8 questions to ask before setting up your HSA | HealthPartners Blog (2024)

FAQs

8 questions to ask before setting up your HSA | HealthPartners Blog? ›

You must be covered by a qualified high-deductible health plan to open an HSA. HSAs are tax-advantaged accounts. So long as you use it correctly, money that moves in and out of an HSA is 100% tax-free. HSA funds do not expire, and they roll over from year to year.

You must be covered by a qualified high-deductible health plan to open an HSA. HSAs are tax-advantaged accounts. So long as you use it correctly, money that moves in and out of an HSA is 100% tax-free. HSA funds do not expire, and they roll over from year to year.

What Is the Main Downside of an HSA? The main downside of an HSA is that you must have a high-deductible health insurance plan to get one. A health insurance deductible is the amount of money you must pay out of pocket each year before your insurance plan benefits begin.

A good strategy is to contribute enough to the HSA to cover the next year or more of out-of-pocket medical expenses. Contributing the maximum annual contribution and investing for the long term is the best way to get the most benefit from your HSA.

You pay less out-of-pocket due to the lower deductible and copay, but pay more each month in premium. HSA plans generally have lower monthly premiums and a higher deductible. You may pay more out-of-pocket for medical expenses, but you can use your HSA to cover those costs, and you pay less each month for your premium.

HSAs After 65

Once you are enrolled in Medicare (which for many is at age 65), you are no longer eligible to make Health Savings Account contributions. You also can not roll any money from your IRA to your HSA. You also are able to use your HSA for non-qualified expenses without penalty.

The best HSA providers have no fees and no or low minimum deposit requirements. These providers also offer debit cards to pay for health expenses and have easy-to-navigate online account management tools.

You may already know that your HSA or FSA can be used for things like dental visits and crowns—but did you also know they can be used toward braces and other orthodontic work? It's true. FSAs and HSAs can help you get reimbursed for a wide variety of dental treatments for you and your family.

Unlike other types of medical spending accounts, HSAs are not subject to the “use-it-or-lose-it” provision that would cause you to forfeit any unused funds by the end of the year. And, as a portable account, the HSA remains yours even if employment changes.

Generally, the IRS penalty equals 6 percent of your excess contributions. For example, if you have a $100 excess contribution, your fine would be $6.00. If you contributed $1,000 over, it would be $60. This penalty is called an “excise tax,” and applies to each tax year the excess contribution remains in your account.

Is putting money into an HSA worth it? ›

There's a triple tax advantage

Three are better. First, contributions to an HSA are federally tax-deductible, reducing your taxable income. Depending on where you live, you may also get a break on state income taxes. Second, both contributions and earnings grow federal tax-free.

By using an HSA, you could save $840 per year on taxes, and a family could save $1,679 per year. Money in an HSA can also roll over from year to year. This can provide a rainy day fund for medical expenses, or it could be used as a retirement savings tool to pay for Medicare or other out-of-pocket costs.

The short answer: As much as you're able to (within IRS contribution limits), if that's financially viable. If you're covered by an HSA-eligible health plan (or high-deductible health plan), the IRS allows you to put as much as $3,650 per year (in 2022) into your health savings account (HSA).

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a tax-advantaged account to help people save for medical expenses that are not reimbursed by high-deductible health plans (HDHPs). No tax is levied on contributions to an HSA, the HSA's earnings, or distributions used to pay for qualified medical expenses.

HSA Tax Advantages

Your contributions may be 100 percent tax-deductible, meaning contributions can be deducted from your gross income. All interest earned in your HSA is 100 percent tax-deferred, meaning the funds grow without being subject to taxes unless they are used for non-eligible medical expenses.

Saving in an HSA for retirement gives you a tax-advantaged account dedicated to future medical expenses — allowing you the opportunity to avoid dipping into retirement accounts intended for cost-of-living expenses. Also, HSAs are a great way to pay for qualified medical expenses in retirement.

Age 65 General Distributions

At age 65, you can take penalty-free distributions from the HSA for any reason. However, in order to be both tax-free and penalty-free the distribution must be for a qualified medical expense. Withdrawals made for other purposes will be subject to ordinary income taxes.

For retirees over age 65 who have employer-sponsored health coverage, an HSA can be used to pay your share of those costs as well. Your HSA can be used to cover part of the cost for a "tax-qualified" long-term care insurance policy. You can do this at any age, but the amount you can use increases as you get older.

This is because when you enroll in Medicare Part A, you receive up to six months of retroactive coverage, not going back farther than your initial month of eligibility. If you do not stop HSA contributions at least six months before Medicare enrollment, you may incur a tax penalty.

These fees can really add up, but they can also often be avoided: Sign up for online statements. Use your debit card instead of ordering checks, or transfer money online to your checking account and use it to pay your provider. Keep track of your HSA balance and don't overdraw your account.

Who monitors my HSA account? ›

Financial organizations are not responsible to monitor if HSA owners use their HSA for qualified medical expenses or not; HSA owners are responsible for tracking and maintaining proof of this. Remember, too, that an HSA owner is entitled to reimburse herself for medical expenses she paid out-of-pocket.

HSAs also have significant tax advantages for the employers who offer them. Employers don't have to pay federal income tax, social security, or medicare taxes (commonly known as FICA taxes) on any pre-tax contributions (from the employer or the employee).

Yes! You can definitely use funds from your flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA) to purchase prescription glasses.

According to the IRS, you cannot use your HSA to pay for vitamins or supplements that are taken for general health. However, you can use your HSA to pay for vitamins or supplements that have been recommended by a health professional to treat or prevent a specific condition.

So if a dentist diagnoses a health issue, like gingivitis, and recommends a quip Electric Toothbrush or Rechargeable Water Flosser to help, you may be able to pay for it using your FSA, HSA, or HRA.

No, you can't use your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) for straight food purchases like meat, produce and dairy. But you can use them for some nutrition-related products and services. To review, tax-advantaged accounts have regulatory restrictions on eligible products and services.

Online Transfers – On HSA Bank's member website, you can reimburse yourself for out-of-pocket expenses by making a one-time or reoccurring online transfer from your HSA to your personal checking or savings account.

Fuel is eligible for transportation to and from medical care, up to the allowed mileage rate. Fuel, gasoline for medical care reimbursem*nt is eligible with a flexible spending account (FSA), health savings account (HSA) or a health reimbursem*nt arrangement (HRA).

A high deductible plan (HDHP) can be combined with a health savings account (HSA), allowing you to pay for certain medical expenses with money free from federal taxes. For 2022, the IRS defines a high deductible health plan as any plan with a deductible of at least $1,400 for an individual or $2,800 for a family.

The average HSA balance rose from $2,645 at the beginning of 2021 to $3,902 by the end of 2021. This indicates that account holders were more prepared to manage an unexpected medical emergency at the end of the year than at the start.

Is it better to save or spend HSA? ›

Spend: Pay for qualified health care expenses

That's a good strategy because an HSA is a personal savings account that works in combination with an HSA-qualified health plan to let you set aside money on a pre-tax basis to help save for health care expenses.

HSAs offer a triple tax advantage: All contributions to your HSA account are tax-deductible. All funds in your account grow tax-free – including interest, dividends, or capital gains.

Using an HSA and a 401k together

First off, most experts would recommend maxing out HSA contributions before maxing out 401(k) contributions because of the tax advantages that come with the HSA. There's no minimum age for HSA fund distributions, so when you need it to spend money on health care, it's got your back.

If you do have to choose between an HSA or a Roth IRA, then HSAs potentially have more advantages. HSAs have a triple-tax advantage. The contributions are tax-deductible, the growth is tax-free and withdrawals are tax-free for qualified medical expenses.

Comparing HSAs and 401(k)s

The triple-tax-free aspect of an HSA makes it better for tax management than a 401(k). However, since HSA withdrawals can only be used for healthcare costs, the 401(k) is a more flexible retirement savings tool. The fact that an HSA has no RMD gives it more flexibility than a 401(k).

Use HSA funds to pay for emergency medical costs.

A better option is to pay with other funds and keep track of expenses. Medical claims never expire, so money can be withdrawn tax-free in retirement in order to reimburse medical expenses that were paid out-of-pocket years before.

Because HSAs must be paired with a high-deductible health plan, your health insurance premiums are normally much lower than a typical PPO plan with a $500 or $1,000 deductible. The savings from the lower premiums along with the tax-free deductions could be $5,000 or more every year.

Summary: DoorDash is making it easier than ever to submit your qualified health purchases for reimbursem*nt through your HSA or FSA account via HSA/FSA receipt reimbursem*nt. Upon completing an order containing HSA/FSA eligible items, you will receive an email receipt with your HSA/FSA eligible items highlighted.

The money is either payroll deducted pre-tax (which means it's free from income tax and FICA taxes), or deducted from your income tax on your tax return (you can deduct your contributions even if you take the standard deduction and don't itemize).

However, total withdrawals from your HSA are reported to the IRS on Form 1099-SA. You are responsible for reporting qualified and non-qualified withdrawals when completing your taxes. You are also responsible for saving all receipts as verification of expenses in the case of an IRS audit.

Do HSA accounts grow tax free? ›

Tax-free growth

Any interest or earnings on your account are tax free, which could add up to more dollars to use toward qualified health expenses. This is just one reason why utilizing the investing feature of your HSA account could be an important component of your long-term financial plan.

Health Savings Account (HSA) Tax Benefits

Money goes into and comes out of an HSA tax-free (as long as funds are used to pay for qualified medical expenses). Earnings to an HSA from interest and investments are tax-free. Distributions from an HSA to pay for qualified medical expenses are tax-free.

The main downside of an HSA is that you must have a high-deductible health insurance plan to get one.

Here's the nice little known retirement benefit loophole. If you chose not to use your HSA funds for medical expenses, when you turn 65 or become eligible for Medicare you can withdraw the funds for any purpose penalty free.

Why shouldn't you invest your HSA money? The biggest drawback to HSAs is that they must be tied to a high-deductible health plan. These plans require you to spend relatively high amounts from your own pocket on deductibles before your health insurance will provide any reimbursem*nt.

There's a triple tax advantage

Three are better. First, contributions to an HSA are federally tax-deductible, reducing your taxable income. Depending on where you live, you may also get a break on state income taxes. Second, both contributions and earnings grow federal tax-free.

A health savings account (HSA) is a type of bank account that helps you reduce your taxable income while saving money on a range of health care expenses. By using an HSA, you could save $840 per year on taxes, and a family could save $1,679 per year. Money in an HSA can also roll over from year to year.

The IRS has established specific guidelines that require all FSA and HRA transactions — including those made with your HSA Bank Visa® Health Benefits Debit Card — to be substantiated (verifying the purchase was for an IRS-qualified medical expense).

The short answer: As much as you're able to (within IRS contribution limits), if that's financially viable. If you're covered by an HSA-eligible health plan (or high-deductible health plan), the IRS allows you to put as much as $3,650 per year (in 2022) into your health savings account (HSA).

Max out your contributions if you can

The more you can contribute, the more you can benefit from the HSA's potential triple tax advantages¹. Keep in mind: you don't lose any unspent funds at the end of the year. Your HSA can be used now, next year or even when you're retired.

Can you make too much money for HSA? ›

Putting too much money in your HSA can happen, but the IRS isn't happy when it happens. In fact, you'll be penalized for it unless you catch it and fix it.

Your HSA contributions don't expire. The money stays in the HSA until you use it. expenses for your spouse and dependents, even if your high deductible health plan doesn't cover them.

Verification of expenses is not required for HSAs. However, total withdrawals from your HSA are reported to the IRS on Form 1099-SA. You are responsible for reporting qualified and non-qualified withdrawals when completing your taxes.

It is important to keep the receipts to prove that the payment was indeed for a qualified medical expense in case of an audit. HSA spending may be subject to IRS audit. Even if HSA funds were used for qualified medical expenses, the IRS may ask for proof that the funds were spent correctly.

But remember, HSA stands for Health Savings Account, and the opportunity to save and build your balance over time is one of the important features of your account. If you don't spend the money in your account, it will carryover year after year. Your HSA can be used now, next year or even when you're retired.

The average HSA balance rose from $2,645 at the beginning of 2021 to $3,902 by the end of 2021. This indicates that account holders were more prepared to manage an unexpected medical emergency at the end of the year than at the start.

HSA Tax Advantages

Your contributions may be 100 percent tax-deductible, meaning contributions can be deducted from your gross income. All interest earned in your HSA is 100 percent tax-deferred, meaning the funds grow without being subject to taxes unless they are used for non-eligible medical expenses.