Money may be deposited to your HSA through payroll deduction, if your employer allows, or you may make deposits directly to your account. Deposits may be made periodically or in a lump sum, but only up to the contribution limits set by the IRS.

• Payroll deductions: If your employer offers the option, you may specify a regular contribution to be deducted from your paycheck. This contribution will be made before Social Security, federal, and most state income taxes are deducted.
• After-tax contributions: You may choose to make all or part of your annual account contributions to your HSA by making “after-tax” contributions to your account. These contributions, which you can make by writing a personal check, may be deducted on your income tax return, using IRS Form 1040 and Form 8889. Employers may make contributions to your account as well; while you do not take a deduction for these contributions, they are excluded from your gross income.

Note: You will use IRS Form 1040 for your HSA contributions, not the short form 1040A or 1040EZ. This deduction is taken “above the line”: you do not need to itemize contributions on Schedule A in order to claim the deduction for HSA contributions.

1. To be eligible to contribute to an HSA, you must be covered by a qualified high-deductible health plan (HDHP) and have no other first dollar coverage (insurance that provides payment for the full loss up to the insured amount with no deductibles).
2. You may use your HSA to help pay for medical expenses covered under a high-deductible health plan, as well as for other common qualified medical expenses.
3. Unused HSA funds rollover from year to year, and may be able to be invested in a choice of investment options, providing the opportunity for funds to grow.

• • HSAs work in conjunction with an HDHP. All the money you (or your employer) deposit into your HSA up to the maximum annual contribution limit is 100% tax-deductible from federal income tax, FICA (Social Security and Medicare) tax, and in most states, state income tax.
  • You can use your HSA to pay for expenses not covered under your HDHP until you have met your deductible. The insurance company then pays covered medical expenses above your deductible, except for any co-insurance. Any coinsurance costs you incur can be paid for using your HSA. In addition, you can use your HSA to pay for qualified medical expenses not covered by the HDHP, such as dental, vision and alternative medicines.
  • If the funds in your account are used for other, nonmedical expenses, your dollars are subject to ordinary tax, plus a 20% penalty if you are under age 65.
  • The 20% penalty does not apply if the distribution occurs after you reach age 65, become disabled or die; however ordinary income tax may still apply.
  • Choosing which expenses use your HSA dollars vs. which to pay out-of-pocket with after-tax dollars is entirely up to you.

No. Even though you are covered by an HDHP, since you are also covered by a low-deductible plan too, you are not eligible for an HSA. Only those individuals covered by an HDHP only can contribute to an HSA.

Tax-advantaged:

• Contributions you may make through payroll deposits are made with pretax dollars, meaning they are not subject to federal (or state, for most states) income taxes.
• Contributions to your HSA made with after-tax dollars can be deducted from your gross income, meaning you pay less income tax at the end of the year.
• The interest you earn on your HSA balance is not taxed. – Withdrawals from your HSA for qualified medical expenses are not subject to federal income tax. As long as you use your HSA funds for qualified medical expenses, you will not have to pay federal (or state, for most states) income taxes. – Employers may make contributions to your account; these contributions are excluded from your gross income.

Flexible:

• The money is yours; it grows and remains with you, even when you change medical plans, change employers or retire. There are no “use it or lose it” rules. Even if you are no longer eligible to make contributions, funds in your account may still be used to pay for qualified medical expenses tax-free. And after age 65, or in cases of disability, the funds in the account can be used for nonqualified expenses.

Portable:

• Accounts move with you when you change medical plans, change employers or retire.
• Savings mechanism for future health needs: – Unused funds can grow through interest and investment earnings and can be “banked” for future medical expenses.

Contributions can come from multiple sources:

• As long as you are covered by a qualified HDHP, you, your employer, family members, or anyone else may contribute to your HSA up to the maximum annual contribution limit.

 There are no tax penalties for closing an HSA. However, if you use HSA funds for other than qualified medical expenses, those distributions will be subject to ordinary income tax, and in some cases, a 20 percent penalty.