HSAs are accounts designed to help offset the rising cost of individual health care. If you are unsure as to whether or not you qualify for this type of account, we suggest checking with your insurance carrier. Carriers will label their plans as HSA eligible if they meet the requirements.
In addition to being covered under an HSA-compatible HDHP, you:
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cannot be covered by non-HDHP (with limited exceptions),
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cannot be enrolled in Medicare, and
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cannot be eligible to be claimed as a dependent on another person's tax return.
For more information about HSA eligibility and requirements, check with your tax preparer, employer, or read the IRS publication on HSAs by clicking here.
With an HSA account, you can contribute pretax income for health care costs. These expenses include deductibles, copayments, and qualified medical expenses.
The IRS defines a qualified medical expense as expenses that would generally qualify for the medical and dental expenses deduction. These are explained in IRS Publication 502.
HSAs are useful tools for accumulating tax-free money to pay your out-of-pocket health care expenses because your contributions, earnings, and qualified withdrawals are not taxed.
If you use your HSA for non-eligible expenses, those funds will be taxed since they were not taxed when contributed to the account.
Additionally, if you are under the age of 65, you will also be subject to an additional 20% tax on the part of the distribution not used for qualified medical expenses.
Due to the complex nature of tax law, we recommend that you speak with your tax preparer for tax-related questions.
When your funds are deposited into your account, they can be used to pay for qualified medical expenses, even if you no longer have a HDHP. The funds in your account will remain indefinitely until used and there is no time limit on when you must use the funds.
Once your HDHP coverage ends or changes to another type of insurance that makes you ineligible for a HSA, you can no longer make contributions to the account, but can continue to use the funds until depleted.
