New to an HSA? Learn the basics
An HSA is a tax-advantaged account that helps you pay for qualified medical expenses. The funds are yours to spend forever — even if you retire, change jobs or change health plans.
Tax savings
An HSA provides triple tax savings — contributions are not taxed, account growth through interest and investment earnings are not taxed, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are income tax free. It’s a win-win to save on health costs today, tomorrow and even through retirement.
Pay the smarter way
Your HSA card is a fast and convenient way to pay for qualified expenses while skipping the paperwork. From trips to the doctor to everyday care like cold medicine and first aid kits, simply pay using your HSA card and you're all set. Plus, you'll save an average of 30% because you’re using pre-tax dollars.*
Use your HSA dollars
Use your HSA card at Optum Store to shop HSA-eligible items all in one place.
Plus you save up to 30%* since you’re using pre-tax dollars. Get an extra 5% off with code OPTHSA5 to save even more.**
Fund your HSA
Boost your balance
Contributing to your HSA is hassle free and tax free. Plus, it's always on your terms, giving you a health expense cushion when you need it.
Use your HSA dollars
What can I buy?
Does your expense qualify? Use our search tool below to find out what expenses you can spend your HSA dollars on.
Helpful links
Browse additional solutions to help you better understand your HSA.
Investing part of your HSA balance makes your money work even harder.
An HSA isn’t just to pay for medical expenses your retirement goals.
Save time by combining your HSA funds into one account with Optum.
It’s easy to find qualified products at your favorite retailers.
Frequently asked questions about your HSA
If you’ve just opened an HSA, browse our new account holder checklist to get off to a good start.
You can also visit our resource library for videos and other educational materials to help you make the most of your HSA.
It’s easy to find qualified HSA and FSA products at your favorite retailers. Find out whether your expense is qualified by checking out the qualified medical expense tool. Pay with your HSA card every time for faster payouts and less paperwork, plus, you save up to 30%* because you’re using pre-tax dollars.
There are three ways to make a contribution to your HSA.
Set up recurring contributions
Sign in to your account to set up recurring contributions to ensure you’re contributing the maximum allowed by the IRS each year.
Make a one-time contribution
If you haven’t contributed the maximum allowed by the IRS, you can make a one-time contribution to your account at any time.
Employer payroll deductions
Some employers offer payroll deductions. You should check with your employer to see if payroll deduction contributions are available to you.
Learn more about making a contribution to your HSA.
The IRS sets guidelines for how much you can contribute to an HSA each year.
2022 limits:
- An individual can contribute up to $3,650 (increase of $50 from 2021) for the year.
- An individual with family coverage can contribute up to $7,300 (increase of $100 from 2021) for the year.
If you are age 55 or older, you can contribute an additional catch-up contribution of $1,000 per year. If your spouse is also 55 or older, they may establish a separate HSA and make a catch-up contribution to that account.
Sign in to your account today and check your contribution limit.
To learn more about the annual HSA contribution limits, visit our HSA contribution limits page.
The IRS sets guidelines for how much you can contribute to an HSA each year.
2023 limits:
- An individual can contribute up to $3,850 (increase of $200 from 2022) for the year.
- An individual with family coverage can contribute up to $7,750 (increase of $450 from 2022) for the year. If you are age 55 or older, you can contribute an additional catch-up contribution of $1,000 per year.
If your spouse is also 55 or older, they may establish a separate HSA and make a catch-up contribution to that account.
Sign in to your account today and check your contribution limit.
To learn more about the annual HSA contribution limits, visit our HSA contribution limits page.
No. You can keep your account, and the money in it remains yours, no matter what, even if you change jobs or move off a qualifying high-deductible health plan.
No. You can open and contribute to an HSA at age 65 or later as long as you meet HSA eligibility requirements, which are:
- You’re covered on an HSA-qualified medical plan.
- You’re not someone else’s tax dependent.
- You don’t have any conflicting coverage (including enrollment in Medicare). Turning age 65 does not, in and of itself, preclude you from remaining HSA-eligible absent any disqualifying coverage.
You currently have diverse investment options in your HSA, including self-directed mutual funds and digitally managed investments from Betterment. You can choose to invest based on how experienced you are and how involved you want to be in selecting your investments.
I want help investing and don’t want to spend a lot of time managing my portfolio. Can I get help investing?
You may choose to have Betterment manage your investment funds. Betterment is an independent online investment advisor and combines low-cost, tax-efficient investment strategies with technology and personalized advice to help you pursue your financial goals.
Once you answer a few brief questions about your investment goals and priorities, Betterment will build a personalized portfolio of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with investment mixes and risk levels that are suitable for you.
I have some investment experience and prefer mutual funds. Can I choose my own investments?
You may choose from among a number of pre-selected mutual funds from nationally recognized fund families. These have been selected to offer a broad and diverse range of investment objectives, with high Morningstar ratings and some of the lowest expense ratios in the industry.
We’re here to help
Whether you’ve just opened your HSA or you’re preparing to retire, our resources make it easy to save, pay and invest your HSA dollars.
Eligible HSA expenses
Use our search tool to filter by expense type and learn more about what you can buy with your HSA dollars.
It’s easy to combine your HSA funds into one account
Learn how to make deposits to and withdrawals from your HSA
Take advantage of your HSA's tax benefits by contributing the maximum
*Savings compares using pre-tax income in your HSA to using after tax income for purchases and assumes a 30% combined tax rate from all applicable federal, state, and FICA taxes. Results and amount will vary depending on your circumstances.