HSAs help you save on everyday expenses and income taxes
HSAs provide 3 key tax benefits — pretax contributions, tax-advantaged growth and usually income tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses.
You can use your pretax HSA dollars to cover thousands of qualified health expenses, from doctor visits and prescription refills to cold medicine, first-aid kits and sunscreen.
Answers to common HSA tax questions
The HSA contribution deadline is the same as the tax filing deadline for that plan year, typically April 15. Some states or areas of the country may have more time due to local holidays or natural disaster extensions. Contact the IRS or your tax advisor for information.
If you make excess contributions, you can avoid being penalized by completing an Excess Contribution and Deposit Correction Request Form to have excess funds returned to you. This form and others are available after you sign in.
Using HSA funds for a nonqualified expense is generally subject to income tax and a 20% penalty. If you use your HSA by mistake, you may be able to return the funds to your account to avoid the penalty. To do this, submit a Withdrawal Correction Form by the tax filing deadline.
If you’re age 65 or older or enrolled in Medicare, you can use HSA funds for nonmedical expenses without a penalty. Those withdrawals are treated as taxable income.
The tax forms listed here summarize activity in your HSA for the year. Depending on how you used your HSA, you may receive one or more of them:
- Form 1099‑SA shows how much money you spent from your HSA during the year. You usually receive this form only if you used HSA funds.
- Form 5498‑SA details how much was contributed to your HSA, including payroll and other deposits. This form is for your records and is often available after the tax filing season.
- Form 8889 is included with your tax return to report HSA contributions and withdrawals, using information from the other forms.
Note:
- Forms 1099‑SA and 5498‑SA are for your reference and don’t need to be filed. If applicable, both may be available when you sign in to your account online or in the app, and it’s common for Form 5498‑SA to be posted after you’ve already filed your taxes.
- Form 8889 is included with your tax return and can be downloaded from IRS.gov anytime.
Report your HSA contributions and withdrawals using Form 8889, which is filed with your federal tax return.
It’s important to keep records showing that your HSA funds were used for qualified medical expenses. If any funds were used for nonqualified expenses, that activity is also reported on Form 8889.
Each state can decide to follow the federal tax guidelines for HSAs or establish its own. State law is subject to change. For up-to-date information, talk with a tax advisor regarding your state’s rules or visit your state’s department of revenue office.
Investments are not FDIC insured, are not bank issued or guaranteed by Optum Financial or its subsidiaries, including Optum Bank, and are subject to risk including fluctuations in value and the possible loss of the principal amount invested.