The amount of money you can contribute to medical and dependent-care FSAs remains the same this year as last: $2,750 for medical expenses and up to $5,000 for dependent-care costs. But in addition to rolling over unused funds from 2020 or 2021 to the following year—and giving you until the end of the rollover year to spend it—the new COVID-19 relief law allows other changes. Here are some of them:
You can make contribution changes anytime during the year.Previously, you had to decide during open enrollment—when you sign up for your company’s health insurance plans and other benefits for the coming year—how much to put in a healthcare or dependent-care FSA. You could make changes only if you had a major life event, such as getting married or having a baby.
You can access FSA funds even if you change jobs.Under the old rules, if you left your job, you forfeited the money you’d already contributed to your FSA but hadn’t spent unless you elected to continue using your previous employer's insurance. Now you won’t lose those funds. Worth knowing: Because you have access starting on Jan. 1 to the full amount of FSA money you plan to contribute over the year, if you leave your job and have been reimbursed for more than you already contributed, you don’t have to repay those funds either, as long as you spent the money on qualifying expenses.
You can use your dependent-care dollars on expenses for children up to 14 years old.Under the old rules, you couldn't use FSA money to pay for the care expenses of dependent children after they turn 13. Raising the age limit means parents with kids whose expenses would have qualified in the previous year don't have to worry about them aging out.
You can use your FSA for a broader array of medical expenses.This is a benefit not from the most recent COVID-19 relief bill but one that Congress passed last March, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which made a permanent change to FSA rules. That law expanded the list of eligible items you can spend FSA dollars on to include over-the-counter medications such as cold medicine and ibuprofen, as well as menstrual products such as tampons and pads.
Not every organization that offers flexible-spending accounts will make all those changes. So check with your human resources department to see which ones your company is planning to adopt. Employers have plenty of time to implement the changes. Organizations can amend 2020 plans until Dec. 31, 2021, and until Dec. 31, 2022, for current-year plans.
And while the new rules apply only to FSAs for 2020 and 2021, Jody Dietel from HealthEquity hopes the temporary moves will pave the way for permanent changes. “These accounts aren’t tax shelters for the rich," she says. “People use this money to defray the cost of medical care and child care, which are big expenses for a lot of people.”