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How to use Circula Mobility
How to use Circula Mobility

Everything you need to know to use Circulas mobility budget

Juliane Rahmel avatar
Written by Juliane Rahmel
Updated over 7 months ago

At a glance

  • You can submit tickets or receipts from various means of transportation in the Circula mobile or web app to have them counted towards your mobility budget.

  • Receipts can only be submitted within the month in which they are issued; the receipt date is the basis for calculating the mobility budget.

  • A number of requirements must be followed when submitting.

  • After successful approval by Circula, we will automatically calculate the maximum reimbursement amount from all correct submissions.

Requirements

  • The type of trip must be entered correctly. Private trips and commuting can be submitted, business trips are not part of the mobility budget!

  • The type of mobility (regional public transport, long-distance public transport, individual transport) must be entered correctly.

  • You can also submit international tickets for local public transport. The item "Travel outside of Germany" must be selected correctly.

Requirements for the ticket / receipt

  • For a receipt to be accepted, the following information must be visible: means of transportation, date of payment and ticket amount.

For more context on the legal background of the meal allowance, please visit our article "Circula Mobility | Legal Background".

Important

Circula checks each individual submission. Only receipts that meet the above requirements can be accepted and are included in the calculation.

Submitting receipts

You can always submit receipts in the Circula mobile or web app within the month in which they are issued in order for them to count towards your mobility benefit.

The following information must be visible for a successful check: means of transportation, date of payment and ticket amount.

Deutschlandticket

The 49€-Ticket can be booked with any public transport company in Germany. The booking process, ticket form and invoicing may differ from public transport company to public transport company. In our article "The-49-Euro-ticket", you can find out all the details about the submission process.

Mobile App

The most convenient way to submit receipts using the Circula mobile app is to follow the steps below:

  1. Go to to "Benefits" in your mobile app.

  2. Click the yellow Plus Button and choose "Mobility".

  3. Scan your receipt. (Alternatively: Select a receipt from the tray or from your internal device memory.)

  4. Choose the correct type of mobility (regional public transport, long-distance public transport, individual transport)

  5. (Only for long-distance public transport: Select whether it is a private trip or a commute).

  6. Summary: Check your details and select whether it is a Trip outside of Germany.

  7. Click "Submit"

You can check your submissions in the "Benefits" tab. (Each submission has a status, approved receipts show the calculated reimbursement amount).

Web App

You can also submit receipts in the Circula Web App by following the steps below:

  1. Click on "Benefits" in the Web App

  2. Click on the yellow Plus Button, and select "Mobility".

  3. Upload a receipt or select a receipt from the Receipt storage.

  4. Choose the correct type of mobility (regional public transport, long-distance public transport, individual transport)

  5. (Only for long-distance public transport: Select whether it is a private trip or a commute).

  6. Summary: Check your details and select whether it is a Trip outside of Germany.

  7. Click on "Submit"

You can check your submissions in the "Benefits" tab. (Each submission has a status, approved receipts show the calculated reimbursement amount).

Date of the benefit

For season tickets such as the Deutschlandticket, Circula uses the start of the validity period as the date, all other tickets are approved with the invoice date.

Subscription tickets

For public transport subscription tickets, it is possible to resubmit them monthly in the Circula app with just a few clicks.

In our article "Resubmitting annual public transport tickets" you can find out all the details on how to submit season tickets easily.

The Mobility Benefit is not enabled?

If Circula Mobility has not yet been activated for your account, please contact your HR department.

Frequently asked questions

By when must my receipts be submitted?

Receipts to be reimbursed must always be submitted within the month of their issuance to be effective in calculating the reimbursement.

Please note:

For any corrections, we extend this time frame to submit to 01 - 03 of the following month. Benefits submitted in this time frame should be correct and meet all requirements, as no resubmissions will be accepted after the 03.

❗️ So please submit all receipts promptly and correctly in order to maximize your budget.

Do users have to keep the receipts?

Circula stores receipts in an audit-proof manner. Unless your company expresses other requirements, receipts do not need to be stored. However, we advise you to keep the receipts until the controlling is done in Circula.

Which means of transport can be used with mobility benefits?

All means of transport are permitted. From S-Bahn, bus, ICE, to bicycle, e-scooter or car sharing - there are no limits of choice.

Does the mobility budget only apply to trips to the first place of work (Erste Tätigkeitsstätte)?

No, employees are free to decide which trips they use their budget for - whether private or to the first place of work is irrelevant.

What is considered to be the first place of work (Erste Tätigkeitsstätte)?

The definition of the first place of work depends on internally determined regulations of the company. Section 9 paragraph 4 sentence 1 EStG of the BMF letter serves as orientation.

What is the maximum monthly amount of the mobility budget?

Companies are free to set the amount they want to make available to their employees. This way you remain flexible and offer your employees an individual and unique benefit.

Can employees reimburse travel by private car?

Yes, employees can submit fuel expenses in the "individual transport" category – even for private trips. Note that these costs are taxable.

Is tipping excluded from the amount approved?

If you tip a driver, this amount will be excluded from the mobility budget available to you. So, for example, if you have paid €15.00 and tip €3.00, only €15.00 of the submission will be approved as a mobility benefit.

I don't receive an invoice for my annual pass?

Some chip cards (e.g. the BVG annual pass (Berlin)) are not a classic ticket, but a chip card on which only the card number is stored, but no name and no time periods. Every holder of an annual ticket can request a VAT invoice from the customer center. This will be sent by post. This invoice contains all essential information about the holder of the annual card.

Will the data be saved when I change my smartphone?

Yes, your data will be saved in the Circula app. You can log in with your new smartphone.

Will my data be kept confidential?

Yes. Circula ensures that your data is secure. You can find all information about data protection at Circula here.

Do you still have questions?

💬 Chat Support
​📞+49 30 588 491 01
​✉️️ support@circula.com

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