Jason Dinesen

Jason Dinesen

On Posted on by Jason Dinesen to Potpourri of Tax Topics

Glossary of Tax Terms: HSA

In the tax world, the term “HSA” stands for “health savings account.”

An HSA allows you to save money, tax-advantaged, for medical expenses. Contributions to an HSA reduce your taxable income, and withdrawals from an HSA are tax-free if used for medical expenses.

Requirements

To qualify for an HSA, the basic requirements are:

  1. You must be covered under a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). For 2013, an HDHP is a plan that has a minimum annual deductible of $1,250 for single coverage and $2,500 for family coverage. The maximum annual deductible and out-of-pocket expenses is $6,250 for single coverage and $12,500 for family coverage.
  2. You generally cannot have any other health coverage, including Medicare
  3. You cannot participate in an HSA if you are eligible to be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return, even if that person doesn’t actually claim you as a dependent.

For more information about HSAs, consult IRS Publication 969.

Tags