Eligibility and Plan Description
Benefit-eligible employees with a 50% time or greater appointment may elect to contribute pre-tax dollars to a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
A health care FSA may be used to pay for any expenses connected with health/dental care for you, your spouse, or any eligible dependent as defined by the IRS. Examples of eligible expenses may include health plan deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, eye exams, prescriptions and other related costs.
This program cannot reimburse expenses for a domestic partner who is not a qualified tax dependent. Expenses for children may continue to be submitted through Dec. 31 of the year they turn 26.
Tax Advantages
Per IRS regulations, contributions to an FSA are not subject to federal, state, or FICA taxes, allowing you to pay for eligible expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Annual Election Requirement
- Active enrollment is required each year.
- FSA elections do not roll over.
- Changes to your election mid-year are only allowed if you experience a qualifying life event (e.g., marriage, birth of a child) and must be made within 30 days of the event.
Enrollment Instructions
To Waive Participation in a Health Care FSA plan
If you do not wish to participate in a Health Care FSA account:
- Leave the "Monthly Health Care Contribution" box empty during your enrollment.
Important Exception for Regular Benefit-Eligible Employees:
If you are a regular benefit-eligible employee and have unused benefit credits that are not applied toward other pre-tax benefit options:
- These leftover credits will automatically be deposited into a Health Care FSA account.
- You are not required to use the funds that are defaulted into your account, but they will remain available for eligible health/dental expense reimbursement if you wish to use them.
- Please note that a HealthEquity Visa card is automatically generated for every member enrolled in a health care FSA.
- You DO NOT have to use the card to receive reimbursement from your health care account.
- You do not have to activate the card; if you wish, you may securely dispose of it.
Note for House Staff and Fellows:
House staff and fellows do not receive university benefit credits and are therefore not affected by the automatic FSA credit allocation.
To Enroll in a Health Care FSA plan
If you wish to participate in a Health Care FSA account:
Scenario 1: You are not eligible for University Credits or have no leftover credits
If you wish to contribute your own funds to a Health Care FSA:
- Enter your desired monthly contribution in the "Monthly Health Care Contribution" box.
- The 2026 contribution limit is $3,300, which equals a maximum monthly contribution of $275.
- Select the blue "Recalculate" button to refresh your account overview.
Scenario 2: You have leftover credits, but do not want to contribute additional funds
If you only want to use your leftover benefit credits:
- Leave the "Monthly Health Care Contribution" box empty.
- The system will automatically transfer your unused credits to a Health Care FSA account.
- Select the blue "Recalculate" button to refresh your account overview.
Scenario 3: You have leftover credits and want to contribute additional funds
If you wish to contribute additional funds on top of your leftover credit amount to a health care FSA:
- Enter your desired monthly contribution in the "Monthly Health Care Contribution" box.
- The 2026 contribution limit is $3,300, which equals a maximum monthly contribution of $275.
- The system will automatically apply your leftover credits first, then deduct the remaining amount from your paycheck as a pre-tax contribution.
- Select the blue "Recalculate" button to refresh your account overview.