HSA Contributions Offer Tax Benefits

If you’re looking for a way to lower your 2023 income taxes, your health plan might be able to help. When you’re covered under a high deductible health plan (HDHP), any contributions you make to a health savings account (HSA) by the April 15, 2024, tax filing deadline can be deducted on your 2023 tax return.

Triple Tax Benefits

Health savings accounts offer a tax-advantaged way to pay current and future out-of-pocket medical expenses. HSA contributions are made pretax. Money in the account is invested based on your preferences and potentially grows tax-free. Withdrawals to pay qualified medical expenses are also tax-free.

Nonqualified withdrawals incur a tax penalty before age 65. After reaching 65, you can take penalty-free withdrawals for any reason but must pay income tax on any nonqualified amounts.

HSA Contribution Limits

For 2023, contribution limits are $3,850 for individuals and $7,750 for families. Those limits increase to $4,150 and $8,300, respectively, for 2024. Individuals 55 and older can contribute an additional $1,000. Limits include employer contributions, if any. You must participate in a high-deductible health plan to be eligible for an HSA.

Let It Ride

There is no time limit on using the money in your HSA, so you don’t have to request reimbursement for medical expenses in the year they occur. If you save your receipts, you can submit them for a lump-sum distribution in the future.

Save for Future Care

With long-term care costs rising every year, a lengthy stay in a nursing home may become unaffordable. By contributing the maximum amount to an HSA and allowing the account to grow throughout your working years, you could accumulate substantial assets to help pay for care should you need it in the future.

Name a Beneficiary

As with 401(k) and other investment accounts, you designate a beneficiary to receive any funds remaining in your HSA when you die. If you name your spouse, the account remains an HSA for his/her benefit. If you name someone other than a spouse, the HSA ends with your death. The account’s fair market value then becomes taxable income to the beneficiary, less qualified medical expenses paid on your behalf.

Talk to your financial and tax professionals for more detailed information.