HSA frequently asked questions

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a great way to save money for out-of-pocket medical expenses like doctor visits, dental and vision care and prescriptions. It offers tax advantages that allow you to keep more of your hard-earned money, plus you can use it now or save it to cover health care costs in the future.

You are eligible for an HSA on your own or through your employer, as long as you participate in a qualified high-deductible health plan (HDHP).
You’re not eligible for an HSA if you are:

• Covered by another health insurance plan, such as a spouse’s plan, that is not a qualified HDHP
• Claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return
• Enrolled in Medicare benefits (if you are enrolled in Medicare and already have an HSA, you can continue to use the money in your account, but you cannot make new contributions to the account or open a new HSA)

An HSA can be used to pay for your qualified health care expenses on a tax-advantaged basis, helping to reduce your total health care cost. Your unused HSA funds roll over from year to year, so you can also pay for your future qualified health care expenses on a tax-free basis. Because any contributions you make from your paycheck are made before tax is applied, your contributions also save you money by reducing your taxable income.

Although the IRS stipulates that the HSA is an individual account, you can use it for either yourself or your family. Once you set up your individual account, you can use it to help pay for qualified medical expenses for you, your spouse and any dependent children included on your income tax returns.

The federal government establishes contribution limits each year. See the current contribution limits. If you are 55 or older you are eligible for a catch up contribution.

How much you should put in your HSA is an individual decision based on your personal financial situation. Consider putting in an amount that helps you not only meet your out-of-pocket expenses in the short term but also enables you to set aside money to invest for the long term. Learn more here.

Here are three ways you can put money into your HSA:

• Payroll deduction (if offered by your employer) ¹
• Electronic transfer (from your checking or savings account using the member website)
• Mail a check. Just download and complete the HSA Contributions Form located on the member website under the Tools and Support tab.

You can pay with your debit card, send a check to your provider from the member website or pay the expense out of pocket and reimburse yourself using the member website. Click here to learn about three ways to pay for qualified medical expenses with an HSA.

HSAs, Health FSAs and HRAs cover many expenses that qualify as “medical care” by Internal Revenue Code Section 213(d). Generally, these are expenses incurred to diagnose, cure, treat, mitigate or prevent a disease, or for treatments affecting any structure or function of the body. This list is not exhaustive. Please check your employer’s plan description or consult with your tax advisor for more information on eligible expenses. See the list here.

No. Premiums for medical, dental, and vision care are not considered qualified medical expenses.

If you’re enrolled in Medicare and are age 65 or older, you can use your HSA funds to pay for Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. You are also allowed to use your HSA funds to pay premiums for long-term care insurance, COBRA continuation coverage costs, and any health plan coverage you pay for while receiving unemployment compensation.

An HSA is a tax-advantaged way to help you pay for qualified health care expenses now and in the future. When saving for future expenses, consider investing the funds in your HSA to give your account potential for tax free growth over time.

You can set up automatic investments at any time. You set the investment threshold for your account, which is the balance you want to maintain in your cash account to pay for current expenses. Then, once your account reaches the investment transfer amount funds will automatically transfer between your cash and investments to maintain that balance.

There is a range of mutual fund options available for investing. Check out the fund line up here.

Yes, funds in your HSA earn interest, and interest earnings are tax-free. Learn more here.

You can open and fund an HSA for the prior calendar year until you file your income taxes or until the tax deadline (generally April 15) – whichever comes first.

Access to your HSA is available anytime through the Member Website or MyHealth app, so you can:

• View your HSA account activity including deposits, transactions, and payment history.
• Make contributions (separate from payroll contributions) to your HSA.
• Complete an HSA transaction to pay a provider directly from your HSA or reimburse yourself for any qualified expenses you pay out-of-pocket.
• Manage your investment account - you can check the balance, see a summary of your fund performance, update your cash threshold, make changes to your portfolio and more.
• Request an HSA Visa debit card for yourself or any dependent on your account, age 18 or older. You can order up to nine additional cards.

The standard monthly account fee is $2.50. If your account is offered by your Employer this fee may not apply to you.

No, you can only use the money in your HSA to pay for qualified medical expenses incurred after you open it.

If you have a Health Savings Account at another institution, it’s easy to transfer or roll over the money to a Bank of America HSA. By consolidating your HSA money, you will benefit from the convenience of having all your money in a single account. Only one rollover is permitted every 12 months.
Note: rollover and transfer contributions do not count towards the maximum annual contribution amount.

Tax information is always available on the member website. Go to the Statements & Notifications tab and choose HSA Tax Documents.
Bank of America mails two tax forms to account holders who had account activity in the previous tax year (contributions or withdrawals):

• Form 1099-SA is sent by February. It is sent to those who withdrew money from their HSA during the previous tax year.
• Form 5498-SA is sent by the end of May. It is sent to those who put money into their HSA during the previous tax year.

Yes, as long as your annual contributions (combined with those of your employer) do not exceed the IRS-defined limits.

Once you enroll in a Bank of America HSA, you will receive a Visa® debit card to access the funds in your account. Present your card at the doctor’s office, pharmacy or other merchant or service provider to pay for qualified health care expenses. Your card makes it easier for you to manage your health care expenses, which means you have less claims paperwork and fewer billing hassles.

If you don’t have enough funds in your HSA to pay for a qualified medical expense, pay for the product or service out- of-pocket. Once additional funds have accumulated in your account, such as after a paycheck contribution, you can request reimbursement from your HSA by entering an online claim on the Bank of America portal or through the mobile app. In fact, you can request reimbursement for an expense you paid for out-of-pocket even years later, so long as your HSA was open at the time of the expense and you have a receipt establishing the expense as eligible.

The money just rolls over for use in future years, while continuing to earn interest.

The money stays with you. It’s your money for the rest of your life. You can continue to use the account to pay for qualified health care expenses. However, the law states that you can only make new contributions to the account if you are enrolled in an HSA-eligible health plan.

In general, you are not eligible to make contributions to an HSA in this situation. Please speak with a tax advisor for more information.