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HSA Catch-up Contributions: What Is It?

Carla Fried · January 14, 2020 · 3 min read

what-is-an-hsa-catch-up-contribution

Every dollar you save in a Health Savings Account (HSA) gives you three valuable tax breaks. Contributions you make this year to an HSA reduce your taxable income reported to the IRS. There is no annual tax bill on money that remains in your HSA account. When you withdraw money from an HSA — it can be next week or 30 years from now —— you will not owe any tax as long as the money is used to pay a qualified medical expense. You can use our HSA Eligibility List to see what items are considered a qualified medical expense.

Those are three powerful reasons to contribute to an HSA. The one catch is that there is an annual limit to how much you can contribute to an HSA. The good news is that if you are at least 55 years old you are allowed to make an additional “catch-up contribution.” Currently, if you’re eligible for the catch-up contribution you can add an extra $1,000 to your HSA contribution.

What are catch-up contributions?

In 2001, Congress introduced tax legislation to future retirees catch up on retirement savings through HSA contributions. The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 became effective January 1, 2002. It applied to retirement plans, such as a 401k or IRA, and allows the following.

  • Additional annual contribution to qualified retirement plan for eligible individuals 50 and older.

  • The catch-up contributions are in addition to the year’s standard limit.

  • IRS sets the maximum catch-up contribution amount each year.

Here's how catch-up contributions also apply to Health Savings Accounts and important rules you need to know.

HSA contribution limits if you are younger than 55

If you are enrolled in a high deductible health plan (HDHP) that is HSA-eligible, you can contribute the IRS sets HSA annual contribution limits that differ for individuals and families.

HSA catch-up contribution limit if you are at least 55

If you are enrolled in a high deductible health plan (HDHP) that is HSA-eligible, and you are at least 55 years old –or will turn 55 any time in the calendar year — you can make an additional $1,000 contribution to an HSA.

Catch-up contributions if you are married

If you and your spouse are 55 or older you can both make a $1,000 catch-up contribution to your HSA. However, your spouse must have a separate account and put their contribution in that account — you cannot put $1,000 each into the same account.

What happens when you turn 65

Once you are enrolled in Medicare — typically age 65 — you are no longer allowed to contribute to an HSA. But using the 10-year window between the ages of 55 and 65 to make higher “catch-up” contributions can be valuable come retirement. Saving that extra $1,000 a year for 10 years and earning an annualized 5% would give you around $13,200 in tax-free dollars at age 65 you could use for out-of-pocket medical expenses at any time in retirement.

If you'd like to open an HSA or transfer your HSA funds to Lively, don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Carla Fried

Carla Fried

Carla specializes in service journalism for news outlets including The New York Times, Money magazine, and CNBC.com. For the past 15 years she has writen for traditional news outlets, ghostwriting books and articles for clients, creating content for major financial service firms, and editing investment newsletters and white papers.

Her work appears in The New York Times, Money Magazine, Barron's and Consumer Reports.

piggy bank on pink background

Benefits

2023 and 2024 HSA Maximum Contribution Limits

Lively · May 16, 2023 · 3 min read

On May 16, 2023 the Internal Revenue Service announced the HSA contribution limits for 2024. For 2024 HSA-eligible account holders are allowed to contribute: $4,150 for individual coverage and $8,300 for family coverage. If you are 55 years or older, you’re still eligible to contribute an extra $1,000 catch-up contribution.

comparing hsa versus fsa

Benefits

What is the Difference Between a Flexible Spending Account and a Health Savings Account?

Lauren Hargrave · February 9, 2024 · 12 min read

A Health Savings Account (HSA) and Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (FSA) provide up to 30% savings on out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. That’s good news. Except you can’t contribute to an HSA and Healthcare FSA at the same time. So what if your employer offers both benefits? How do you choose which account type is best for you? Let’s explore the advantages of each to help you decide which wins in HSA vs FSA.

Benefits of HSA employer matching

Health Savings Accounts

Ways Health Savings Account Matching Benefits Employers

Lauren Hargrave · October 13, 2023 · 7 min read

Employers need employees to adopt and engage with their benefits and one way to encourage employees to adopt and contribute to (i.e. engage with) an HSA, is for employers to match employees’ contributions.

Disclaimer: the content presented in this article are for informational purposes only, and is not, and must not be considered tax, investment, legal, accounting or financial planning advice, nor a recommendation as to a specific course of action. Investors should consult all available information, including fund prospectuses, and consult with appropriate tax, investment, accounting, legal, and accounting professionals, as appropriate, before making any investment or utilizing any financial planning strategy.

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