Will FSA pay for a treadmill?

Asked by: Lew Doyle  |  Last update: May 31, 2025
Score: 4.4/5 (67 votes)

If you have a letter from a medical professional stating that exercise equipment is a medical necessity, your FSA can cover it.

Can I use my FSA to buy a treadmill?

A treadmill may be eligible for reimbursement with a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) with a flexible spending account (FSA), health savings account (HSA) and health reimbursement arrangement (HRA).

Can a doctor write a prescription for a treadmill?

Cardio Machines: Treadmills, stationary bikes, and ellipticals are often prescribed for cardiovascular and weight management purposes. Strength Training: Resistance bands, free weight, or specific machines such as functional trainer, home gym may be prescribed to help with muscle strengthening or rehabilitation.

What weight loss items are covered by FSA?

What weight-loss items are HSA- or FSA-eligible?
  • Dietician services.
  • Diet pills.
  • Doctor-recommended weight-loss programs (see examples below)
  • Exercise equipment (barbells, elliptical, stationary bike, or treadmill)
  • Fitness tracker (COROS, Fitbit, Garmin, Huawei, or Whoop)
  • Gastric bypass surgery.
  • Measuring tape.

Can I use my FSA to pay for a gym?

While some companies and private insurers may offer discounts on gym memberships, you generally can't use your FSA or HSA account to pay for gym or health club memberships. An exception to that rule would be if your doctor deems fitness medically necessary for your recovery or treatment.

HSA vs FSA: Which One Should You Get?

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Is any exercise equipment FSA eligible?

The majority of fitness equipment and gym memberships and fitness classes can be covered by your FSA/HSA funds, but you'll need your doctor to fill out a Letter of Medical Necessity to use the funds to purchase them.

Can I use FSA for Apple Watch?

Understanding What's Eligible and What's Not

While fitness trackers such as an Apple Watch, Fitbit or Garmin aren't eligible expenses, medical devices that monitor, screen, or test for certain diseases or medical conditions may be eligible. These include items like blood pressure and heart-rate monitors.

Can I use FSA for massage?

Pay with Your FSA or HSA: Once you have the prescription, you can pay for your massage therapy directly with your FSA or HSA debit card. If your provider doesn't accept these cards, you can pay out of pocket and submit a claim for reimbursement.

Can you buy protein shakes with FSA?

Protein bars/powders/shakes reimbursement is not eligible with a flexible spending account (FSA), health savings account (HSA), health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), limited-purpose flexible spending account (LPFSA) or a dependent care flexible spending account (DCFSA).

Does FSA cover toilet paper?

Here are examples of items and expenses that are not FSA-eligible for 2024: General health items: toiletries like toothpaste, toilet paper, or shampoo, cosmetic products, vitamins and supplements (without a prescription) Non-medical equipment: car seats, strollers, non-medical exercise equipment.

Can I write off a walking treadmill?

If your doctor told you to begin walking or jogging on a treadmill to lose weight because obesity is causing you to have health problems, then you may be able to deduct the expense of buying the item. To avoid trouble with the IRS, be sure to acquire the workout recommendation from your doctor in writing.

Does walking on a treadmill count as exercise?

The treadmill is a great way to get in the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Experts say that interval training, in which you alternate between a short bout of high-intensity exercise with a longer bout of lower-intensity exercise, is the best way to improve your cardiovascular health.

Is a treadmill considered medical equipment?

Powered exercise equipment consist of powered devices intended for medical purposes, such as to redevelop muscles or restore motion to joints or for use as an adjunct treatment for obesity. Examples include a powered treadmill, a powered bicycle, and powered parallel bars.

Is Planet fitness FSA eligible?

Can you use flexible spending account (FSA) funds to pay for a gym membership or exercise classes? Typically, no. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) usually doesn't allow funds from an FSA to pay for membership dues at health clubs or gyms.

Are vitamins FSA eligible?

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.

Can I use FSA to buy a Fitbit?

Why is a fitness tracker not FSA/HSA/HRA eligible? To purchase a fitness tracker with a consumer-directed healthcare account like an FSA, HSA or HRA, a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) is required to show that the device will be used to treat a legitimate medical condition such as obesity.

Can FSA pay for gym membership?

So, can you use your HSA or FSA to pay for gym memberships or health club dues? The short answer is yes, but you need a Letter of Medical Necessity.

Can you buy deodorant with FSA?

For example, daily care products, like Vaseline, toothpaste, and deodorant, are not FSA-eligible expenses. Gym memberships and health insurance premiums aren't eligible either. It's possible that you may accidentally purchase a nonqualifying expense with your FSA funds.

Can you buy tampons with an FSA?

Are Tampons FSA Eligible? Yes! Tampons are now classified as a “medical expense,” making them FSA eligible.

Can I use FSA for glasses?

You can use your FSA funds for eye exams and prescription glasses. You can also use them for prescription contact lenses. And prescription sunglasses are FSA-eligible, too.

Can you use FSA for Peloton?

Yes. You can pay with a credit or debit card through Truemed and submit a reimbursement request to your HSA/FSA plan administrator for up to the amount you have available in your HSA/FSA account.

Can you use FSA for diapers?

Regular diapers for newborns and infants are not FSA eligible because they do not treat a medical condition, but rather aid a healthy function of the body. There are some ways to save, however, including sales, coupons, buying in bulk or joining rewards programs.

Is sunscreen FSA eligible?

You can use your flexible spending account (FSA) to buy broad-spectrum sunscreens with a minimum SPF of 15 using pretax dollars. A variety of items that offer sun protection, including lip balms, lotions, and moisturizers, might also qualify for these funds. Many FSA plans offer debit cards to make using funds easier.

Are air purifiers FSA eligible?

Air purifiers are generally not eligible for reimbursement. An air purifier may be eligible for FSA reimbursement with a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) only if you are using it to relieve or alleviate a specific medical condition and you would not otherwise have purchased it.

Are electric toothbrushes FSA eligible?

Unfortunately, most products for oral health care are not currently eligible medical expenses for FSA and HSA spending.