What if I use my HSA for someone else?

Asked by: Holden Davis  |  Last update: January 28, 2024
Score: 4.6/5 (31 votes)

You can make tax-free withdrawals from an HSA to cover qualified medical expenses for yourself, your spouse and anyone you claim as a dependent on your tax return. That's it. If you use your HSA to pay for a friend's medical bills you are going to run into a big IRS bill.

Can I legally spend my HSA funds for someone else?

The only time you can use your HSA to pay for the healthcare costs of a friend is if you have named that person as a dependent on your most recent tax return (provided that they qualify under the non-relative qualifications — detailed below).

What happens if you use your HSA card for something else?

If you use your HSA for an expense other than eligible medical expenses you can subject yourself to significant IRS penalties. Inappropriate use of your HSA funds may also leave you without money to pay for your eligible medical expenses in the future.

Can I use my HSA for other family members?

You can use your HSA to pay for qualified medical expenses for your spouse and tax dependents, as long as their expenses are not otherwise reimbursed.

Can I use my HSA card to pay for a friend?

The short answer is yes for certain family members, and no for friends. You can use your HSA for your spouse and your dependents, regardless of if they're covered under your high-deductible health plan (HDHP) or not. Beyond that, using your HSA for others, including your friends, is typically a no-go.

Can I Use My HSA For My Spouse?

18 related questions found

Can I use my HSA card for my boyfriend?

No. HSAs follow federal tax rules. You can reimburse only your own, your spouse's, and your tax dependents' eligible expenses tax-free from your account.

Can my wife use my HSA if she's not on my insurance?

The IRS allows you to use your HSA to pay for eligible expenses for your spouse, children or anyone who is listed as a dependent on your tax return. That's true whether you have individual coverage or family coverage with an HSA through your health plan.

Can I use my HSA for someone not on my health insurance?

Can my HSA be Used for Dependents Not Covered by my Health Insurance Plan? Yes. Qualified medical expenses include unreimbursed medical expenses of the accountholder, his or her spouse, or dependents. Was this article helpful?

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.

Can I use my HSA for massages?

Massages with a doctor's note of necessity

In certain cases, the massage is deemed medically necessary, and can be classified as a qualified medical expense. In a case like this, accountholders can use their HSA to pay for the massage.

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 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 I use my HSA for my daughter?

You can make tax-free withdrawals from your HSA to cover qualified medical expenses of a child, regardless of whether a child is covered by your HDHP. The one rule is that you can't use your HSA for qualified expenses that have already been reimbursed by the insurance policy covering your child.

Can you use HSA for teeth whitening?

What Dental Services are Not Covered by My HSA? Cosmetic procedures, like teeth whitening, are not covered by your HSA funds. Neither are dental products like dental floss, toothbrushes, toothpaste, or mouthwash. Those products are out of pocket expenses.

Can I use my HSA to pay for glasses?

Yes! You can definitely use funds from your flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA) to purchase prescription glasses. (FSAs and HSAs can be used for many other vision- and eye health-related expenses, too, but we'll discuss that more in a bit.)

Are tampons HSA eligible?

With the passage of the CARES Act in March 2020, tampons and other menstrual care products are now fully FSA-/HSA-eligible. According to the text of the bill, menstrual care products include, “tampon, pad, liner, cup, sponge, or similar product used by individuals with respect to menstruation…”

Can I use my husband's HSA to pay my medical bills?

And the answer is yes if you are a spouse (even if filing a separate return) or a dependent (claimed) on a tax return. So that couple could use the HSA of one spouse to pay for the medical expenses of the other.

Can my wife roll her HSA into mine?

No. You cannot rollover or transfer an account balance to another person's HSA. This would result in a taxable distribution (i.e., a distribution that was not used for a qualified medical expense). Rollovers and transfers are only tax free to the extent they go from your existing HSA to another HSA set up in your name.

Can I use my HSA for Lasik?

In a word – yes! With a tax-free Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA), you can pay for your LASIK surgery with pre-tax dollars, which could mean a 20-30% discount for those who are eligible.

How does HSA work for family?

The IRS treats married couples as a single tax unit, which means you must share one family HSA contribution limit of $7,300, or $7,750 in 2023. If you and your spouse have self-only coverage, you may each contribute up to $3,650, or $3,850 in 2023, annually into your separate accounts.

Can I use my HSA for my wife's pregnancy?

You can use it on anyone in your tax family.

You can use your HSA to cover your or your spouse's delivery costs, as well as future expenses of the child. HSA funds can be used on anyone within your tax family. This stays true even if the account holder does not cover a dependent under his or her health plan.

Can I leave my HSA to my kids?

You may also name your children or other non-spouse individuals as a beneficiary. For someone other than a spouse the tax benefits of account ownership do not transfer. The balance of the account will be distributed to your beneficiary and becomes taxable to them in the year you pass away.

Should you reimburse yourself from HSA?

As long as the qualifying medical expense was made after the establishment of your HSA, you can use your HSA to pay yourself back for your out-of-pocket expense. And while it isn't required that you submit receipts to be reimbursed from your HSA, we recommend it in case of an IRS audit.

How do I withdraw from HSA?

You can submit a withdrawal request form to receive funds (cash) from your HSA. If the cash is used to pay for ineligible purchases, it must be reported when you're filing your taxes. Once it's reported, it's subject to an income tax and treated as though it had never been in your tax-free HSA.

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.