Are HSA contributions shown on W-2?

Asked by: Dr. Raymond Greenholt DVM  |  Last update: October 16, 2023
Score: 5/5 (13 votes)

Employers must report all employer and employee Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions made through payroll as a single aggregated amount on the employee's form W-2 in Box 12 using code W.

How do I report employer HSA contributions on W-2?

Employer contributions to your Health Savings Account are reported on Form W-2, Box 12 with a Code W. An amount entered here will flow to Line 7, Column C of California Schedule CA. The amount is then added to the income total on Line 16 of California Form 540.

How are HSA contributions reported on tax return?

Use Form 8889 to:
  1. Report health savings account (HSA) contributions (including those made on your behalf and employer contributions),
  2. Figure your HSA deduction,
  3. Report distributions from HSAs, and.
  4. Figure amounts you must include in income and additional tax you may owe if you fail to be an eligible individual.

Where do I find my HSA contributions?

You will receive a Form W-2 from your employer or your employer's payroll vendor. This form should identify any pre-tax contributions (made by you and/or your employer) to your HSA during 2022. The information will be shown in Box 12 (under a, b, c or d) and designated with code W.

What is the box 12 of HSA contributions on W-2?

"Your payroll deductions for the HSA account will be shown on your W-2 in Box 12, marked code 'W'. Because your payroll deductions were taken pretax, they are considered 'employer contributions' and are to be entered on Line 9 of form 8889.

Tax Form W-2 Explained || Find Your Wages, Benefits, 401(k), HSA, Withholdings

31 related questions found

Do HSA contributions reduce your taxable income?

All contributions to your HSA are tax-deducible, or if made through payroll deductions, are pre-tax which lowers your overall taxable income. Your contributions may be 100 percent tax-deductible, meaning contributions can be deducted from your gross income.

What are the codes in Box 12 of W-2?

The W-2 box 12 codes are:
  • A – Uncollected Social Security tax or Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA) tax on tips. ...
  • B – Uncollected Medicare tax on tips. ...
  • C – Taxable costs of group-term life insurance over $50,000 (included in W-2 boxes 1,3 (up to Social Security wages base), and box 5); Taxable costs are information only.

Do I need a corrected W-2 for excess HSA contributions?

Do I need a corrected W-2 for excess HSA contributions if my employer doesn't report them? If your employer didn't include your excess contributions in Box 1 of your W-2, you do not need a corrected W-2. You can report the excess contributions as “other income” on Schedule 1 of your Form 1040.

What are the codes for Box 14 on W-2?

There are no standardized codes for box-14 because the federal government doesn't provide standardized codes for box 14 items, so employers can assign their own code that adequately describes the reported item.

Do I have to report box 12 D on my tax return?

You must report the cost of employer-sponsored health coverage in box 12 using code DD. However, transitional relief applies to certain employers and certain types of plans. For more information, see Box 12—Codes for Code DD—Cost of employer-sponsored health coverage.

Are employer HSA contributions included in gross income?

Contributions to an HSA are excludable from income and employment taxes if made by the employer. Earnings on amounts in HSAs are not taxable.

How does box 14 on W-2 affect taxes?

In most cases, the information that your employer lists in Box 14 of your W-2 does not affect your income tax return. In fact, for many Box 14 entries, the IRS does not even provide a place for it to get reported on your return forms.

Do I need to enter Box 14 on W-2?

Entering helpful information in Box 14 of your employees' annual W-2 forms can assist them in their annual personal tax preparation - and limit the number of questions employees ask you about their W-2 forms. Box 14 of Form W-2 is for "information only" and is not required information, nor does it "balance" or ...

How do I enter box 14 on my tax return?

Employers can put just about anything in box 14; it's a catch-all for items that don't have their own dedicated box on the W-2. In TurboTax, enter the description from your W-2's box 14 on the first field in the row. Enter the dollar amount and select the correct tax category that goes with that description.

What happens if I accidentally contribute too much to my HSA?

Generally, the IRS penalty equals 6 percent of your excess contributions. For example, if you have a $100 excess contribution, your fine would be $6.00. If you contributed $1,000 over, it would be $60. This penalty is called an “excise tax,” and applies to each tax year the excess contribution remains in your account.

What happens if I contribute too much to HSA?

If your HSA contains excess or ineligible contributions you will generally owe the IRS a 6% excess-contribution penalty tax for each year that the excess contribution remains in your HSA. It is recommended you speak with a tax advisor for guidance.

What happens if I don't withdraw excess HSA contributions?

Excess HSA Contribution Example

As long as that money remains in your account, you will be forced to pay a tax penalty of 6%, or approximately $120, every year.

What is the difference between box 1 and box 3 on W-2?

Box 1 (Wages, Tips and Other Compensation) represents the amount of compensation taxable for federal income tax purposes while box 3 (Social Security Wages) represents the portion taxable for social security purposes and box 5 (Medicare Wages) represents the portion taxable for Medicare tax purposes.

What does W-2 Box 13 mean?

Form W-2, Box 13

If this box is checked, it lets the recipient know that depending on their filing status and modified adjusted gross income, they may not be entitled to a full deduction for their traditional IRA contributions.

What is Section 125 on W-2?

A Section 125 plan is part of the IRS code that enables and allows employees to take taxable benefits, such as a cash salary, and convert them into nontaxable benefits. These benefits may be deducted from an employee's paycheck before taxes are paid.

Is it better to contribute to HSA through payroll?

Reduce taxable income - HSA contributions through payroll are made pre-tax, which lowers tax liability on paychecks. Manual contributions are tax deductible when filing taxes each year. Tax-free earnings - Interest growth earned on HSA funds is never taxed.

Does HSA increase tax refund?

Making an extra contribution to your HSA before filing your previous year's tax returns is a smart move because it can reduce your taxable income. This move alone can potentially lower the amount of taxes you owe or increase your refund.

Should I max out my HSA?

Maxing out your HSA each year easily allows your funds to grow over time. Unlike regular savings accounts, an HSA allows you to invest funds in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

Can I leave box 14 blank on tax return?

If box 14 is blank, just skip over it. Don't enter a 0 for any blank boxes. But make sure nothing was imported into those boxes that should be blank.

Is W-2 Box 14 included in Box 1?

Box 14 has ISO stock entered and it is included in Box 1 wages of W-2.