Participating in the Flexible Spending Account (FSA) available through your Employer can increase your take-home pay by reducing your taxable income. It allows you to potentially save up to 30% on your eligible healthcare and/or dependent care expenses every year by using pre-tax dollars vs. post-tax dollars to pay for those expenses.
We recommend prior to making an election, you consider and derive a conservative estimate of how much you spend on healthcare and/or dependent care expenses for you and your qualified dependents in one year. For example, you may want to consider your estimated cost for prescription drugs, medical and dental office visit co-pays and/or deductibles, as well as vision related needs including exams and prescription glasses/lenses.
Most FSA’s require you use the funds you contribute within the plan year or you lose them. Please review the plan documents for more details on the maximum contributions you can make toward the healthcare and/or dependent care Flexible Spending Account.