access. Follow the on-screen directions to access your account
• Once you have access to your account, select ACTIONS to update your beneficiary, change your investment allocations and begin or change payroll deductions

Phone: 

Call TIAA at (800)842-2252 weekdays 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (CT) 

Schedule an investment advice session: 

Online:  

Visit TIAA.org/schedulenow  

Phone:  

Call (800)732-8353, weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (CT)