Definition
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), created by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, are individual savings accounts, for which the amounts are intended to be used to pay for medical expenses on a tax-free basis.
HSAs are used in conjunction with a high deductible health plan (HDHP).
The following individuals are eligible for HSAs:
- Any individual that is covered by an HDHP
- Any individual that is not covered by other health insurance
- Any individual that is not enrolled in Medicare
- Any individual that can’t be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return
HSA Limits
2021 Limits
Up to $3,600 for those with self-only HDHP coverage,
Up to $7,200 for those with family HDHP coverage.
Referring Cite
IRC § 223, IRS Publication 969
Additional Helpful Information
- HSA contribution and catch-up contribution apply pro rata based on the number of months of the year a taxpayer is an eligible individual
- A fiscal year plan that satisfies the requirements for an HDHP on the first day of the first month of its fiscal year may apply that deductible for the entire fiscal year
- There is no compensation caps on eligible requirements for contributing to an HSA
- Individuals need not have earned income in order to contribute to an HSA
- Children cannot establish their own HSAs
- Spouses can establish their own HSAs, if eligible
- Funds remain in the account from year to year, just like an IRA.
- There are no “use it or lose it” rules for HSAs
- Contributions to an HSA must discontinue once an individual is enrolled in any type of Medicare
- If HSA distributions are not used for qualified medical expenses, the amount distributed is included in income and subject to the 10% additional tax. The additional tax does not apply if the distribution occurs after (a) the individual dies or becomes disabled or (b) the individual reaches age 65
