Can I pay medical bills with credit card then reimburse with HSA?

Asked by: Dewayne Jenkins  |  Last update: November 28, 2023
Score: 4.5/5 (11 votes)

Tip: You can use your personal credit card to pay for medical expenses and then reimburse yourself from your HSA before you accrue credit card interest. This way you get the benefit of tax-free payments, plus any credit card rewards.

Can you pay medical bills with a credit card and then get reimbursed from HSA?

If you put your medical expenses on your credit card for any reason — whether you want to rack up rewards or didn't have your medical savings card available at the time — you can reimburse yourself provided the medical expense was accrued while the HSA/FSA was open.

Can I reimburse myself from HSA before paying bill?

Yes, as long as the IRS-qualified medical expenses were incurred after your HSA was established, you can pay them or reimburse yourself with HSA funds at any time.

Can you pay out of pocket then reimburse with HSA?

HSA reimbursement is the concept of using money from a health savings account (HSA) to “pay back” qualified medical expenses that were made out of pocket, usually because the total expense exceeds the amount in the account at the time.

Should I pay medical bills with HSA or credit card?

It is never ideal to go into debt to cover your deductible and other out-of-pocket costs. If you have medical bills right now that you can't cover from your checking account (or by tapping a portion of your emergency savings), it is wise to use your HSA today to pay your outstanding medical bills.

Should I Pay for Medical Expenses Now or Later With My HSA?

21 related questions found

Can I use my HSA for gym membership?

Physical therapy is an approved medical expense. Can I use my HSA for a gym membership? Typically no. Unless you have a letter from your doctor stating that the membership is necessary to treat an injury or underlying health condition, such as obesity, a gym membership isn't a qualifying medical expense.

What is the best way to take advantage of HSA?

Contributing the maximum annual contribution and investing for the long term is the best way to get the most benefit from your HSA. Avoid using the HSA as your emergency fund because nonqualified withdrawals are subject to ordinary taxes and possibly penalties.

What is the HSA reimbursement loophole?

Again, you don't have to reimburse yourself for those medical expenses in the same year, or the same plan year that you incur those medical expenses. If you incur that medical expense, you can just write it down. And then you can reimburse yourself from the HSA at a later date.

What happens if you accidentally pay for something with HSA?

If you realize you've made a mistake and want to correct it, simply return the money to your HSA and you will avoid the additional penalty. If you do not return the money to your HSA, it will be counted as taxable income, and even worse, you'll have to pay a 20% penalty.

Can you reimburse yourself from HSA at any time?

Reminder: there is no time limit for reimbursing yourself from your HSA. You can file a reimbursement claim whenever you want as long as the money is in your account. Many members delay filing reimbursement claims for years to accrue interest on the account.

Can I pay last year's medical bills with this year's HSA?

You cannot reimburse qualified medical expenses incurred before your account was established. As soon as your account is opened and there is money in it, you can use the account for eligible expenses incurred any time after your account opening date.

What is the deadline for HSA reimbursement?

There's no deadline for HSA reimbursements

According to the IRS, there is no time limit for paying yourself back, but there are some rules (we'll explain more below). You can't reimburse yourself for expenses incurred before you had an HSA. They're also expecting you to keep meticulous records.

Is an EOB sufficient for HSA?

Hold on to any insurance carrier's Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statement that documents your expenses for services covered under your HSA-eligible health plan. Keep receipts for all other items purchased with your HSA, for example, vision and dental services.

What happens if I use my HSA for Botox?

Money in an FSA or HSA does not cover cosmetic treatments. If you are getting Botox for a medical indication, such as migraine headaches, then you can use the money in your HSA for Botox. But cosmetic treatments are not eligible.

Can you use HSA on DoorDash?

Summary: DoorDash is making it easier than ever to submit your qualified health purchases for reimbursement through your HSA or FSA account via HSA/FSA receipt reimbursement. Upon completing an order containing HSA/FSA eligible items, you will receive an email receipt with your HSA/FSA eligible items highlighted.

Can I use my HSA at Costco?

Costco accepts a limited number of cards at the main checkout lanes, but they'll let you pay for eligible items with your HSA/FSA card at the Pharmacy or Optical counters. So to use your FSA or HSA cards at Costco, just bypass the regular checkout lines and visit the Pharmacy or Optical department instead.

Do HSA get audited?

HSA reimbursements need matching receipts.

When using an HSA debit card, retain receipts for each transaction as those expenses will be reported to the IRS, and you could be audited.

What happens if I buy something with my HSA for non medical expenses?

Question: What are the tax consequences of using an HSA to pay for non-medical expenses? Short Answer: Non-medical HSA distributions are subject to ordinary income tax at all ages, and they are also subject to a 20% additional tax for individuals who are under age 65.

Why is my HSA card being declined when I have money?

The decline may be due to the following reasons: Your purchase wasn't considered a qualified medical expense under your HSA plan. Your HSA balance was too low to cover the transaction.

What happens to an HSA at age 65?

At age 65, you can take penalty-free distributions from the HSA for any reason. However, in order to be both tax-free and penalty-free the distribution must be for a qualified medical expense. Withdrawals made for other purposes will be subject to ordinary income taxes.

How do I use my HSA to pay medical bills?

Pay the provider directly from the member website or MyHealth app. Just like you pay other bills online, you can also go online to pay for your health care expenses with funds from your health account. A check will generally be mailed to your provider within 3 to 5 days.

What is the average HSA balance?

The average HSA balance rose from $2,645 at the beginning of 2021 to $3,902 by the end of the year, the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit independent research organization found in its analysis of its HSA database, which had information on 13.1 million HSAs in 2021.

Can I buy vitamins with HSA?

With this IRS definition in mind, while daily multivitamins are not FSA/HSA eligible, there are some types of vitamins that are eligible with consumer-directed healthcare accounts and others that may be eligible with proper documentation from a physician.

Can you buy toothbrush with HSA?

Toothbrushes are not eligible for reimbursement with flexible spending accounts (FSA), health savings accounts (HSA), health reimbursement accounts (HRA), dependent care flexible spending accounts and limited-purpose flexible spending accounts (LPFSA) because they are general health products.

Is Apple Watch HSA eligible?

Unfortunately the answer to this question is usually no. This is because according to the IRS, fitness trackers are used to promote what the IRS terms “general health”. Expenses under this general health definition are not considered HSA eligible expenses.