Above the line means you will reduce your taxable income regardless of whether you itemize or use the standard deduction on your income tax form. If you contribute to your HSA with after-tax dollars, you may deduct the contribution amount, subject to the maximum annual contribution limits from your taxes at filing time.
Both HSAs and FSAs allow you to pay for qualified medical expenses with pre-tax dollars. One key difference, however, is that HSA balances can roll over from year to year, while FSA money left unspent at the end of the year or after a designated grace period is forfeited. You may choose to use a Limited Purpose FSA to pay for eligible heath care expenses and save your HSA dollars for future health care needs. You may use Limited Purpose FSA dollars to reimburse yourself for expenses not covered by your high-deductible health plan, such as:
Any new plan year funds will pay first and the carryover funds will pay second. Employees get the best use of their funds by having the new plan year pay first, and the carryover funds pay second.
You have until the end of the run-out period to submit claims for the reimbursement of eligible expenses incurred during the previous plan year. Funds that remain unused after the run-out period would return back to your employer.
