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           Department of the Treasury
           Internal Revenue Service
                                                         Future Developments
                                                         Go  to IRS.gov/Pub969  for  the  latest  information  about 
Publication 969                                          Pub. 969.
Cat. No. 24216S

                                                         What’s New
Health Savings 
                                                         Notice  2023-37 addresses  the  announced  end  of  the 
                                                         COVID-19  public  health  emergency  and  the  National 
Accounts                                                 Emergency  Concerning  the  Novel  Coronavirus  Disease 
                                                         2019  Pandemic  on  May  11,  2023;  it  modifies  prior  guid-
                                                         ance  regarding  benefits  relating  to  testing  for  and  treat-
and Other                                                ment of COVID-19 that can be provided by a health plan 
                                                         that otherwise satisfies the requirements to be a high de-
                                                         ductible health plan (HDHP) under section 223(c)(2)(A) of 
Tax-Favored                                              the Internal Revenue Code (Code). Specifically, the relief 
                                                         described  in  Notice  2020-15,  2020-14  IRB  559,  applies 
                                                         only  with  respect  to  plan  years  ending  on  or  before  De-
Health Plans                                             cember 31, 2024.
                                                         Notice 2023-37 also clarifies whether certain items and 
For use in preparing                                     services  are  treated  as  preventive  care  under  section 
                                                         223(c)(2)(C). Specifically, the preventive care safe harbor 
2023 Returns                                             as described in Notice 2004-23, 2004-15 IRB 725, does 
                                                         not include screening (for example, testing) for COVID-19, 
                                                         effective  as  of  July  24,  2023.  Notice  2023-37  also  pro-
                                                         vides that items and services recommended with an “A” or 
                                                         “B” rating by the United States Preventive Services Task 
                                                         Force on or after March 23, 2010, are treated as preven-
                                                         tive care for purposes of section 223(c)(2)(C), regardless 
                                                         of  whether  these  items  and  services  must  be  covered, 
                                                         without cost sharing, under Public Health Service Act sec-
                                                         tion 2713.
                                                         For  more  information  on  Notice  2023-37,  2023-30 
                                                         I.R.B. 359, see IRS.gov/irb/2023-30_IRB#NOT-2023-37.

                                                         Reminders
                                                         Telehealth  and  other  remote  care  services.                 Public 
                                                         Law 117-328, December 29, 2022, amended section 223 
                                                         to provide that an HDHP may have a $0 deductible for tel-
                                                         ehealth and other remote care services for plan years be-
                                                         ginning before 2022; months beginning after March 2022 
                                                         and before 2023; and plan years beginning after 2022 and 
                                                         before 2025. Also, an “eligible individual” remains eligible 
                                                         to make contributions to its Health Savings Account (HSA) 
                                                         even if the individual has coverage outside of the HDHP 
                                                         during these periods for telehealth and other remote care 
                                                         services.
                                                         Health Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA) contri-
                                                         bution  and  carryover  for  2023.      Revenue  Procedure 
                                                         2022-38, October 18, 2022, provides that for tax years be-
                                                         ginning in 2023, the dollar limitation under section 125(i) 
                                                         on voluntary employee salary reductions for contributions 
Get forms and other information faster and easier at:    to health flexible spending arrangements is $3,050. If the 
IRS.gov (English)    IRS.gov/Korean (한국어)            cafeteria  plan  permits  the  carryover  of  unused  amounts, 
IRS.gov/Spanish (Español)  • IRS.gov/Russian (Pусский) the maximum carryover amount is $610.
IRS.gov/Chinese (中文) IRS.gov/Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) 

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Insulin products.  Public Law 117-169, August 16, 2022,              HRA. 
amended section 223 to provide that an HDHP may have 
                                                                     Over-the-counter medicine (whether or not prescri-
a $0 deductible for selected insulin products. The amend-
                                                                       bed) and menstrual care products are treated as med-
ment applies to plan years beginning after 2022.
                                                                       ical care for amounts incurred after 2019.
Health FSA contribution and carryover for 2022. Rev-                 The  IRS  will  provide  any  further  updates  as  soon  as 
enue  Procedure  2021-45,  November  10,  2021,  provides            they are available at IRS.gov/Coronavirus.
that  for  tax  years  beginning  in  2022,  the  dollar  limitation See  also  Notice  2020-29,  2020-22  I.R.B.  864,  and 
under section 125(i) on voluntary employee salary reduc-             Notice  2020-33,  2020-22  I.R.B.  868,  available  at 
tions for contributions to health flexible spending arrange-         IRS.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb20-22.pdf,      for         additional 
ments is $2,850. If the cafeteria plan permits the carryover         information.
of  unused  amounts,  the  maximum  carryover  amount  is 
$570.                                                                Affordable  Care  Act  guidance.        Notice  2013-54, 
Home  testing  for  COVID-19  and  personal  protective              2013-40 I.R.B. 287, available at IRS.gov/irb/2013-40_IRB/
equipment for preventing spread of COVID-19.    News                 ar11.html, as supplemented by Notice 2015-87, provides 
Release IR-2021-181, September 10, 2021, reminds that                guidance for employers on the application of the Afforda-
the  cost  of  home  testing  for  COVID-19  and  the  costs  of     ble Care Act (ACA) to FSAs and Health Reimbursement 
personal protective equipment, such as masks, hand sani-             Arrangements (HRAs).
tizer and sanitizing wipes, for the primary purpose of pre-          For  more  information  on  the  ACA,  go  to       IRS.gov/
venting the spread of COVID-19 are eligible medical ex-              Affordable-Care-Act.
penses  that  can  be  paid  or  reimbursed  under  health           Photographs  of  missing  children. The  Internal  Reve-
FSAs,  HSAs,  Health  Reimbursement  Arrangements                    nue Service is a proud partner with the National Center for 
(HRAs), or Archer Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs).                   Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC). Photographs of 
Surprise billing for emergency services or air ambu-                 missing  children  selected  by  the  Center  may  appear  in 
lance  services. Public  Law  116-260,  December  27,                this publication on pages that would otherwise be blank. 
2020, amended section 223 to provide that an HDHP may                You can help bring these children home by looking at the 
provide benefits under federal and state anti-“surprise bill-        photographs  and  calling  800-THE-LOST  (800-843-5678) 
ing” laws with a $0 deductible. Also, an “eligible individual”       if you recognize a child.
remains eligible to make contributions to its HSA even if 
the  individual  receives  anti-“surprise  billing”  benefits  out-
side of the HDHP. The amendment applies to plan years 
beginning after 2021.                                                Introduction
                                                                     Various programs are designed to give individuals tax ad-
  Note. Anti-“surprise billing” laws generally protect indi-
                                                                     vantages to offset health care costs. This publication ex-
viduals  from  “surprise  billing”  for  items  like  emergency 
                                                                     plains the following programs.
medical services, some non-emergency medical services, 
and air ambulance services.                                          Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).
        Ask your insurance provider whether your HDHP                Medical Savings Accounts (Archer MSAs and Medi-
                                                                       care Advantage MSAs).
  !     and any other coverage meet the requirements of 
CAUTION section 223.
                                                                     Health Flexible Spending Arrangements (FSAs).
        Ask  your  HSA  trustee  whether  the  HSA  and              Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs).
  !     trustee meet the requirements of section 223.                An HSA may receive contributions from an eligible indi-
CAUTION
                                                                     vidual  or  any  other  person,  including  an  employer  or  a 
  The  Coronavirus  Aid,  Relief,  and  Economic  Security           family member, on behalf of an eligible individual. Contri-
Act (CARES Act, P.L. 116-136, March 27, 2020) made the               butions, other than employer contributions, are deductible 
following changes.                                                   on the eligible individual’s return whether or not the indi-
HSA.                                                                 vidual itemizes deductions. Employer contributions aren’t 
                                                                     included  in  income.  Distributions  from  an  HSA  that  are 
Over-the-counter medicine (whether or not prescri-                 used to pay qualified medical expenses aren’t taxed.
  bed) and menstrual care products are treated as med-               An Archer MSA may receive contributions from an eligi-
  ical care for amounts paid after 2019.                             ble  individual  and  the  eligible  individual’s  employer,  but 
Archer MSA.                                                          not both in the same year. Contributions by the individual 
Over-the-counter medicine (whether or not prescri-                 are deductible whether or not the individual itemizes de-
  bed) and menstrual care products are treated as med-               ductions.  Employer  contributions  aren’t  included  in  in-
  ical care for amounts paid after 2019.                             come. Distributions from an Archer MSA that are used to 
                                                                     pay qualified medical expenses aren’t taxed.
Health FSA.                                                          A Medicare Advantage MSA is an Archer MSA desig-
Over-the-counter medicine (whether or not prescri-                 nated by Medicare to be used solely to pay the qualified 
  bed) and menstrual care products are treated as med-               medical expenses of the account holder who is enrolled in 
  ical care for amounts incurred after 2019.                         Medicare. Contributions can be made only by Medicare. 

2                                                                                                     Publication 969 (2023)



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The contributions aren’t included in your income. Distribu-      Your employer may already have some information on 
tions  from  a  Medicare  Advantage  MSA  that  are  used  to   HSA trustees in your area.
pay qualified medical expenses aren’t taxed.
                                                                        If you have an Archer MSA, you can generally roll 
A health FSA may receive contributions from an eligible 
                                                                TIP     it over into an HSA tax free. See Rollovers, later.
individual.  Employers  may  also  contribute.  Contributions 
aren’t includible in income. Reimbursements from an FSA 
that  are  used  to  pay  qualified  medical  expenses  aren’t  What are the benefits of an HSA?    You may enjoy sev-
taxed.                                                          eral benefits from having an HSA.
An HRA must receive contributions from the employer 
only.  Employees  may  not  contribute.  Contributions  aren’t  You can claim a tax deduction for contributions you, or 
includible in income. Reimbursements from an HRA that             someone other than your employer, make to your HSA 
are used to pay qualified medical expenses aren’t taxed.          even if you don’t itemize your deductions on Sched-
                                                                  ule A (Form 1040).
Comments  and  suggestions.     We  welcome  your  com-           Contributions to your HSA made by your employer (in-
                                                                
ments  about  this  publication  and  suggestions  for  future    cluding contributions made through a cafeteria plan) 
editions.                                                         may be excluded from your gross income.
You  can  send  us  comments  through               IRS.gov/
FormComments. Or, you can write to the Internal Revenue         The contributions remain in your account until you use 
Service,  Tax  Forms  and  Publications,  1111  Constitution      them.
Ave. NW, IR-6526, Washington, DC 20224.                         The interest or other earnings on the assets in the ac-
Although  we  can’t  respond  individually  to  each  com-        count are tax free.
ment  received,  we  do  appreciate  your  feedback  and  will 
consider  your  comments  and  suggestions  as  we  revise      Distributions may be tax free if you pay qualified medi-
our  tax  forms,  instructions,  and  publications. Don’t  send   cal expenses. See Qualified medical expenses, later.
tax questions, tax returns, or payments to the above ad-        An HSA is “portable.” It stays with you if you change 
dress.                                                            employers or leave the work force.
Getting answers to your tax questions.              If you have 
a tax question not answered by this publication or the   How    Qualifying for an HSA Contribution
To Get Tax Help section at the end of this publication, go 
to  the  IRS  Interactive  Tax  Assistant  page  at IRS.gov/    To be an eligible individual and qualify for an HSA contri-
Help/ITA  where  you  can  find  topics  by  using  the  search bution, you must meet the following requirements.
feature or viewing the categories listed.                         You are covered under a high deductible health plan 
                                                                
Getting  tax  forms,  instructions,  and  publications.           (HDHP), described later, on the first day of the month.
Go to IRS.gov/Forms to download current and prior-year          You have no other health coverage except what is per-
forms, instructions, and publications.                            mitted under Other health coverage, later.
Ordering tax forms, instructions, and publications.             You aren’t enrolled in Medicare.
Go to IRS.gov/OrderForms to order current forms, instruc-
tions,  and  publications;  call  800-829-3676  to  order       You can’t be claimed as a dependent on someone 
prior-year  forms  and  instructions.  The  IRS  will  process    else’s 2023 tax return.
your order for forms and publications as soon as possible.              Under the last-month rule, you are considered to 
Don’t resubmit requests you’ve already sent us. You can         TIP     be an eligible individual for the entire year if you 
get forms and publications faster online.                               are an eligible individual on the first day of the last 
                                                                month of your tax year (December 1 for most taxpayers) 
                                                                and you meet certain other requirements.
Health Savings Accounts 
                                                                 If you meet these requirements, you are an eligible indi-
(HSAs)                                                          vidual  even  if  your  spouse  has  non-HDHP  family  cover-
                                                                age, provided your spouse’s coverage doesn’t cover you.
An HSA is a tax-exempt trust or custodial account you set 
up with a qualified HSA trustee to pay or reimburse certain      Also, you may be an eligible individual even if you re-
medical expenses you incur. You must be an eligible indi-       ceive hospital care or medical services under any law ad-
vidual to contribute to an HSA.                                 ministered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for a serv-
                                                                ice-connected disability.
No permission or authorization from the IRS is neces-
                                                                        If another taxpayer is entitled to claim you as a de-
sary  to  establish  an  HSA.  You  set  up  an  HSA  with  a 
                                                                        pendent, you can’t claim a deduction for an HSA 
trustee. A qualified HSA trustee can be a bank, an insur-       CAUTION!
                                                                        contribution. This is true even if the other person 
ance company, or anyone already approved by the IRS to 
                                                                doesn’t receive an exemption deduction for you because 
be a trustee of individual retirement arrangements (IRAs) 
                                                                the exemption amount is zero for tax years 2018 through 
or Archer MSAs. The HSA can be established through a 
                                                                2025.
trustee that is different from your health plan provider.

Publication 969 (2023)                                                                                                     3



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     Each  spouse  who  is  an  eligible  individual  who    The following table shows the minimum annual deducti-
TIP  wants  an  HSA  must  open  a  separate  HSA.  You      ble  and  maximum  annual  deductible  and  other 
     can’t have a joint HSA.                                 out-of-pocket expenses for HDHPs for 2023.
                                                                                  Self-only coverage    Family coverage
High deductible health plan (HDHP). An HDHP has:
                                                             Minimum annual 
A higher annual deductible than typical health plans,           deductible                     $1,500  $3,000
  and                                                        Maximum annual 
A maximum limit on the sum of the annual deductible        deductible and other 
                                                             out-of-pocket 
  and out-of-pocket medical expenses that you must                expenses*                      $7,500  $15,000
  pay for covered expenses. Out-of-pocket expenses in-
  clude copayments and other amounts, but don’t in-          * This limit doesn’t apply to deductibles and expenses for out-of-network 
  clude premiums.                                            services if the plan uses a network of providers. Instead, only deductibles 
                                                             and out-of-pocket expenses for services within the network should be used 
                                                             to figure whether the limit applies.
  An HDHP may provide preventive care benefits without 
a deductible or with a deductible less than the minimum              The  following  table  shows  the  minimum  annual 
annual deductible. Preventive care includes, but isn’t limi- TIP     deductible  and  maximum  annual  deductible  and 
ted to, the following.                                               other  out-of-pocket  expenses  for  HDHPs  for 
                                                             2024.
1. Periodic health evaluations, including tests and diag-
  nostic procedures ordered in connection with routine                            Self-only coverage    Family coverage
  examinations, such as annual physicals.
                                                             Minimum annual 
2. Routine prenatal and well-child care.                          deductible                     $1,600 $3,200
3. Child and adult immunizations.                            Maximum annual 
                                                             deductible and other 
4. Tobacco cessation programs.                               out-of-pocket 
                                                                  expenses*                      $8,050 $16,100
5. Obesity weight-loss programs.
6. Screening services. This includes screening services      * This limit doesn’t apply to deductibles and expenses for out-of-network 
                                                             services if the plan uses a network of providers. Instead, only deductibles 
  for the following.                                         and out-of-pocket expenses for services within the network should be used 
  a. Cancer.                                                 to figure whether the limit applies.
                                                             Self-only  HDHP  coverage  is  HDHP  coverage  for  only 
  b. Heart and vascular diseases.
                                                             an  eligible  individual.  Family  HDHP  coverage  is  HDHP 
  c. Infectious diseases.                                    coverage for an eligible individual and at least one other 
  d. Mental health conditions.                               individual (whether or not that individual is an eligible indi-
                                                             vidual).
  e. Substance abuse.
                                                             Example.        You,  an  eligible  individual,  and  your  de-
  f. Metabolic, nutritional, and endocrine conditions.       pendent child are covered under an “employee plus one” 
  g. Musculoskeletal disorders.                              HDHP offered by your employer. This is family HDHP cov-
                                                             erage.
  h. Obstetric and gynecological conditions.
                                                             Family  plans  that  don’t  meet  the  high  deductible 
  i. Pediatric conditions.
                                                             rules.  There are some family plans that have deductibles 
  j. Vision and hearing disorders.                           for  both  the  family  as  a  whole  and  for  individual  family 
                                                             members.  Under  these  plans,  if  you  meet  the  individual 
    For  more  information  on  screening  services,  see 
                                                             deductible for one family member, you don’t have to meet 
  Notice  2004-23,  2004-15  I.R.B.  725,  available  at 
                                                             the  higher  annual  deductible  amount  for  the  family.  If  ei-
  IRS.gov/irb/2004-15_IRB#NOT-2004-23.
                                                             ther the deductible for the family as a whole or the deduc-
    For  additional  guidance  on  preventive  care,  see 
                                                             tible for an individual family member is less than the mini-
  Notice  2004-50,  2004-2  C.B.  196,  Q&A  26  and  27, 
                                                             mum  annual  deductible  for  family  coverage,  the  plan 
  available  at IRS.gov/irb/2004-33_IRB#NOT-2004-50; 
                                                             doesn’t qualify as an HDHP.
  and Notice 2013-57, 2013-40 I.R.B. 293, available at 
  IRS.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-13-57.pdf.  Preventive  care        Other  health  coverage.            If  you  (and  your  spouse,  if 
  can also include coverage for treatment of individuals     you  have  family  coverage)  have  HDHP  coverage,  you 
  with certain chronic conditions listed in the Appendix     can’t generally have any other health coverage. However, 
  of Notice 2019-45, 2019-32 I.R.B. 593, if such serv-       you can still be an eligible individual even if your spouse 
  ices were received or items were incurred on or after      has non-HDHP coverage, provided you aren’t covered by 
  July 17, 2019. For information on preventive care for      that plan.
  chronic  conditions,  see  Notice  2019-45,  2019-32 
  I.R.B. 593,   available    at   IRS.gov/pub/irs-drop/
  n-19-45.pdf.

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You can have additional insurance that provides bene-                        doesn’t have to be the same as the deductible for the 
fits only for the following items.                                           HDHP, but benefits may not be provided before the 
                                                                             minimum annual deductible amount is met.
Liabilities incurred under workers’ compensation laws, 
  tort liabilities, or liabilities related to ownership or use             Retirement HRA. This arrangement pays or reimbur-
  of property.                                                               ses only those medical expenses incurred after retire-
                                                                             ment. After retirement, you are no longer eligible to 
A specific disease or illness.
                                                                             make contributions to an HSA.
A fixed amount per day (or other period) of hospitaliza-
  tion.                                                                  Health FSA—grace period.          Coverage during a grace 
                                                                         period by a general purpose health FSA is allowed if the 
You can also have coverage (whether provided through                     balance in the health FSA at the end of its prior year plan 
insurance or otherwise) for the following items.                         is  zero.  See Flexible  Spending  Arrangements  (FSAs), 
Accidents.                                                             later.
Disability.
                                                                         Contributions to an HSA
Dental care.
Vision care.                                                           Any  eligible  individual  can  contribute  to  an  HSA.  For  an 
                                                                         employee’s HSA, the employee, the employee’s employer, 
Long-term care.                                                        or both may contribute to the employee’s HSA in the same 
Telehealth and other remote care.                                      year. For an HSA established by a self-employed (or un-
                                                                         employed) individual, the individual can contribute. Family 
        Plans in which substantially all of the coverage is              members  or  any  other  person  may  also  make  contribu-
!       through the items listed earlier aren’t HDHPs. For               tions on behalf of an eligible individual.
CAUTION example, if your plan provides coverage substan-
tially  all  of  which  is  for  a  specific  disease  or  illness,  the Contributions to an HSA must be made in cash. Contri-
plan isn’t an HDHP for purposes of establishing an HSA.                  butions of stock or property aren’t allowed.

Prescription  drug  plans.         You  can  have  a  prescrip-          Limit on Contributions
tion drug plan, either as part of your HDHP or a separate 
plan (or rider), and qualify as an eligible individual if the            The  amount  you  or  any  other  person  can  contribute  to 
plan doesn’t provide benefits until the minimum annual de-               your  HSA  depends  on  the  type  of  HDHP  coverage  you 
ductible  of  the  HDHP  has  been  met.  If  you  can  receive          have, your age, the date you become an eligible individ-
benefits before that deductible is met, you aren’t an eligi-             ual,  and  the  date  you  cease  to  be  an  eligible  individual. 
ble individual.                                                          For 2023, if you have self-only HDHP coverage, you can 
                                                                         contribute up to $3,850. If you have family HDHP cover-
Other  employee  health  plans.     An  employee  cov-                   age, you can contribute up to $7,750.
ered by an HDHP and a health FSA or an HRA that pays 
or reimburses qualified medical expenses can’t generally                       For  2024,  if  you  have  self-only  HDHP  coverage, 
make contributions to an HSA. FSAs and HRAs are dis-                     TIP   you can contribute up to $4,150. If you have family 
cussed later.                                                                  HDHP coverage, you can contribute up to $8,300.
However,  an  employee  can  make  contributions  to  an 
HSA while covered under an HDHP and one or more of                       If  you  are,  or  were  considered  (under  the last-month 
the following arrangements.                                              rule,  discussed  later),  an  eligible  individual  for  the  entire 
Limited-purpose health FSA or HRA. These arrange-                      year  and  didn’t  change  your  type  of  coverage,  you  can 
  ments can pay or reimburse the items listed earlier un-                contribute the full amount based on your type of coverage. 
  der Other health coverage except long-term care.                       However, if you weren’t an eligible individual for the entire 
  Also, these arrangements can pay or reimburse pre-                     year or changed your coverage during the year, your con-
  ventive care expenses because they can be paid with-                   tribution limit is the greater of:
  out having to satisfy the deductible.                                  1. The limitation shown on the Line 3 Limitation Chart 
Suspended HRA. Before the beginning of an HRA                              and Worksheet in the Instructions for Form 8889, 
  coverage period, you can elect to suspend the HRA.                         Health Savings Accounts (HSAs); or
  The HRA doesn’t pay or reimburse, at any time, the                     2. The maximum annual HSA contribution based on 
  medical expenses incurred during the suspension pe-                        your HDHP coverage (self-only or family) on the first 
  riod except preventive care and items listed under                         day of the last month of your tax year.
  Other health coverage, earlier. When the suspension 
  period ends, you are no longer eligible to make contri-                      If you had family HDHP coverage on the first day 
  butions to an HSA.                                                     TIP   of the last month of your tax year, your contribu-
                                                                               tion limit for 2023 is $7,750 even if you changed 
Post-deductible health FSA or HRA. These arrange-                      coverage during the year.
  ments don’t pay or reimburse any medical expenses 
  incurred before the minimum annual deductible 
  amount is met. The deductible for these arrangements 

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Last-month rule.           Under the last-month rule, if you are an  You fail to be an eligible individual in March 2024. Be-
eligible individual on the first day of the last month of your       cause  you  didn’t  remain  an  eligible  individual  during  the 
tax year (December 1 for most taxpayers), you are consid-            testing period (December 1, 2023, through December 31, 
ered an eligible individual for the entire year. You are trea-       2024), you must include in income the contribution made 
ted as having the same HDHP coverage for the entire year             that  wouldn’t  have  been  made  except  for  the  last-month 
as you had on the first day of the last month if you didn’t          rule. You use the worksheet in the Form 8889 instructions 
otherwise have coverage.                                             to determine this amount.
  Testing  period.           If  contributions  were  made  to  your 
HSA based on you being an eligible individual for the en-            January. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     $3,850.00
                                                                     February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   $3,850.00
tire year under the last-month rule, you must remain an eli-
                                                                     March. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   $3,850.00
gible  individual  during  the  testing  period.  For  the 
                                                                     April. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,850.00
last-month  rule,  the  testing  period  begins  with  the  last 
                                                                     May. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   $3,850.00
month  of  your  tax  year  and  ends  on  the  last  day  of  the 
                                                                     June. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    $3,850.00
                                                                     July
12th month following that month (for example, December                   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  $3,850.00
1, 2023, through December 31, 2024).                                        . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   $3,850.00
                                                                     August
  If you fail to remain an eligible individual during the test-      September. . . . . . . . . . . . . .       $3,850.00
ing period, for reasons other than death or becoming disa-           October  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   $3,850.00
bled, you will have to include in income the total contribu-         November   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   $7,750.00
tions  made  to  your  HSA  that  wouldn’t  have  been  made         December. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      $7,750.00
except for the last-month rule. You include this amount in           Total for all months. . . . . . . .        $54,000.00
your income in the year in which you fail to be an eligible          Limitation. Divide the total by 12         $4,500.00
individual. This amount is also subject to a 10% additional 
tax. The income and additional tax are calculated on Form            You would include $3,250.00 ($7,750.00 − $4,500.00) in 
8889, Part III.                                                      your gross income on your 2024 tax return. Also, a 10% 
                                                                     additional tax applies to this amount.
  Example 1.           You, age 53, become an eligible individ-
ual on December 1, 2023. You have family HDHP cover-                 Additional contribution.                 If you are an eligible individual 
age on that date. Under the last-month rule, you contribute          who is age 55 or older at the end of your tax year, your 
$7,750 to your HSA.                                                  contribution  limit  is  increased  by  $1,000.  For  example,  if 
  You  fail  to  be  an  eligible  individual  in  June  2024.  Be-  you  have  self-only  coverage,  you  can  contribute  up  to 
cause  you  didn’t  remain  an  eligible  individual  during  the    $4,850  (the  contribution  limit  for  self-only  coverage 
testing period (December 1, 2023, through December 31,               ($3,850) plus the additional contribution of $1,000). How-
2024), you must include in your 2024 income the contribu-            ever, see Enrolled in Medicare, later.
tions made in 2023 that wouldn’t have been made except 
for the last-month rule. You use the worksheet in the Form                    If you have more than one HSA in 2023, your total 
8889 instructions to determine this amount.                          !        contributions to all the HSAs can’t be more than 
                                                                     CAUTION  the limits discussed earlier.
January. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     -0-
February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   -0-                       Reduction of contribution limit.           You must reduce the 
March. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   -0-                       amount that can be contributed (including any additional 
April. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -0-                       contribution) to your HSA by the amount of any contribu-
May. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   -0-                       tion made to your Archer MSA (including employer contri-
June. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    -0-                       butions) for the year. A special rule applies to married peo-
July. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -0-                       ple,  discussed  next,  if  each  spouse  has  family  coverage 
August . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   -0-                       under an HDHP.
September. . . . . . . . . . . . . .       -0-
October  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   -0-                       Rules for married people.                  If either spouse has family 
November   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   -0-                       HDHP coverage, both spouses are treated as having fam-
December. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      $7,750.00                 ily  HDHP  coverage.  If  each  spouse  has  family  coverage 
Total for all months. . . . . . . .        $7,750.00                 under  a  separate  plan,  the  contribution  limit  for  2023  is 
Limitation. Divide the total by 12         $645.83                   $7,750. You must reduce the limit on contributions, before 
                                                                     taking  into  account  any  additional  contributions,  by  the 
You  would  include  $7,104.17  ($7,750.00  −  $645.83)  in          amount contributed to both spouses’ Archer MSAs. After 
your gross income on your 2024 tax return. Also, a 10%               that  reduction,  the  contribution  limit  is  split  equally  be-
additional tax applies to this amount.                               tween  the  spouses  unless  you  agree  on  a  different  divi-
                                                                     sion.
  Example 2.           You, age 39, have self-only HDHP cover-
age on January 1, 2023. You change to family HDHP cov-                        The  rules  for  married  people  apply  only  if  both 
erage  on  November  1,  2023.  Because  you  have  family           !        spouses are eligible individuals.
                                                                     CAUTION
HDHP  coverage  on  December  1,  2023,  you  contribute 
$7,750 for 2023.

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If both spouses are 55 or older and not enrolled in Med-           Example.  In 2023, you are an eligible individual, age 
icare, each spouse’s contribution limit is increased by the        57, with self-only HDHP coverage. You can make a quali-
additional contribution. If both spouses meet the age re-          fied  HSA  funding  distribution  of  $4,850  ($3,850  plus 
quirement,  the  total  contributions  under  family  coverage     $1,000 additional contribution).
can’t be more than $9,750. Each spouse must make the 
                                                                   Funding  distribution—testing  period. You  must  re-
additional contribution to its own HSA.
                                                                   main an eligible individual during the testing period. For a 
Example.  For 2023, you and your spouse are both eli-              qualified  HSA  funding  distribution,  the  testing  period  be-
gible  individuals.  You  each  have  family  coverage  under      gins  with  the  month  in  which  the  qualified  HSA  funding 
separate HDHPs. You are 58 years old and your spouse is            distribution is contributed and ends on the last day of the 
53. You and your spouse can split the family contribution          12th month following that month. For example, if a quali-
limit ($7,750) equally or you can agree on a different divi-       fied  HSA  funding  distribution  is  contributed  to  your  HSA 
sion. If you split it equally, you can contribute $4,875 to an     on August 10, 2023, your testing period begins in August 
HSA (one-half the maximum contribution for family cover-           2023, and ends on August 31, 2024.
age  ($3,875)  +  $1,000  additional  contribution)  and  your     If you fail to remain an eligible individual during the test-
spouse can contribute $3,875 to an HSA.                            ing period, for reasons other than death or becoming disa-
                                                                   bled, you will have to include in income the qualified HSA 
Employer  contributions.   You  must  reduce  the                  funding distribution. You include this amount in income in 
amount you, or any other person, can contribute to your            the year in which you fail to be an eligible individual. This 
HSA by the amount of any contributions made by your em-            amount  is  also  subject  to  a  10%  additional  tax.  The  in-
ployer that are excludable from your income. This includes         come and the additional tax are calculated on Form 8889, 
amounts  contributed  to  your  account  by  your  employer        Part III.
through a cafeteria plan.                                          Each qualified HSA funding distribution allowed has its 
Enrolled in Medicare.     Beginning with the first month           own testing period. For example, you are an eligible indi-
you  are  enrolled  in  Medicare,  your  contribution  limit  is   vidual,  age  45,  with  self-only  HDHP  coverage.  On  June 
zero. This rule applies to periods of retroactive Medicare         18, 2023, you make a qualified HSA funding distribution. 
coverage.  So,  if  you  delayed  applying  for  Medicare  and     On July 27, 2023, you enroll in family HDHP coverage and 
later  your  enrollment  is  backdated,  any  contributions  to    on  August  17,  2023,  you  make  a  qualified  HSA  funding 
your HSA made during the period of retroactive coverage            distribution. Your testing period for the first distribution be-
are considered excess. See Excess contributions, later.            gins in June 2023 and ends on June 30, 2024. Your test-
                                                                   ing  period  for  the  second  distribution  begins  in  August 
Example.  You turned age 65 in July 2023 and enrol-                2023 and ends on August 31, 2024.
led in Medicare. You had an HDHP with self-only coverage           The  testing  period  rule  that  applies  under  the 
and  are  eligible  for  an  additional  contribution  of  $1,000. last-month  rule  (discussed  earlier)  doesn’t  apply  to 
Your contribution limit is $2,425 ($4,850 × 6 ÷ 12).               amounts contributed to an HSA through a qualified HSA 
                                                                   funding  distribution.  If  you  remain  an  eligible  individual 
Qualified HSA funding distribution.     A qualified HSA            during  the  entire  funding  distribution  testing  period,  then 
funding distribution may be made from your traditional IRA         no  amount  of  that  distribution  is  included  in  income  and 
or Roth IRA to your HSA. This distribution can’t be made           won’t be subject to the additional tax for failing to meet the 
from  an  ongoing  SEP  IRA  or  SIMPLE  IRA.  For  this  pur-     last-month rule testing period.
pose, a SEP IRA or SIMPLE IRA is ongoing if an employer 
contribution is made for the plan year ending with or within 
the tax year in which the distribution would be made.              Rollovers
The  maximum  qualified  HSA  funding  distribution  de-
pends  on  the  HDHP  coverage  (self-only  or  family)  you       A rollover contribution isn’t included in your income, isn’t 
have on the first day of the month in which the contribution       deductible, and doesn’t reduce your contribution limit.

is made and your age as of the end of the tax year. The            Archer  MSAs  and  other  HSAs.       You  can  roll  over 
distribution  must  be  made  directly  by  the  trustee  of  the  amounts from Archer MSAs and other HSAs into an HSA. 
IRA to the trustee of the HSA. The distribution isn’t inclu-       You don’t have to be an eligible individual to make a roll-
ded  in  your  income,  isn’t  deductible,  and  reduces  the      over  contribution  from  your  existing  HSA  to  a  new  HSA. 
amount that can be contributed to your HSA. The qualified          Rollover contributions don’t need to be in cash. Rollovers 
HSA  funding  distribution  is  shown  on  Form  8889  for  the    aren’t subject to the annual contribution limits.
year in which the distribution is made.                            You must roll over the amount within 60 days after the 
You can generally make only one qualified HSA funding              date of receipt. You can make only one rollover contribu-
distribution  during  your  lifetime.  However,  if  you  make  a  tion to an HSA during a 1-year period.
distribution during a month when you have self-only HDHP 
coverage,  you  can  make  another  qualified  HSA  funding        Note.    If you instruct the trustee of your HSA to transfer 
distribution in a later month in that tax year if you change       funds directly to the trustee of another of your HSAs, the 
to family HDHP coverage. The total qualified HSA funding           transfer isn’t considered a rollover. There is no limit on the 
distribution  can’t  be  more  than  the  contribution  limit  for number of these transfers. Don’t include the amount trans-
family HDHP coverage plus any additional contribution to           ferred in income, deduct it as a contribution, or include it 
which you are entitled.                                            as a distribution on Form 8889.

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When To Contribute                                                contribution isn’t included in box 1 of Form W-2, you must 
                                                                  report the excess as “Other income” on your tax return.
You can make contributions to your HSA for 2023 through           Generally,  you  must  pay  a  6%  excise  tax  on  excess 
April 15, 2024. If you fail to be an eligible individual during   contributions. See Form 5329, Additional Taxes on Quali-
2023,  you  can  still  make  contributions  through  April  15,  fied  Plans  (Including  IRAs)  and  Other  Tax-Favored  Ac-
2024, for the months you were an eligible individual.             counts, to figure the excise tax. The excise tax applies to 
                                                                  each tax year the excess contribution remains in the ac-
  Your  employer  can  make  contributions  to  your  HSA         count.
from January 1, 2024, through April 15, 2024, that are al-        You may withdraw some or all of the excess contribu-
located  to  2023.  Your  employer  must  notify  you  and  the   tions and avoid paying the excise tax on the amount with-
trustee of your HSA that the contribution is for 2023. The        drawn if you meet the following conditions.
contribution  will  be  reported  on  your  2024  Form  W-2,      You withdraw the excess contributions by the due 
Wage and Tax Statement.                                             date, including extensions, of your tax return for the 
                                                                    year the contributions were made.
Reporting Contributions on Your Return
                                                                  You withdraw any income earned on the withdrawn 
                                                                    contributions and include the earnings in “Other in-
Contributions  made  by  your  employer  aren’t  included  in 
                                                                    come” on your tax return for the year you withdraw the 
your  income.  Contributions  to  an  employee’s  account  by 
                                                                    contributions and earnings.
an employer using the amount of an employee’s salary re-
duction through a cafeteria plan are treated as employer                  If  you  fail  to  remain  an  eligible  individual  during 
contributions.  Generally,  you  can  claim  contributions  you   !       any  of  the  testing  periods,  discussed  earlier,  the 
made and contributions made by any other person, other            CAUTION amount you have to include in income isn’t an ex-
than your employer, on your behalf, as a deduction.               cess contribution. If you withdraw any of those amounts, 
                                                                  the amount is treated the same as any other distribution 
  Contributions by a partnership to a bona fide partner’s         from an HSA, discussed later.
HSA  aren’t  contributions  by  an  employer.  The  contribu-
tions are treated as a distribution of money and aren’t in-       Deducting an excess contribution in a later year.      You 
cluded in the partner’s gross income. Contributions by a          may  be  able  to  deduct  excess  contributions  for  previous 
partnership to a partner’s HSA for services rendered are          years  that  are  still  in  your  HSA.  The  excess  contribution 
treated  as  guaranteed  payments  that  are  deductible  by      you can deduct for the current year is the lesser of the fol-
the  partnership  and  includible  in  the  partner’s  gross  in- lowing two amounts.
come. In both situations, the partner can deduct the contri-
                                                                  Your maximum HSA contribution limit for the year mi-
bution made to the partner’s HSA.
                                                                    nus any amounts contributed to your HSA for the year.
  Contributions  by  an  S  corporation  to  a  2%  share-        The total excess contributions in your HSA at the be-
holder-employee’s HSA for services rendered are treated             ginning of the year.
as guaranteed payments and are deductible by the S cor-           Amounts contributed for the year include contributions 
poration  and  includible  in  the  shareholder-employee’s        by you, your employer, and any other person. They also 
gross income. The shareholder-employee can deduct the             include  any  qualified  HSA  funding  distribution  made  to 
contribution made to the shareholder-employee’s HSA.              your HSA. Any excess contribution remaining at the end of 
                                                                  a tax year is subject to the excise tax. See Form 5329.
Form  8889.   Report  all  contributions  to  your  HSA  on 
Form  8889  and  file  it  with  your  Form  1040,  1040-SR,  or 
1040-NR.  You  should  include  all  contributions  made  for     Distributions From an HSA
2023,  including  those  made  from  January  1,  2024, 
                                                                  You will generally pay medical expenses during the year 
through April 15, 2024, that are designated for 2023. Con-
                                                                  without  being  reimbursed  by  your  HDHP  until  you  reach 
tributions made by your employer and qualified HSA fund-
                                                                  the annual deductible for the plan. When you pay medical 
ing distributions are also shown on the form.
                                                                  expenses during the year that aren’t reimbursed by your 
  You should receive Form 5498-SA, HSA, Archer MSA, 
                                                                  HDHP, you can ask the trustee of your HSA to send you a 
or Medicare Advantage MSA Information, from the trustee 
                                                                  distribution from your HSA.
showing  the  amount  contributed  to  your  HSA  during  the 
year. Your employer’s contributions will also be shown on         You can receive tax-free distributions from your HSA to 
Form  W-2,  box  12,  code  W.  Follow  the  Instructions  for    pay or be reimbursed for qualified medical expenses you 
Form  8889.  Report  your  HSA  deduction  on  Form  1040,        incur after you establish the HSA. If you receive distribu-
1040-SR, or 1040-NR.                                              tions for other reasons, the amount you withdraw will be 
                                                                  subject to income tax and may be subject to an additional 
Excess  contributions.   You  will  have  excess  contribu-       20%  tax.  You  don’t  have  to  make  withdrawals  from  your 
tions  if  the  contributions  to  your  HSA  for  the  year  are HSA each year.
greater than the limits discussed earlier. Excess contribu-
tions aren’t deductible. Excess contributions made by your 
employer are included in your gross income. If the excess 

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        If you are no longer an eligible individual, you can        2. Health care continuation coverage (such as coverage 
TIP     still  receive  tax-free  distributions  to  pay  or  reim-   under COBRA).
        burse your qualified medical expenses.
                                                                    3. Health care coverage while receiving unemployment 
Generally,  a  distribution  is  money  you  get  from  your          compensation under federal or state law.
HSA. Your total distributions include amounts paid with a           4. Medicare and other health care coverage if you were 
debit card and amounts withdrawn from the HSA by other                65 or older (other than premiums for a Medicare sup-
individuals that you have designated. The trustee will re-            plemental policy, such as Medigap).
port any distribution to you and the IRS on Form 1099-SA, 
Distributions From an HSA, Archer MSA, or Medicare Ad-              The  premiums  for  long-term  care  insurance  (item  (1)) 
vantage MSA.                                                        that you can treat as qualified medical expenses are sub-
                                                                    ject to limits based on age and are adjusted annually. See 
Qualified medical expenses.      Qualified medical expen-           Limit on long-term care premiums you can deduct in the 
ses  are  those  expenses  that  would  generally  qualify  for     Instructions for Schedule A (Form 1040).
the  medical  and  dental  expenses  deduction.  These  are         Items (2) and (3) can be for your spouse or a depend-
explained in Pub. 502, Medical and Dental Expenses.                 ent meeting the requirement for that type of coverage. For 
Amounts paid after 2019 for over-the-counter medicine               item (4), if you, the account beneficiary, aren’t 65 or older, 
(whether or not prescribed) and menstrual care products             Medicare premiums for coverage of your spouse or a de-
are  considered  medical  care  and  are  considered  a  cov-       pendent  (who  is  65  or  older)  aren’t  generally  qualified 
ered expense.                                                       medical expenses.
For  HSA  purposes,  expenses  incurred  before  you  es-           Health  coverage  tax  credit.   You  can’t  claim  this 
tablish your HSA aren’t qualified medical expenses. State           credit for premiums that you pay with a tax-free distribution 
law determines when an HSA is established. An HSA that              from your HSA. See Pub. 502 for more information on this 
is funded by amounts rolled over from an Archer MSA or              credit.
another HSA is established on the date the prior account 
was established.                                                    Deemed distributions from HSAs.  The following situa-
If, under the last-month rule, you are considered to be             tions  result  in  deemed  taxable  distributions  from  your 
an eligible individual for the entire year for determining the      HSA.
contribution  amount,  only  those  expenses  incurred  after 
you actually establish your HSA are qualified medical ex-           You engaged in any transaction prohibited by section 
penses.                                                               4975 with respect to any of your HSAs at any time in 
Qualified  medical  expenses  are  those  incurred  by  the           2023. Your account ceases to be an HSA as of Janu-
following persons.                                                    ary 1, 2023, and you must include the fair market 
                                                                      value of all assets in the account as of January 1, 
1. You and your spouse.                                               2023, on Form 8889.
2. All dependents you claim on your tax return.                     You used any portion of any of your HSAs as security 
                                                                      for a loan at any time in 2023. You must include the fair 
3. Any person you could have claimed as a dependent 
                                                                      market value of the assets used as security for the 
on your return except that:
                                                                      loan as income on Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR.
a. The person filed a joint return;                                 Examples of prohibited transactions include the direct 
b. The person had gross income of $4,700 or more;                   or indirect:
        or                                                          Sale, exchange, or leasing of property between you 
c. You, or your spouse if filing jointly, could be                    and the HSA;
        claimed as a dependent on someone else’s 2023               Lending of money between you and the HSA;
        return.
                                                                    Furnishing goods, services, or facilities between you 
        For  this  purpose,  a  child  of  parents  that  are  di-    and the HSA; and
TIP     vorced,  separated,  or  living  apart  for  the  last  6 
        months of the calendar year is treated as the de-           Transfer to or use by you, or for your benefit, of any as-
pendent of both parents whether or not the custodial pa-              sets of the HSA.
rent releases the claim to the child’s exemption.                   Any deemed distributions won’t be treated as used to 
                                                                    pay  qualified  medical  expenses.  These  distributions  are 
        You  can’t  deduct  qualified  medical  expenses  as        included in your income and are subject to the additional 
!       an  itemized  deduction  on  Schedule  A  (Form             20% tax, discussed later.
CAUTION 1040)  that  are  equal  to  the  tax-free  distribution 
from your HSA.

Insurance premiums.     You can’t treat insurance pre-
miums  as  qualified  medical  expenses  unless  the  premi-
ums are for any of the following.
1. Long-term care insurance.

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        Recordkeeping.     You  must  keep  records  suffi-      Death of HSA Holder
        cient to show that:
RECORDS
                                                                 You  should  choose  a  beneficiary  when  you  set  up  your 
 The distributions were exclusively to pay or reimburse        HSA. What happens to that HSA when you die depends 
   qualified medical expenses,                                   on whom you designate as the beneficiary.
 The qualified medical expenses hadn’t been previ-
   ously paid or reimbursed from another source, and             Spouse is the designated beneficiary.    If your spouse 
                                                                 is the designated beneficiary of your HSA, it will be treated 
 The medical expenses hadn’t been taken as an item-            as your spouse’s HSA after your death.
   ized deduction in any year.
Don’t send these records with your tax return. Keep them         Spouse  isn’t  the  designated  beneficiary.            If  your 
with your tax records.                                           spouse isn’t the designated beneficiary of your HSA:
                                                                 The account stops being an HSA, and
Reporting Distributions on Your Return                           The fair market value of the HSA becomes taxable to 
                                                                   the beneficiary in the year in which you die.
How you report your distributions depends on whether or 
                                                                 If your estate is the beneficiary, the value is included on 
not you use the distribution for qualified medical expenses 
                                                                 your final income tax return. The amount taxable to a ben-
(defined earlier).
                                                                 eficiary other than the estate is reduced by any qualified 
 If you use a distribution from your HSA for qualified         medical  expenses  for  the  decedent  that  are  paid  by  the 
   medical expenses, you don’t pay tax on the distribu-          beneficiary within 1 year after the date of death.
   tion but you have to report the distribution on Form 
   8889. However, the distribution of an excess contribu-        Filing Form 8889
   tion taken out after the due date, including extensions, 
   of your return is subject to tax even if used for qualified   You must file Form 8889 with your Form 1040, 1040-SR, 
   medical expenses. Follow the instructions for the form        or 1040-NR if you (or your spouse, if married filing jointly) 
   and file it with your Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR.         had any activity in your HSA during the year. You must file 
 If you don’t use a distribution from your HSA for quali-      the form even if only your employer or your spouse’s em-
   fied medical expenses, you must pay tax on the distri-        ployer made contributions to the HSA.
   bution. Report the amount on Form 8889 and file it 
   with your Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR. You may             If, during the tax year, you are the beneficiary of two or 
   have to pay an additional 20% tax on your taxable dis-        more HSAs or you are a beneficiary of an HSA and you 
   tribution.                                                    have your own HSA, you must complete a separate Form 
                                                                 8889 for each HSA. Enter “statement” at the top of each 
        HSA  administration  and  maintenance  fees  with-       Form  8889  and  complete  the  form  as  instructed.  Next, 
TIP     drawn  by  the  trustee  aren’t  reported  as  distribu- complete a controlling Form 8889 combining the amounts 
        tions from the HSA.                                      shown on each of the statement Forms 8889. Attach the 
                                                                 statements  to  your  tax  return  after  the  controlling  Form 
Additional  tax.  There  is  an  additional  20%  tax  on  the   8889.
part of your distributions not used for qualified medical ex-
penses. Figure the tax on Form 8889 and file it with your 
                                                                 Employer Participation
Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR.
Exceptions.       There  is  no  additional  tax  on  distribu-  This section contains the rules that employers must follow 
tions made after the date you are disabled, reach age 65,        if they decide to make HSAs available to their employees. 
or die.                                                          Unlike  the  previous  discussions,  “you”  refers  to  the  em-
                                                                 ployer and not to the employee.

Balance in an HSA                                                Health plan.  If you want your employees to be able to 
An HSA is generally exempt from tax. You are permitted to        have HSAs, they must have an HDHP. You can provide no 
take  a  distribution  from  your  HSA  at  any  time;  however, additional  coverage  other  than  those  exceptions  listed 
only  those  amounts  used  exclusively  to  pay  for  qualified earlier under Other health coverage.

medical expenses are tax free. Amounts that remain at the        Contributions.   You can make contributions to your em-
end of the year are generally carried over to the next year      ployees’ HSAs. You deduct the contributions on your busi-
(see Excess contributions, earlier). Earnings on amounts         ness income tax return for the year in which you make the 
in an HSA aren’t included in your income while held in the       contributions.  If  the  contribution  is  allocated  to  the  prior 
HSA.                                                             year, you still deduct it in the year in which you made the 
                                                                 contribution.
                                                                 For  more  information  on  employer  contributions,  see 
                                                                 Notice 2008-59, 2008-29 I.R.B. 123, questions 23 through 
                                                                 27, available at IRS.gov/irb/2008-29_IRB/ar11.html.

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Comparable contributions.  If you decide to make con-           medical  care  costs  of  the  account  holder,  the  account 
tributions, you must make comparable contributions to all       holder’s spouse, or the account holder’s dependent(s).
comparable  participating  employees’  HSAs.  Your  contri-
                                                                        After 2007, you can’t be treated as an eligible indi-
butions are comparable if they are either:
                                                                        vidual for Archer MSA purposes unless:
The same amount, or                                           CAUTION!
The same percentage of the annual deductible limit            1. You were an active participant for any tax year ending 
  under the HDHP covering the employees.                          before 2008, or
The comparability rules don’t apply to contributions made       2. You became an active participant for a tax year ending 
through a cafeteria plan.                                         after 2007 by reason of coverage under a high deduc-
                                                                  tible health plan (HDHP) of an Archer MSA participat-
Comparable participating employees.       Comparable              ing employer.
participating employees:

Are covered by your HDHP and are eligible to estab-            A Medicare Advantage MSA is an Archer MSA desig-
  lish an HSA,                                                  nated by Medicare to be used solely to pay the qualified 
Have the same category of coverage (either self-only          medical expenses of the account holder who is eligible for 
  or family coverage), and                                      Medicare.
Have the same category of employment (part-time, 
  full-time, or former employees).                              Archer MSAs

To meet the comparability requirements for eligible em-         An Archer MSA is a tax-exempt trust or custodial account 
ployees who have neither established an HSA by Decem-           that you set up with a U.S. financial institution (such as a 
ber 31 nor notified you that they have an HSA, you must         bank  or  an  insurance  company)  in  which  you  can  save 
meet a notice requirement and a contribution requirement.       money exclusively for future medical expenses.
You will meet the notice requirement if by January 15 of 
the following calendar year you provide a written notice to     What  are  the  benefits  of  an  Archer  MSA?           You  may 
all such employees. The notice must state that each eligi-      enjoy several benefits from having an Archer MSA.
ble employee who, by the last day of February, establishes 
an HSA and notifies you that the eligible employee has es-      You can claim a tax deduction for contributions you 
                                                                  make even if you don’t itemize your deductions on 
tablished an HSA will receive a comparable contribution to 
                                                                  Schedule A (Form 1040) or Schedule A (Form 
the HSA for the prior year. For a sample of the notice, see 
                                                                  1040-NR).
Regulations  section  54.4980G-4  A-14(c).  You  will  meet 
the  contribution  requirement  for  these  employees  if  by   The interest or other earnings on the assets in your 
April  15,  2024,  you  contribute  comparable  amounts  plus     Archer MSA are tax free.
reasonable interest to the employees’ HSAs for the prior          Distributions may be tax free if you pay qualified medi-
                                                                
year.                                                             cal expenses. See Qualified medical expenses, later.
Note.  For purposes of making contributions to HSAs             The contributions remain in your Archer MSA from 
of non-highly compensated employees, highly compensa-             year to year until you use them.
ted employees may not be treated as comparable partici-
pating employees.                                               An Archer MSA is “portable,” so it stays with you if you 
                                                                  change employers or leave the work force.
Excise tax.  If you made contributions to your employees’ 
HSAs  that  weren’t  comparable,  you  must  pay  an  excise    Qualifying for an Archer MSA
tax of 35% of the amount you contributed.
                                                                To qualify for an Archer MSA, you must be either of the fol-
Employment taxes.  Amounts you contribute to your em-           lowing.
ployees’  HSAs  aren’t  generally  subject  to  employment      An employee (or the spouse of an employee) of a 
taxes. You must report the contributions in box 12 of the         small employer (defined later) that maintains a 
Form  W-2  you  file  for  each  employee.  This  includes  the   self-only or family HDHP for you (or your spouse).
amounts the employee elected to contribute through a caf-
eteria plan. Enter code W in box 12.                            A self-employed person (or the spouse of a self-em-
                                                                  ployed person) who maintains a self-only or family 
                                                                  HDHP.
Medical Savings Accounts                                        You  can  have  no  other  health  or  Medicare  coverage  ex-
                                                                cept what is permitted under Other health coverage, later. 
(MSAs)                                                          You  must  be  an  eligible  individual  on  the  first  day  of  a 
                                                                given  month  to  get  an  Archer  MSA  deduction  for  that 
Archer MSAs were created to help self-employed individu-        month.
als  and  employees  of  certain  small  employers  meet  the 

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        If another taxpayer is entitled to claim you as a de-        the  higher  annual  deductible  amount  for  the  family.  If  ei-
!       pendent,  you  can’t  claim  a  deduction  for  an           ther the deductible for the family as a whole or the deduc-
CAUTION Archer MSA contribution. This is true even if the            tible for an individual family member is less than the mini-
other person doesn’t receive an exemption deduction for              mum  annual  deductible  for  family  coverage,  the  plan 
you because the exemption amount is zero for tax years               doesn’t qualify as an HDHP.
2018 through 2025.
                                                                     Other health coverage.  If you (and your spouse, if you 
                                                                     have  family  coverage)  have  HDHP  coverage,  you  can’t 
Small employer.   A small employer is generally an em-
                                                                     generally  have  any  other  health  coverage.  However,  you 
ployer who had an average of 50 or fewer employees dur-
                                                                     can still be an eligible individual even if your spouse has 
ing  either  of  the  last  2  calendar  years.  The  definition  of 
                                                                     non-HDHP coverage, provided you aren’t covered by that 
small employer is modified for new employers and grow-
                                                                     plan.  However,  you  can  have  additional  insurance  that 
ing employers.
                                                                     provides benefits only for the following items.
Growing  employer.     A  small  employer  may  begin 
                                                                     Liabilities incurred under workers’ compensation laws, 
HDHPs and Archer MSAs for its employees and then grow 
                                                                       torts, or ownership or use of property.
beyond 50 employees. The employer will continue to meet 
the requirement for small employers if the employer:                 A specific disease or illness.
 Had 50 or fewer employees when the Archer MSAs                    A fixed amount per day (or other period) of hospitaliza-
   began,                                                              tion.
 Made a contribution that was excludable or deductible             You can also have coverage (whether provided through in-
   as an Archer MSA for the last year the employer had               surance or otherwise) for the following items.
   50 or fewer employees, and                                        Accidents.
 Had an average of 200 or fewer employees each year                Disability.
   after 1996.
                                                                     Dental care.
Changing  employers.   If  you  change  employers,  your             Vision care.
Archer MSA moves with you. However, you may not make 
                                                                     Long-term care.
additional contributions unless you are otherwise eligible.

High deductible health plan (HDHP).  To be eligible to               Contributions to an MSA
contribute to an Archer MSA, you must be covered under 
an HDHP. An HDHP has:                                                Contributions  to  an  Archer  MSA  must  be  made  in  cash. 
                                                                     You can’t contribute stock or other property to an Archer 
 A higher annual deductible than typical health plans,             MSA.
   and
 A maximum limit on the annual out-of-pocket medical               Who can contribute to my Archer MSA?           If you are an 
   expenses that you must pay for covered expenses.                  employee, your employer may make contributions to your 
                                                                     Archer MSA. (You don’t pay tax on these contributions.) If 
Limits.   The following table shows the limits for annual            your employer doesn’t make contributions to your Archer 
deductibles and the maximum out-of-pocket expenses for               MSA, or you are self-employed, you can make your own 
HDHPs for 2023.                                                      contributions to your Archer MSA. You and your employer 
                                                                     can’t make contributions to your Archer MSA in the same 
                                                                     year. You don’t have to make contributions to your Archer 
                  Self-only coverage Family coverage                 MSA every year.
  Minimum annual 
   deductible          $2,650        $5,300                                   If your spouse is covered by your HDHP and an 
                                                                              excludable  amount  is  contributed  by  your  spou-
Maximum annual                                                       CAUTION! se’s employer to an Archer MSA belonging to your 
   deductible          $3,950        $7,900
                                                                     spouse, you can’t make contributions to your own Archer 
Maximum annual                                                       MSA that year.
   out-of-pocket 
   expenses            $5,300        $9,650
                                                                     Limits
Family  plans  that  don’t  meet  the  high  deductible 
rules.  There are some family plans that have deductibles            There are two limits on the amount you or your employer 
for  both  the  family  as  a  whole  and  for  individual  family   can contribute to your Archer MSA.
members.  Under  these  plans,  if  you  meet  the  individual         The annual deductible limit.
                                                                     
deductible for one family member, you don’t have to meet 
                                                                     An income limit.

                                                                     Annual deductible limit.  You or your employer can con-
                                                                     tribute up to 75% of the annual deductible of your HDHP 
                                                                     (65% if you have a self-only plan) to your Archer MSA. You 

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must have the HDHP all year to contribute the full amount.           made  for  2023,  including  those  made  from  January  1, 
If  you  don’t  qualify  to  contribute  the  full  amount  for  the 2024,  through  April  15,  2024,  that  are  designated  for 
year, determine your annual deductible limit by using the            2023.
Line 3 Limitation Chart and Worksheet in the Instructions 
for Form 8853, Archer MSAs and Long-Term Care Insur-                 You should receive Form 5498-SA, HSA, Archer MSA, 
ance Contracts.                                                      or Medicare Advantage MSA Information, from the trustee 
                                                                     showing the amount you or your employer contributed dur-
Example 1.      You have an HDHP for your family all year            ing  the  year.  Your  employer’s  contributions  should  be 
in 2023. The annual deductible is $6,000. You can contrib-           shown on Form W-2, box 12, code R. Follow the Instruc-
ute  up  to  $4,500  ($6,000  ×  75%  (0.75))  to  your  Archer      tions  for  Form  8853  and  complete  the  Line  3  Limitation 
MSA for the year.                                                    Chart  and  Worksheet  in  the  instructions.  Report  your 
                                                                     Archer  MSA  deduction  on  Form  1040,  1040-SR,  or 
Example 2.      You have an HDHP for your family for the 
                                                                     1040-NR.
entire period of July through December 2023 (6 months). 
The annual deductible is $6,000. You can contribute up to            Excess  contributions.   You  will  have  excess  contribu-
$2,250  ($6,000  ×  75%  (0.75)  ÷  12  ×  6)  to  your  Archer      tions if the contributions to your Archer MSA for the year 
MSA for the year.                                                    are greater than the limits discussed earlier. Excess con-
    If you and your spouse each have a family plan,                  tributions aren’t deductible. Excess contributions made by 
TIP you are treated as having family coverage with the               your employer are included in your gross income. If the ex-
    lower  annual  deductible  of  the  two  health  plans.          cess  contribution  isn’t  included  in  Form  W-2,  box  1,  you 
The  contribution  limit  is  split  equally  between  the  two  of  must report the excess as “Other income” on your tax re-
you unless you agree on a different division.                        turn.
                                                                     Generally,  you  must  pay  a  6%  excise  tax  on  excess 
Income limit.  You can’t contribute more than you earned             contributions. See Form 5329, Additional Taxes on Quali-
for  the  year  from  the  employer  through  whom  you  have        fied  Plans  (Including  IRAs)  and  Other  Tax-Favored  Ac-
your HDHP.                                                           counts, to figure the excise tax. The excise tax applies to 
If you are self-employed, you can’t contribute more than             each tax year the excess contribution remains in the ac-
your  net  self-employment  income.  This  is  your  income          count.
from self-employment minus expenses (including the de-               You may withdraw some or all of the excess contribu-
ductible part of self-employment tax).                               tions and avoid paying the excise tax on the amount with-
                                                                     drawn if you meet the following conditions.
Example 1.      You earned $25,000 from TR Company in                You withdraw the excess contributions by the due 
2023. Through TR, you had an HDHP for your family for                  date, including extensions, of your tax return.
the  entire  year.  The  annual  deductible  was  $6,000.  You 
can  contribute  up  to  $4,500  to  your  Archer  MSA  (75%         You withdraw any income earned on the withdrawn 
(0.75)  ×  $6,000).  You  can  contribute  the  full  amount  be-      contributions and include the earnings in “Other in-
cause you earned more than $4,500 at TR.                               come” on your tax return for the year you withdraw the 
                                                                       contributions and earnings.
Example 2.      You are self-employed. You had an HDHP 
for your family for the entire year in 2023. The annual de-          Deducting an excess contribution in a later year.     You 
ductible was $6,000. Based on the annual deductible, the             may  be  able  to  deduct  excess  contributions  for  previous 
maximum  contribution  to  your  Archer  MSA  would  have            years that are still in your Archer MSA. The excess contri-
been  $4,500  (75%  (0.75)  ×  $6,000).  However,  after  de-        bution you can deduct in the current year is the lesser of 
ducting  your  business  expenses,  your  net  self-employ-          the following two amounts.
ment  income  is  $2,500  for  the  year.  Therefore,  you  are      Your maximum Archer MSA contribution limit for the 
limited to a contribution of $2,500.                                   year minus any amounts contributed to your Archer 
                                                                       MSA for the year.
Individuals  enrolled  in  Medicare.   Beginning  with  the 
first month you are enrolled in Medicare, you can’t contrib-         The total excess contributions in your Archer MSA at 
ute to an Archer MSA. However, you may be eligible for a               the beginning of the year.
Medicare Advantage MSA, discussed later.                             Any excess contributions remaining at the end of a tax 
                                                                     year are subject to the excise tax. See Form 5329.
When To Contribute
                                                                     Distributions From an MSA
You can make contributions to your Archer MSA for 2023 
through April 15, 2024.
                                                                     You will generally pay medical expenses during the year 
                                                                     without  being  reimbursed  by  your  HDHP  until  you  reach 
Reporting Contributions on Your Return                               the annual deductible for the plan. When you pay medical 
                                                                     expenses during the year that aren’t reimbursed by your 
Report all contributions to your Archer MSA on Form 8853 
                                                                     HDHP,  you  can  ask  the  trustee  of  your  Archer  MSA  to 
and file it with your Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR. You 
                                                                     send you a distribution from your Archer MSA.
should  include  all  contributions  you  or  your  employer 

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You can receive tax-free distributions from your Archer             Deemed distributions from Archer MSAs.  The follow-
MSA  to  pay  for  qualified  medical  expenses  (discussed         ing situations result in deemed taxable distributions from 
later).  If  you  receive  distributions  for  other  reasons,  the your Archer MSA.
amount will be subject to income tax and may be subject 
                                                                    You engaged in any transaction prohibited by section 
to an additional 20% tax as well. You don’t have to make 
                                                                      4975 with respect to any of your Archer MSAs at any 
withdrawals from your Archer MSA each year.
                                                                      time in 2023. Your account ceases to be an Archer 
        If you no longer qualify to make contributions, you           MSA as of January 1, 2023, and you must include the 
TIP     can still receive tax-free distributions to pay or re-        fair market value of all assets in the account as of Jan-
        imburse your qualified medical expenses.                      uary 1, 2023, on Form 8853.
                                                                    You used any portion of any of your Archer MSAs as 
A distribution is money you get from your Archer MSA.                 security for a loan at any time in 2023. You must in-
The trustee will report any distribution to you and the IRS           clude the fair market value of the assets used as se-
on  Form  1099-SA,  Distributions  From  an  HSA,  Archer             curity for the loan as income on Form 1040, 1040-SR, 
MSA, or Medicare Advantage MSA.                                       or 1040-NR.
Qualified medical expenses.   Qualified medical expen-              Examples of prohibited transactions include the direct 
ses  are  those  expenses  that  would  generally  qualify  for     or indirect:
the  medical  and  dental  expenses  deduction.  These  are         Sale, exchange, or leasing of property between you 
explained in Pub. 502.                                                and the Archer MSA;
Amounts paid after 2019 for over-the-counter medicine 
(whether or not prescribed) and menstrual care products             Lending of money between you and the Archer MSA;
are  considered  medical  care  and  are  considered  a  cov-       Furnishing goods, services, or facilities between you 
ered expense.                                                         and the Archer MSA; and
Qualified  medical  expenses  are  those  incurred  by  the 
following persons.                                                  Transfer to or use by you, or for your benefit, of any as-
                                                                      sets of the Archer MSA.
1. You and your spouse.                                             Any  deemed  distribution  won’t  be  treated  as  used  to 
2. All dependents you claim on your tax return.                     pay  qualified  medical  expenses.  These  distributions  are 
                                                                    included in your income and are subject to the additional 
3. Any person you could have claimed as a dependent                 20% tax, discussed later.
   on your return except that:
                                                                           Recordkeeping.     You  must  keep  records  suffi-
   a. The person filed a joint return;                                     cient to show that:
                                                                    RECORDS
   b. The person had gross income of $4,700 or more; 
        or                                                          The distributions were exclusively to pay or reimburse 
                                                                      qualified medical expenses,
   c. You, or your spouse if filing jointly, could be 
        claimed as a dependent on someone else’s 2023               The qualified medical expenses hadn’t been previ-
        return.                                                       ously paid or reimbursed from another source, and
        For  this  purpose,  a  child  of  parents  that  are  di-  The medical expenses hadn’t been taken as an item-
TIP     vorced,  separated,  or  living  apart  for  the  last  6     ized deduction in any year.
        months of the calendar year is treated as the de-           Don’t send these records with your tax return. Keep them 
pendent of both parents whether or not the custodial pa-            with your tax records.
rent releases the claim to the child’s exemption.
        You  can’t  deduct  qualified  medical  expenses  as        Reporting Distributions on Your Return

!       an  itemized  deduction  on  Schedule  A  (Form             How you report your distributions depends on whether or 
CAUTION 1040)  that  are  equal  to  the  tax-free  distribution 
from your Archer MSA.                                               not  you  use  the  distribution  for  qualified  medical  expen-
                                                                    ses, defined earlier.
Special  rules  for  insurance  premiums.        Generally,         If you use a distribution from your Archer MSA for 
you  can’t  treat  insurance  premiums  as  qualified  medical        qualified medical expenses, you don’t pay tax on the 
expenses for Archer MSAs. You can, however, treat premi-              distribution but you have to report the distribution on 
ums  for  long-term  care  coverage,  health  care  coverage          Form 8853. Follow the instructions for the form and file 
while you receive unemployment benefits, or health care               it with your Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR.
continuation coverage required under any federal law as 
qualified medical expenses for Archer MSAs.                         If you don’t use a distribution from your Archer MSA 
                                                                      for qualified medical expenses, you must pay tax on 
Health  coverage  tax  credit.   You  can’t  claim  this              the distribution. Report the amount on Form 8853 and 
credit for premiums that you pay with a tax-free distribution         file it with your Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR. You 
from  your  Archer  MSA.  See  Pub.  502  for  information  on        may have to pay an additional 20% tax, discussed 
this credit.                                                          later, on your taxable distribution.

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        If an amount (other than a rollover) is contributed   Filing Form 8853
!       to your Archer MSA this year (by you or your em-
CAUTION ployer), you must also report and pay tax on a dis-   You must file Form 8853 with your Form 1040, 1040-SR, 
tribution you receive from your Archer MSA this year that     or 1040-NR if you (or your spouse, if married filing a joint 
is  used  to  pay  medical  expenses  of  someone  who  isn’t return)  had  any  activity  in  your  Archer  MSA  during  the 
covered by an HDHP, or is also covered by another health      year. You must file the form even if only your employer or 
plan that isn’t an HDHP, at the time the expenses are in-     your spouse’s employer made contributions to the Archer 
curred.                                                       MSA.
                                                              If, during the tax year, you are the beneficiary of two or 
Rollovers.   Generally,  any  distribution  from  an  Archer 
                                                              more Archer MSAs or you are a beneficiary of an Archer 
MSA that you roll over into another Archer MSA or an HSA 
                                                              MSA and you have your own Archer MSA, you must com-
isn’t taxable if you complete the rollover within 60 days. An 
                                                              plete a separate Form 8853 for each MSA. Enter “state-
Archer  MSA  and  an  HSA  can  receive  only  one  rollover 
                                                              ment” at the top of each Form 8853 and complete the form 
contribution during a 1-year period. See the Form 8853 in-
                                                              as  instructed.  Next,  complete  a  controlling  Form  8853 
structions for more information.
                                                              combining the amounts shown on each of the statement 
Additional tax. There is a 20% additional tax on the part     Forms 8853. Attach the statements to your tax return after 
of your distributions not used for qualified medical expen-   the controlling Form 8853.
ses. Figure the tax on Form 8853 and file it with your Form 
1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR. Report the additional tax in       Employer Participation
the total on Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR.
                                                              This section contains the rules that employers must follow 
Exceptions.     There  is  no  additional  tax  on  distribu-
                                                              if they decide to make Archer MSAs available to their em-
tions made after the date you are disabled, reach age 65, 
                                                              ployees.  Unlike  the  previous  discussions,  “you”  refers  to 
or die.
                                                              the employer and not to the employee.

Balance in an Archer MSA                                      Health plan.  If you want your employees to be able to 
                                                              have Archer MSAs, you must make an HDHP available to 
An Archer MSA is generally exempt from tax. You are per-      them. You can provide no additional coverage other than 
mitted to take a distribution from your Archer MSA at any     those exceptions listed earlier under Other health cover-
time; however, only those amounts used exclusively to pay     age.
for qualified medical expenses are tax free. Amounts that 
remain at the end of the year are generally carried over to   Contributions.  You can make contributions to your em-
the next year (see Excess contributions, earlier). Earnings   ployees’  Archer  MSAs  and  deduct  them  for  the  year  in 
on amounts in an Archer MSA aren’t included in your in-       which you make them.
come while held in the Archer MSA.
                                                              Comparable contributions.  If you decide to make con-
                                                              tributions, you must make comparable contributions to all 
Death of the Archer MSA Holder                                comparable  participating  employees’  Archer  MSAs.  Your 
                                                              contributions are comparable if they are either:
You  should  choose  a  beneficiary  when  you  set  up  your 
Archer MSA. What happens to that Archer MSA when you           The same amount, or
die depends on whom you designate as the beneficiary.          The same percentage of the annual deductible limit 
                                                                 under the HDHP covering the employees.
Spouse is the designated beneficiary.          If your spouse 
is the designated beneficiary of your Archer MSA, it will be  Comparable participating employees.      Comparable 
treated as your spouse’s Archer MSA after your death.         participating employees:
Spouse  isn’t  the  designated  beneficiary.   If  your        Are covered by your HDHP and are eligible to estab-
spouse  isn’t  the  designated  beneficiary  of  your  Archer    lish an Archer MSA,
MSA:                                                           Have the same category of coverage (either self-only 
The account stops being an Archer MSA, and                     or family coverage), and
The fair market value of the Archer MSA becomes tax-         Have the same category of employment (either 
  able to the beneficiary in the year in which you die.          part-time or full-time).

If your estate is the beneficiary, the fair market value of   Excise tax.  If you made contributions to your employees’ 
the Archer MSA will be included on your final income tax      Archer  MSAs  that  weren’t  comparable,  you  must  pay  an 
return.                                                       excise tax of 35% of the amount you contributed.
        The  amount  taxable  to  a  beneficiary  other  than 
                                                              Employment taxes.   Amounts you contribute to your em-
TIP     the estate is reduced by any qualified medical ex-    ployees’ Archer MSAs aren’t generally subject to employ-
        penses for the decedent that are paid by the ben-
                                                              ment  taxes.  You  must  report  the  contributions  on  Form 
eficiary within 1 year after the date of death.
                                                              W-2, box 12, code R.

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Medicare Advantage MSAs                                              Qualifying for an FSA

A Medicare Advantage MSA is an Archer MSA designated                 Health  FSAs  are  employer-established  benefit  plans. 
by Medicare to be used solely to pay the qualified medical           These  may  be  offered  in  conjunction  with  other  em-
expenses of the account holder. To be eligible for a Medi-           ployer-provided  benefits  as  part  of  a  cafeteria  plan.  Em-
care Advantage MSA, you must be enrolled in Medicare                 ployers  have  flexibility  to  offer  various  combinations  of 
and have an HDHP that meets the Medicare guidelines.                 benefits in designing their plans.
A  Medicare  Advantage  MSA  is  a  tax-exempt  trust  or 
                                                                     Self-employed persons aren’t eligible for FSAs.
custodial savings account that you set up with a financial 
institution  (such  as  a  bank  or  an  insurance  company)  in            Certain  limitations  may  apply  if  you  are  a  highly 
which the Medicare program can deposit money for quali-              !      compensated participant or a key employee.
fied  medical  expenses.  The  money  in  your  account  isn’t       CAUTION
taxed  if  it  is  used  for  qualified  medical  expenses,  and  it 
may earn interest or dividends.                                      Contributions to an FSA
An HDHP is a special health insurance policy that has a 
high deductible. You choose the policy you want to use as            You  contribute  to  your  FSA  by  electing  an  amount  to  be 
part of your Medicare Advantage MSA plan. However, the               voluntarily withheld from your pay by your employer. This 
policy must be approved by the Medicare program.                     is sometimes called a “salary reduction agreement.” The 
                                                                     employer may also contribute to your FSA if specified in 
Medicare  Advantage  MSAs  are  administered  through                the plan.
the federal Medicare program. You can get information by 
calling 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) or through the In-               You don’t pay federal income tax or employment taxes 
ternet at Medicare.gov.                                              on the salary you contribute or the amounts your employer 
                                                                     contributes  to  the  FSA.  However,  contributions  made  by 
Note.     You  must  file  Form  8853,  Archer  MSAs  and            your employer to provide coverage for long-term care in-
Long-Term Care Insurance Contracts, with your tax return             surance must be included in income.
if you have a Medicare Advantage MSA.
                                                                     When To Contribute

Flexible Spending                                                    At the beginning of the plan year, you must designate how 
                                                                     much you want to contribute. Then, your employer will de-
Arrangements (FSAs)                                                  duct amounts periodically (generally, every payday) in ac-
                                                                     cordance with your annual election. You can change or re-
A health FSA allows employees to be reimbursed for med-              voke your election only if specifically allowed by law and 
ical expenses. FSAs are usually funded through voluntary             the plan.
salary reduction agreements with your employer. No em-
ployment or federal income taxes are deducted from your              Amount of Contribution
contribution. The employer may also contribute.
Note.     Unlike  HSAs  or  Archer  MSAs,  which  must  be           For 2023, salary reduction contributions to a health FSA 
reported on Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR, there are                can’t be more than $3,050 a year (or any lower amount set 
no reporting requirements for FSAs on your income tax re-            by the plan). This amount is indexed for inflation and may 
turn.                                                                change from year to year.

For  information  on  the  interaction  between  a  health           Generally, contributed amounts that aren’t spent by the 
FSA and an HSA, see Other employee health plans under                end of the plan year are forfeited. However, see Balance in 
Qualifying for an HSA, earlier.                                      an FSA, later, for possible exceptions. For this reason, it is 
                                                                     important to base your contribution on an estimate of the 
What are the benefits of an FSA?  You may enjoy sev-                 qualifying expenses you will have during the year.
eral benefits from having an FSA.
 Contributions made by your employer can be exclu-                 Distributions From an FSA
   ded from your gross income.
 No employment or federal income taxes are deducted                Generally,  distributions  from  a  health  FSA  must  be  paid 
   from the contributions.                                           only to reimburse you for qualified medical expenses you 
                                                                     incurred during the period of coverage. You must be able 
 Reimbursements may be tax free if you pay qualified 
                                                                     to  receive  the  maximum  amount  of  reimbursement  (the 
   medical expenses. See Qualified medical expenses, 
                                                                     amount you have elected to contribute for the year) at any 
   later.
                                                                     time during the coverage period, regardless of the amount 
 You can use an FSA to pay qualified medical expen-                you have actually contributed. The maximum amount you 
   ses even if you haven’t yet placed the funds in the ac-           can receive tax free is the total amount you elected to con-
   count.                                                            tribute to the health FSA for the year.

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You must provide the health FSA with a written state-             Qualified  reservist  distribution.   A  special  rule  allows 
ment from an independent third party stating that the med-        amounts in a health FSA to be distributed to reservists or-
ical expense has been incurred and the amount of the ex-          dered or called to active duty. This rule applies to distribu-
pense. You must also provide a written statement that the         tions  made  after  June  17,  2008,  if  the  plan  has  been 
expense hasn’t been paid or reimbursed under any other            amended to allow these distributions. Your employer must 
health plan coverage. The FSA can’t make advance reim-            report the distribution as wages on your Form W-2 for the 
bursements of future or projected expenses.                       year in which the distribution is made. The distribution is 
                                                                  subject to employment taxes and is included in your gross 
Debit cards, credit cards, and stored value cards given 
                                                                  income.
to you by your employer can be used to reimburse partici-
                                                                  A qualified reservist distribution is allowed if you were 
pants in a health FSA. If the use of these cards meets cer-
                                                                  (because  you  were  in  the  reserves)  ordered  or  called  to 
tain substantiation methods, you may not have to provide 
                                                                  active duty for a period of more than 179 days or for an in-
additional  information  to  the  health  FSA.  For  information 
                                                                  definite period, and the distribution is made during the pe-
on these methods, see Revenue Ruling 2003-43, 2003-21 
                                                                  riod beginning on the date of the order or call and ending 
I.R.B. 935, available at IRS.gov/pub/irs-drop/rr-03-43.pdf; 
                                                                  on the last date that reimbursements could otherwise be 
Notice  2006-69,  2006-31  I.R.B.  107,  available  at 
                                                                  made for the plan year that includes the date of the order 
IRS.gov/irb/2006-31_IRB/ar10.html;  and  Notice  2007-2, 
                                                                  or call.
2007-2  I.R.B.  254,  available  at IRS.gov/irb/2007-02_IRB/
ar09.html.
                                                                  Balance in an FSA
Qualified  medical  expenses.       Qualified  medical  expen-
ses  are  those  specified  in  the  plan  that  would  generally FSAs  are  generally  "use-it-or-lose-it"  plans.  This  means 
qualify  for  the  medical  and  dental  expenses  deduction.     that  amounts  in  the  account  at  the  end  of  the  plan  year 
These are explained in Pub. 502.                                  can't generally be carried over to the next year. However, 
Expenses  incurred  after  December  31,  2019,  for              the plan can provide for either a grace period or a carry-
over-the-counter  medicine  (whether  or  not  prescribed)        over.
and menstrual care products are considered medical care           The plan can provide for a grace period of up to 2 1/2 
and are considered a covered expense.                             months after the end of the plan year. If there is a grace 
Qualified  medical  expenses  are  those  incurred  by  the       period,  any  qualified  medical  expenses  incurred  in  that 
following persons.                                                period can be paid from any amounts left in the account at 
1. You and your spouse.                                           the end of the previous year. Your employer isn't permitted 
                                                                  to refund any part of the balance to you. See Qualified re-
2. All dependents you claim on your tax return.                   servist distributions, earlier.
3. Any person you could have claimed as a dependent               Plans may allow up to $610 of unused amounts remain-
  on your return except that:                                     ing at the end of the plan year to be paid or reimbursed for 
  a. The person filed a joint return;                             qualified medical expenses you incur in the following plan 
                                                                  year. The plan may specify a lower dollar amount as the 
  b. The person had gross income of $4,700 or more;               maximum  carryover  amount.  If  the  plan  permits  a  carry-
        or                                                        over,  any  unused  amounts  in  excess  of  the  carryover 
  c. You, or your spouse if filing jointly, could be              amount  are  forfeited.  The  carryover  doesn't  affect  the 
        claimed as a dependent on someone else’s 2023             maximum  amount  of  salary  reduction  contributions  that 
        return.                                                   you are permitted to make.
4. Your child under age 27 at the end of your tax year.           A plan may allow either the grace period or a carryover, 
                                                                  but it may not allow both.
You can’t receive distributions from your FSA for the fol-
lowing expenses.
                                                                  Employer Participation
Amounts paid for health insurance premiums.
                                                                  For  the  health  FSA  to  maintain  tax-qualified  status,  em-
Amounts paid for long-term care coverage or expen-
                                                                  ployers must comply with certain requirements that apply 
  ses.
                                                                  to cafeteria plans. For example, there are restrictions for 
Amounts that are covered under another health plan.             plans that cover highly compensated employees and key 
If you are covered under both a health FSA and an HRA,            employees. The plans must also comply with rules appli-
see Notice 2002-45, Part V, 2002-28 I.R.B. 93, available at       cable to other accident and health plans. Pub. 15-B, Em-
IRS.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-02-45.pdf.                                 ployer’s  Tax  Guide  to  Fringe  Benefits,  explains  these  re-
                                                                  quirements.
        You  can’t  deduct  qualified  medical  expenses  as 
!       an  itemized  deduction  on  Schedule  A  (Form 
CAUTION 1040) that are equal to the reimbursement you re-
ceive from the FSA.

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                                                                  Distributions From an HRA
Health Reimbursement 
                                                                  Generally, distributions from an HRA must be paid to reim-
Arrangements (HRAs)                                               burse you for qualified medical expenses you have incur-
                                                                  red. The expense must have been incurred on or after the 
An HRA must be funded solely by an employer. The con-             date you are enrolled in the HRA.
tribution can’t be paid through a voluntary salary reduction      Debit cards, credit cards, and stored value cards given 
agreement on the part of an employee. Employees are re-           to you by your employer can be used to reimburse partici-
imbursed tax free for qualified medical expenses up to a          pants in an HRA. If the use of these cards meets certain 
maximum  dollar  amount  for  a  coverage  period.  An  HRA       substantiation methods, you may not have to provide addi-
may be offered with other health plans, including FSAs.           tional  information  to  the  HRA.  For  information  on  these 
Note.     Unlike  HSAs  or  Archer  MSAs,  which  must  be        methods,  see  Revenue  Ruling  2003-43,  2003-21  I.R.B. 
reported on Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR, there are             935, available at IRS.gov/pub/irs-drop/rr-03-43.pdf; Notice 
no  reporting  requirements  for  HRAs  on  your  income  tax     2006-69,  2006-31  I.R.B.  107,  available  at IRS.gov/irb/
return.                                                           2006-31_IRB/ar10.html; and Notice 2007-2, 2007-2 I.R.B. 
                                                                  254, available at IRS.gov/irb/2007-02_IRB/ar09.html.
For information on the interaction between an HRA and 
an HSA, see Other employee health plans under  Qualify-           If any distribution is, or can be, made for other than the 
ing for an HSA, earlier.                                          reimbursement of qualified medical expenses, any distri-
                                                                  bution  (including  reimbursement  of  qualified  medical  ex-
What are the benefits of an HRA?  You may enjoy sev-              penses) made in the current tax year is included in gross 
eral benefits from having an HRA.                                 income. For example, if an unused reimbursement is pay-
                                                                  able to you in cash at the end of the year, or upon termina-
 Contributions made by your employer can be exclu-              tion of your employment, any distribution from the HRA is 
   ded from your gross income.                                    included in your income. This also applies if any unused 
 Reimbursements may be tax free if you pay qualified            amount upon your death is payable in cash to your benefi-
   medical expenses. See Qualified medical expenses,              ciary or estate, or if the HRA provides an option for you to 
   later.                                                         transfer any unused reimbursement at the end of the year 
                                                                  to a retirement plan.
 Any unused amounts in the HRA can be carried for-
   ward for reimbursements in later years.                        If the plan permits amounts to be paid as medical bene-
                                                                  fits to a designated beneficiary (other than the employee’s 
Qualifying for an HRA                                             spouse or dependents), any distribution from the HRA is 
                                                                  included in income.
HRAs are employer-established benefit plans. These may 
                                                                  Reimbursements under an HRA can be made to the fol-
be  offered  in  conjunction  with  other  employer-provided 
                                                                  lowing persons.
health benefits. Employers have complete flexibility to of-
fer  various  combinations  of  benefits  in  designing  their    1. Current and former employees.
plans.
                                                                  2. Spouses and dependents of those employees.
Self-employed persons aren’t eligible for HRAs.
                                                                  3. Any person you could have claimed as a dependent 
        Certain  limitations  may  apply  if  you  are  a  highly on your return except that:
!       compensated participant.                                  a. The person filed a joint return;
CAUTION
                                                                  b. The person had gross income of $4,700 or more; 
Contributions to an HRA                                               or
                                                                  c. You, or your spouse if filing jointly, could be 
HRAs  are  funded  solely  through  employer  contributions           claimed as a dependent on someone else’s 2023 
and  may  not  be  funded  through  employee  salary  reduc-          return.
tions under a cafeteria plan. These contributions aren’t in-
cluded in the employee’s income. You don’t pay federal in-        4. Your child under age 27 at the end of your tax year.
come tax or employment taxes on amounts your employer             5. Spouses and dependents of deceased employees.
contributes to the HRA.
                                                                      For  this  purpose,  a  child  of  parents  that  are  di-
Amount of Contribution                                            TIP vorced,  separated,  or  living  apart  for  the  last  6 
                                                                      months of the calendar year is treated as the de-
There is no limit on the amount of money your employer            pendent of both parents whether or not the custodial pa-
can contribute to the accounts. Additionally, the maximum         rent releases the claim to the child’s exemption.
reimbursement amount credited under the HRA in the fu-
ture may be increased or decreased by amounts not previ-          Qualified medical expenses.  Qualified medical expen-
ously used. See Balance in an HRA, later.                         ses  are  those  specified  in  the  plan  that  would  generally 

18                                                                                                 Publication 969 (2023)



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qualify  for  the  medical  and  dental  expenses  deduction.        Free options for tax preparation.  Your options for pre-
These are explained in Pub. 502.                                     paring  and  filing  your  return  online  or  in  your  local  com-
Expenses  incurred  after  December  31,  2019,  for                 munity, if you qualify, include the following.
over-the-counter  medicine  (whether  or  nor  prescribed) 
                                                                     Free File. This program lets you prepare and file your 
and menstrual care products are considered medical care 
                                                                       federal individual income tax return for free using soft-
and are considered a covered expense.
                                                                       ware or Free File Fillable Forms. However, state tax 
Qualified medical expenses from your HRA include the 
                                                                       preparation may not be available through Free File. Go 
following.
                                                                       to IRS.gov/FreeFile to see if you qualify for free online 
Amounts paid for health insurance premiums.                          federal tax preparation, e-filing, and direct deposit or 
                                                                       payment options.
Amounts paid for long-term care coverage.
Amounts that aren’t covered under another health                   VITA. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) 
                                                                       program offers free tax help to people with 
  plan.
                                                                       low-to-moderate incomes, persons with disabilities, 
If you are covered under both an HRA and a health FSA,                 and limited-English-speaking taxpayers who need 
see  Notice  2002-45,  Part  V,  which  is  available  at              help preparing their own tax returns. Go to IRS.gov/
IRS.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-02-45.pdf.                                      VITA, download the free IRS2Go app, or call 
        You  can’t  deduct  qualified  medical  expenses  as           800-906-9887 for information on free tax return prepa-
                                                                       ration.
!       an  itemized  deduction  on  Schedule  A  (Form 
CAUTION 1040)  that  are  equal  to  the  distribution  from  the 
                                                                     TCE. The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) pro-
HRA.                                                                   gram offers free tax help for all taxpayers, particularly 
                                                                       those who are 60 years of age and older. TCE volun-
                                                                       teers specialize in answering questions about pen-
Balance in an HRA                                                      sions and retirement-related issues unique to seniors. 
Some, but not all, HRAs permit amounts that remain at the              Go to IRS.gov/TCE or download the free IRS2Go app 
end  of  the  year  to  be  carried  to  the  next  year.  Your  em-   for information on free tax return preparation.
ployer isn’t permitted to refund any part of the balance to          MilTax. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces and quali-
you. These amounts may never be used for anything but                  fied veterans may use MilTax, a free tax service of-
reimbursements for qualified medical expenses.                         fered by the Department of Defense through Military 
                                                                       OneSource. For more information, go to 
Employer Participation                                                 MilitaryOneSource MilitaryOneSource.mil/MilTax (    ).
                                                                          Also, the IRS offers Free Fillable Forms, which can 
For  an  HRA  to  maintain  tax-qualified  status,  employers          be completed online and then e-filed regardless of in-
must comply with certain requirements that apply to other              come.
accident  and  health  plans.  Pub.  15-B,  Employer’s  Tax 
Guide to Fringe Benefits, explains these requirements.               Using online tools to help prepare your return.     Go to 
                                                                     IRS.gov/Tools for the following.
                                                                     The Earned Income Tax Credit Assistant IRS.gov/ (
How To Get Tax Help                                                    EITCAssistant) determines if you’re eligible for the 
                                                                       earned income credit (EIC).
If you have questions about a tax issue; need help prepar-           The Online EIN Application IRS.gov/EIN (    ) helps you 
ing your tax return; or want to download free publications,            get an employer identification number (EIN) at no 
forms, or instructions, go to IRS.gov to find resources that           cost.
can help you right away.
                                                                     The Tax Withholding Estimator IRS.gov/W4App (     ) 
Preparing and filing your tax return.  After receiving all             makes it easier for you to estimate the federal income 
your wage and earnings statements (Forms W-2, W-2G,                    tax you want your employer to withhold from your pay-
1099-R,  1099-MISC,  1099-NEC,  etc.);  unemployment                   check. This is tax withholding. See how your withhold-
compensation statements (by mail or in a digital format) or            ing affects your refund, take-home pay, or tax due.
other  government  payment  statements  (Form  1099-G);              The First-Time Homebuyer Credit Account Look-up 
and  interest,  dividend,  and  retirement  statements  from           (IRS.gov/HomeBuyer) tool provides information on 
banks and investment firms (Forms 1099), you have sev-                 your repayments and account balance.
eral options to choose from to prepare and file your tax re-
turn.  You  can  prepare  the  tax  return  yourself,  see  if  you  The Sales Tax Deduction Calculator IRS.gov/ (
qualify for free tax preparation, or hire a tax professional to        SalesTax) figures the amount you can claim if you 
prepare your return.                                                   itemize deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040).
                                                                          Getting  answers  to  your  tax  questions.  On 
                                                                          IRS.gov,  you  can  get  up-to-date  information  on 
                                                                          current events and changes in tax law.

Publication 969 (2023)                                                                                                       19



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                                                                  Watching     IRS      videos. The IRS       Video      portal 
 IRS.gov/Help: A variety of tools to help you get an-
                                                                  (IRSVideos.gov)  contains  video  and  audio  presentations 
   swers to some of the most common tax questions.
                                                                  for individuals, small businesses, and tax professionals.
 IRS.gov/ITA: The Interactive Tax Assistant, a tool that 
   will ask you questions and, based on your input, pro-          Online  tax  information  in  other  languages.        You  can 
   vide answers on a number of tax topics.                        find  information  on IRS.gov/MyLanguage  if  English  isn’t 
                                                                  your native language.
 IRS.gov/Forms: Find forms, instructions, and publica-
   tions. You will find details on the most recent tax            Free  Over-the-Phone  Interpreter  (OPI)  Service.     The 
   changes and interactive links to help you find answers         IRS is committed to serving taxpayers with limited-English 
   to your questions.                                             proficiency (LEP) by offering OPI services. The OPI Serv-
 You may also be able to access tax information in your         ice is a federally funded program and is available at Tax-
   e-filing software.                                             payer  Assistance  Centers  (TACs),  most  IRS  offices,  and 
                                                                  every VITA/TCE tax return site. The OPI Service is acces-
                                                                  sible in more than 350 languages.
Need someone to prepare your tax return?     There are 
various  types  of  tax  return  preparers,  including  enrolled  Accessibility  Helpline  available  for  taxpayers  with 
agents, certified public accountants (CPAs), accountants,         disabilities.  Taxpayers who need information about ac-
and many others who don’t have professional credentials.          cessibility  services  can  call  833-690-0598.  The  Accessi-
If  you  choose  to  have  someone  prepare  your  tax  return,   bility Helpline can answer questions related to current and 
choose that preparer wisely. A paid tax preparer is:              future accessibility products and services available in al-
 Primarily responsible for the overall substantive accu-        ternative  media  formats  (for  example,  braille,  large  print, 
   racy of your return,                                           audio, etc.). The Accessibility Helpline does not have ac-
                                                                  cess to your IRS account. For help with tax law, refunds, or 
 Required to sign the return, and                               account-related issues, go to IRS.gov/LetUsHelp.
 Required to include their preparer tax identification 
                                                                   Note.     Form  9000,  Alternative  Media  Preference,  or 
   number (PTIN).
                                                                  Form 9000(SP) allows you to elect to receive certain types 
        Although the tax preparer always signs the return,        of written correspondence in the following formats.
!       you're  ultimately  responsible  for  providing  all  the  Standard Print.
CAUTION information required for the preparer to accurately 
prepare your return and for the accuracy of every item re-         Large Print.
ported on the return. Anyone paid to prepare tax returns           Braille.
for  others  should  have  a  thorough  understanding  of  tax 
matters. For more information on how to choose a tax pre-          Audio (MP3).
parer, go to Tips for Choosing a Tax Preparer on IRS.gov.          Plain Text File (TXT).
                                                                   Braille Ready File (BRF).
Employers can register to use Business Services On-
line. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers on-         Disasters.   Go  to   IRS.gov/DisasterRelief  to  review  the 
line service at SSA.gov/employer for fast, free, and secure       available disaster tax relief.

W-2 filing options to CPAs, accountants, enrolled agents,         Getting  tax  forms  and  publications. Go  to         IRS.gov/
and  individuals  who  process  Form  W-2,  Wage  and  Tax        Forms  to  view,  download,  or  print  all  the  forms,  instruc-
Statement,  and  Form  W-2c,  Corrected  Wage  and  Tax           tions, and publications you may need. Or, you can go to 
Statement.                                                        IRS.gov/OrderForms to place an order.

IRS social media.  Go to IRS.gov/SocialMedia to see the           Getting  tax  publications  and  instructions  in  eBook 
various social media tools the IRS uses to share the latest       format.   Download  and  view  most  tax  publications  and 
information on tax changes, scam alerts, initiatives, prod-       instructions (including the Instructions for Form 1040) on 
ucts, and services. At the IRS, privacy and security are our      mobile devices as eBooks at IRS.gov/eBooks.
highest priority. We use these tools to share public infor-        IRS eBooks have been tested using Apple's iBooks for 
mation  with  you. Don’t  post  your  social  security  number    iPad. Our eBooks haven’t been tested on other dedicated 
(SSN)  or  other  confidential  information  on  social  media    eBook readers, and eBook functionality may not operate 
sites. Always protect your identity when using any social         as intended.
networking site.
The following IRS YouTube channels provide short, in-             Access  your  online  account  (individual  taxpayers 
formative videos on various tax-related topics in English,        only). Go  to  IRS.gov/Account  to  securely  access  infor-
Spanish, and ASL.                                                 mation about your federal tax account.
 Youtube.com/irsvideos.                                          View the amount you owe and a breakdown by tax 
 Youtube.com/irsvideosmultilingua.                                 year.
 Youtube.com/irsvideosASL.                                       See payment plan details or apply for a new payment 
                                                                     plan.

20                                                                                                 Publication 969 (2023)



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Make a payment or view 5 years of payment history               Ways to check on the status of your refund. 
  and any pending or scheduled payments.
                                                                  Go to IRS.gov/Refunds.
Access your tax records, including key data from your 
                                                                  Download the official IRS2Go app to your mobile de-
  most recent tax return, and transcripts.
                                                                    vice to check your refund status.
View digital copies of select notices from the IRS.
                                                                  Call the automated refund hotline at 800-829-1954.
Approve or reject authorization requests from tax pro-
                                                                           The IRS can’t issue refunds before mid-February 
  fessionals.
                                                                           for returns that claimed the EIC or the additional 
View your address on file or manage your communica-             CAUTION! child tax credit (ACTC). This applies to the entire 
  tion preferences.                                               refund, not just the portion associated with these credits.

Get  a  transcript  of  your  return.   With  an  online  ac-
                                                                  Making a tax payment.     Payments of U.S. tax must be 
count, you can access a variety of information to help you 
                                                                  remitted to the IRS in U.S. dollars. Digital assets are    not 
during the filing season. You can get a transcript, review 
                                                                  accepted. Go to IRS.gov/Payments for information on how 
your most recently filed tax return, and get your adjusted 
                                                                  to make a payment using any of the following options.
gross  income.  Create  or  access  your  online  account  at 
IRS.gov/Account.                                                  IRS Direct Pay: Pay your individual tax bill or estimated 
                                                                    tax payment directly from your checking or savings ac-
Tax  Pro  Account.   This  tool  lets  your  tax  professional      count at no cost to you.
submit an authorization request to access your individual 
taxpayer IRS online account. For more information, go to          Debit Card, Credit Card, or Digital Wallet: Choose an 
                                                                    approved payment processor to pay online or by 
IRS.gov/TaxProAccount.
                                                                    phone.
Using direct deposit. The safest and easiest way to re-           Electronic Funds Withdrawal: Schedule a payment 
ceive a tax refund is to e-file and choose direct deposit,          when filing your federal taxes using tax return prepara-
which securely and electronically transfers your refund di-         tion software or through a tax professional.
rectly  into  your  financial  account.  Direct  deposit  also 
avoids the possibility that your check could be lost, stolen,     Electronic Federal Tax Payment System: Best option 
destroyed,  or  returned  undeliverable  to  the  IRS.  Eight  in   for businesses. Enrollment is required.
10 taxpayers use direct deposit to receive their refunds. If      Check or Money Order: Mail your payment to the ad-
you  don’t  have  a  bank  account,  go  to        IRS.gov/         dress listed on the notice or instructions.
DirectDeposit for more information on where to find a bank 
or credit union that can open an account online.                  Cash: You may be able to pay your taxes with cash at 
                                                                    a participating retail store.
Reporting  and  resolving  your  tax-related  identity            Same-Day Wire: You may be able to do same-day 
theft issues.                                                       wire from your financial institution. Contact your finan-
Tax-related identity theft happens when someone                   cial institution for availability, cost, and time frames.
  steals your personal information to commit tax fraud. 
                                                                  Note.    The IRS uses the latest encryption technology 
  Your taxes can be affected if your SSN is used to file a 
                                                                  to ensure that the electronic payments you make online, 
  fraudulent return or to claim a refund or credit.
                                                                  by phone, or from a mobile device using the IRS2Go app 
The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by              are safe and secure. Paying electronically is quick, easy, 
  email, text messages (including shortened links), tele-         and faster than mailing in a check or money order.
  phone calls, or social media channels to request or 
  verify personal or financial information. This includes         What  if  I  can’t  pay  now? Go  to IRS.gov/Payments  for 
  requests for personal identification numbers (PINs),            more information about your options.
  passwords, or similar information for credit cards,             Apply for an online payment agreement IRS.gov/ (
  banks, or other financial accounts.                               OPA) to meet your tax obligation in monthly install-
Go to IRS.gov/IdentityTheft, the IRS Identity Theft               ments if you can’t pay your taxes in full today. Once 
  Central webpage, for information on identity theft and            you complete the online process, you will receive im-
  data security protection for taxpayers, tax professio-            mediate notification of whether your agreement has 
  nals, and businesses. If your SSN has been lost or                been approved.
  stolen or you suspect you’re a victim of tax-related            Use the Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualifier to see if 
  identity theft, you can learn what steps you should               you can settle your tax debt for less than the full 
  take.                                                             amount you owe. For more information on the Offer in 
Get an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN). IP PINs are              Compromise program, go to IRS.gov/OIC.
  six-digit numbers assigned to taxpayers to help pre-
  vent the misuse of their SSNs on fraudulent federal in-         Filing an amended return.      Go to IRS.gov/Form1040X 
  come tax returns. When you have an IP PIN, it pre-              for information and updates.
  vents someone else from filing a tax return with your 
  SSN. To learn more, go to IRS.gov/IPPIN.

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Checking  the  status  of  your  amended  return. Go  to           these rights mean to you and how they apply. These are 
IRS.gov/WMAR to track the status of Form 1040-X amen-              your rights. Know them. Use them.
ded returns.
        It can take up to 3 weeks from the date you filed          What Can TAS Do for You?

CAUTION tem, and processing it can take up to 16 weeks.
!       your amended return for it to show up in our sys-          TAS can help you resolve problems that you can’t resolve 
                                                                   with  the  IRS.  And  their  service  is  free.  If  you  qualify  for 
                                                                   their  assistance,  you  will  be  assigned  to  one  advocate 
Understanding  an  IRS  notice  or  letter  you’ve  re-
                                                                   who will work with you throughout the process and will do 
ceived.  Go to IRS.gov/Notices to find additional informa-
                                                                   everything  possible  to  resolve  your  issue.  TAS  can  help 
tion about responding to an IRS notice or letter.
                                                                   you if:
Responding to an IRS notice or letter.     You can now             Your problem is causing financial difficulty for you, 
upload  responses  to  all  notices  and  letters  using  the        your family, or your business;
Document Upload Tool. For notices that require additional 
action,  taxpayers  will  be  redirected  appropriately  on        You face (or your business is facing) an immediate 
IRS.gov  to  take  further  action.  To  learn  more  about  the     threat of adverse action; or
tool, go to IRS.gov/Upload.                                        You’ve tried repeatedly to contact the IRS but no one 
                                                                     has responded, or the IRS hasn’t responded by the 
Note.       You  can  use  Schedule  LEP  (Form  1040),  Re-         date promised.
quest for Change in Language Preference, to state a pref-
erence to receive notices, letters, or other written commu-
                                                                   How Can You Reach TAS?
nications from the IRS in an alternative language. You may 
not immediately receive written communications in the re-
                                                                   TAS  has  offices in  every  state,  the  District  of  Columbia, 
quested language. The IRS’s commitment to LEP taxpay-
                                                                   and Puerto Rico. To find your advocate’s number:
ers  is  part  of  a  multi-year  timeline  that  began  providing 
translations in 2023. You will continue to receive communi-        Go to TaxpayerAdvocate.IRS.gov/Contact-Us;
cations, including notices and letters, in English until they        Download Pub. 1546, The Taxpayer Advocate Service 
                                                                   
are translated to your preferred language.                           Is Your Voice at the IRS, available at IRS.gov/pub/irs-
Contacting your local TAC.  Keep in mind, many ques-                 pdf/p1546.pdf;
tions can be answered on IRS.gov without visiting a TAC.           Call the IRS toll free at 800-TAX-FORM 
Go to IRS.gov/LetUsHelp for the topics people ask about              (800-829-3676) to order a copy of Pub. 1546;
most. If you still need help, TACs provide tax help when a 
                                                                   Check your local directory; or
tax  issue  can’t  be  handled  online  or  by  phone.  All  TACs 
now provide service by appointment, so you’ll know in ad-          Call TAS toll free at 877-777-4778.
vance that you can get the service you need without long 
wait times. Before you visit, go to IRS.gov/TACLocator to          How Else Does TAS Help Taxpayers?
find the nearest TAC and to check hours, available serv-
ices,  and  appointment  options.  Or,  on  the  IRS2Go  app,      TAS  works  to  resolve  large-scale  problems  that  affect 
under the Stay Connected tab, choose the Contact Us op-            many taxpayers. If you know of one of these broad issues, 
tion and click on “Local Offices.”                                 report it to TAS at IRS.gov/SAMS. Be sure to not include 
                                                                   any personal taxpayer information.
The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) 
Is Here To Help You                                                Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITCs)

What Is TAS?                                                       LITCs are independent from the IRS and TAS. LITCs rep-
                                                                   resent individuals whose income is below a certain level 
TAS  is  an independent  organization  within  the  IRS  that 
                                                                   and who need to resolve tax problems with the IRS. LITCs 
helps taxpayers and protects taxpayer rights. TAS strives 
                                                                   can represent taxpayers in audits, appeals, and tax collec-
to ensure that every taxpayer is treated fairly and that you 
                                                                   tion  disputes  before  the  IRS  and  in  court.  In  addition, 
know and understand your rights under the  Taxpayer Bill 
                                                                   LITCs can provide information about taxpayer rights and 
of Rights.
                                                                   responsibilities  in  different  languages  for  individuals  who 
                                                                   speak English as a second language. Services are offered 
How Can You Learn About Your Taxpayer                              for free or a small fee. For more information or to find an 
Rights?                                                            LITC   near you,    go to          the   LITC         page at 
                                                                   TaxpayerAdvocate.IRS.gov/LITC  or  see  IRS  Pub.  4134, 
The Taxpayer Bill of Rights describes 10 basic rights that         Low  Income  Taxpayer  Clinic  List,  at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/
all  taxpayers  have  when  dealing  with  the  IRS.  Go  to       p4134.pdf.
TaxpayerAdvocate.IRS.gov  to  help  you  understand  what 

22                                                                                                 Publication 969 (2023)



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                  To help us develop a more useful index, please let us know if you have ideas for index entries.
Index             See “Comments and Suggestions” in the “Introduction” for the ways you can reach us.
 
                          Balance in  17
A                         Contributions to 16                             M
Archer MSAs  11 15-       Distributions from 16                           Medical expenses, qualified                    9 14, , 
Assistance (See Tax help) Grace period   17                                17 18, 
                          Qualifying for 16                               Medical savings accounts                       11 16-
C                         When to contribute 16                            Balance in 15
Contributions to:         Form:                                            Contributions to 12
  FSA 16                  5329  8 13,                                      Deemed distributions      14
  HRA 18                  5498–SA   8 13,                                  Distributions from 13
  HSA 5                   8853  15                                         Medicare Advantage MSAs                       16
  MSA 12                  8889  8 10,                                      Qualifying for 11
                                                                           When to contribute 13
D                         H                                               Medicare Advantage MSAs                        16
Death of:                 Health plans, high deductible             4 12, 
  HSA holder 10           Health reimbursement                            P
  MSA holder 15           arrangements    18 19,                          Preventive care 4
Distributions from:       Balance in  19                                  Publications (See Tax help)
  FSA 16                  Contributions to 18
  HRA 18                  Distributions from 18                           Q
  HSA 8                   Qualifying for 18                               Qualified HSA funding 
  MSA 13                  Health savings accounts 3 11-                    distribution  7
                          Balance in  10
E                         Contributions to 5                              T
Employer participation:   Deemed distributions  9                         Tax help 19
  FSA 17                  Distributions from 8                            Testing period:
  HRA 19                  Last-month rule  6                               Last-month rule  6
  HSA 10                  Partnerships 8                                   Qualified HSA funding distribution                  7
  MSA 15                  Qualifying for 3
                          Rollovers 7
F                         S corporations  8
Flexible spending         When to contribute 8
  arrangements  16 17,    High deductible health plan               4 12, 

Publication 969 (2023)                                                                                                         23






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