Medicare Blog

opening individual hsa when spouse goes on medicare

by Brigitte Schaefer Published 1 year ago Updated 1 year ago

Yes, if your spouse is otherwise HSA-eligible. Individuals don’t have to be the medical plan subscriber to be HSA-eligible. You or your spouse can then make tax-deductible contributions into their HSA, up to the family maximum if you remain covered on a family contract (even if only your spouse is HSA-eligible). For some couples, this provision in the law allows them to continue to contribute to an HSA (and build income tax-free balances for distribution in retirement) for several years after the older spouse enrolls in Medicare.

Your spouse on Medicare is not eligible to contribute to an HSA in his or her name, regardless of whether he or she is covered on your medical plan.

Full Answer

Can I open an HSA for my spouse?

If you and your spouse are eligible to do so—meaning that you’re both covered under a qualifying high-deductible health plan (they usually say HSA in the plan title)—then you can both open your own HSAs. Some employers offer HSAs (and even contribute to them!), but you don’t need to depend on an employer to open one.

Can my wife use my Medicare and HSA plan?

For example, the wife’s Medicare doesn’t cover the client, which would disqualify based on rule #1 above. Same as the above. This would mean your wife is covered by both Medicare and the HSA plan.

What happens if I enroll in Medicare after opening an HSA account?

HSA account owners should be aware that if they later enroll in Medicare, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will backdate the coverage start date up to six months.

How do HSA contribution limits work with spouses?

The IRS has specific rules for HSA contribution limits and how they work with spouses. There are penalties for exceeding your contribution limits, so it’s important to make sure you and your spouse know the rules. For 2021, the self-only HSA contribution limit is $3,600 and the family contribution limit is $7,200.

Can I contribute to an HSA if my spouse is over 65?

No. You can open and contribute to an HSA at age 65 or later as long as you meet HSA eligibility requirements, which are: • You're covered on an HSA-qualified medical plan. You're not someone's tax dependent. You don't have any conflicting coverage (including enrollment in Medicare).

Can you contribute to an HSA if you are on Medicare?

If you enroll in Medicare Part A and/or B, you can no longer contribute pre-tax dollars to your HSA. This is because to contribute pre-tax dollars to an HSA you cannot have any health insurance other than an HDHP.

Does my spouse have to be on my health insurance to use my HSA?

If you're covered by your partner's family non-HDHP, then you unfortunately cannot open an HSA, and neither can your partner. If you're not covered by your spouse's family plan, however, and you have a HDHP, then you can go ahead and open an HSA.

Can I use my individual HSA for my spouse?

You can use an HSA to pay for qualified medical expenses for yourself, a spouse, and your dependents, even if they are covered by other insurance.

Can I contribute family Max to HSA if spouse is on Medicare?

Yes, being eligible to contribute to the HSA is determined by the status of the HSA account holder not the dependents of the account holder. Your spouse being on Medicare does not disqualify you from continuing contributions to the HSA up to the family limit, even if they are also covered by the HDHP.

Why can't Medicare recipients have an HSA?

Once you enroll in Medicare Part A and/or B, you can no longer setup or contribute pre-tax dollars to an existing HSA. This is because to contribute pre-tax dollars to an HSA you cannot have any health insurance other than a HDHP.

Can both spouses have an HSA 2021?

Both employee and spouse are eligible for HSA contributions and are treated as having only the family coverage.

Can I open HSA account on my own?

Can I open my own health savings account if my employer doesn't offer one? Yes, you can open a health savings account (HSA) even if your employer doesn't offer one. But you can make current-year contributions only if you are covered by an HSA-qualified health plan, also known as a high-deductible health plan (HDHP).

How much can a married couple contribute to an HSA in 2021 over 55?

Spouses with individual HDHPs can contribute up to $3,600 in 2021. If the individual is age 55 or older, an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution can also be contributed. See Catch-up Contributions to learn more.

Can I use my HSA account to pay for my wife's medical expenses?

Yes, as long as you use the funds to pay for qualified medical expenses, you can pay for any family member who is a tax dependent on your tax return. You may also use the funds for medical expenses incurred by your child who is claimed as a tax dependent by his/her other parent.

Can you have dual coverage with an HSA?

If your employer and your spouse's employer both offer HDHPs, you can opt for double coverage and still contribute to your HSA.]

Can both spouses have an HSA 2022?

Both spouses are eligible to have their own HSA and contribute to the federal limit. Neither spouse is eligible to contribute if Spouse 1 is covered under Spouse 2's non-HDHP Plan. Spouse 1 may contribute up to the individual federal limit in an HSA if NOT covered under Spouse 2's non-HDHP Plan.

Does my spouse's FSA cover me?

That means that your spouse's general Health FSA covers you. . . Even if you don't want to be covered. . . Even if you never submit a claim for an expense that you incur. . . Even if your spouse waives his or her employer's medical coverage.

Can my spouse contribute to my HSA?

Your spouse, if HSA-eligible, could open an account, and your spouse or you - or anyone else for that matter - could contribute to that account. Your spouse, as the account owner, could deduct those contributions to reduce his or her federal and state (except in California and New Jersey) taxable income.

Can a health savings account affect a family?

Although Health Savings Accounts are personal financial accounts, they do affect the family. And the family can affect the account. Let's examine how a spouse can boost the benefits that you derive from your Health Savings Account . . . or derail your best-laid financial plans. Spousal Disqualification.

Is my spouse's HSA tax free?

Distributions for your spouse's qualified expenses are always tax-free. Your spouse doesn't have to be HSA-eligible; he or she can be enrolled in Medicare or other disqualifying coverage. Your spouse doesn't have to be covered on your medical plan. your spouse doesn't need to share a bedroom with you.

Can you contribute to family maximum if spouse is disqualified?

So, you can contribute to the family maximum, even if your spouse is disqualified. Spouse and Catch-Up Contributions. If you're enrolled on your employer-sponsored coverage, you probably contribute through pre-tax payroll deductions to maximize your tax benefits. That's the right strategy nearly universally.

When does my wife have to sign up for Medicare?

As long as your wife signs up for Medicare during the initial enrollment period, which it appears that she will do, her Medicare eligibility will begin on December 1, 2020 and she will be ineligible to make an HSA contribution for December 2020. (The annual limit is prorated for each month).

When is Medicare enrollment period?

The Initial Enrollment Period is a seven-month period that starts three months before you are first eligible for Medicare. For example, Mary Doe Jones turned 65 on April 27, 2020. She is first eligible for Medicare starting in April 2020 because she is turning 65.

How is Medicare prorated at age 65?

an individual reaches age 65 is prorated based on the number of months that the. individual is an eligible individual. In particular, the maximum contribution is based on. the number of months that the person in not enrolled in Medicare.

What happens if my wife cancels my health insurance?

If your wife's employer canceled her coverage and made it a single HDHP covering you only, or the employer transitioned her to a different single medical coverage that works with Medicare and placed you in a single HDHP, then your contribution limit is reduced as you calculated.

When does Medicare start backdated?

However, Medicare is backdated to the first day of the month in which the person turns 65, even if you enroll late. If you sign up for Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and/or Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) during the first 3 months of your Initial Enrollment Period, your coverage starts the first day of the month you turn 65.

When do you enroll in Medicare 2020?

October 19, 2020 11:42 PM. When you first qualify for Medicare you enroll during the Initial Enrollment Period. The Initial Enrollment Period is a seven-month period that starts three months before you are first eligible for Medicare. For example, Mary Doe Jones turned 65 on April 27, 2020.

Do you have to have a HSA to have a HDHP?

The rules say to have a HSA the individual must be covered under a high deductible health plan. if either spouse has family coverage under a HDHP, both spouses are treated as having family coverage under a HDHP.

How much can a married couple contribute to an HSA?

In cases where both spouses have self-only coverage, each spouse may contribute up to $3,600 each year in separate accounts.

What happens if you exceed your HSA contribution limit?

If an individual or married couple exceeds the HSA contribution limit, they will be subject to a 6 percent excise tax. You can avoid this fee if you withdraw the excess contribution amount from the HSA before the tax deadline for that year.

What is the maximum HSA contribution for 2021?

For 2021, the self-only HSA contribution limit is $3,600 and the family contribution limit is $7,200. For a married couple maintaining two HSAs—with one spouse having family coverage (for self + dependents) and the other with self-only coverage—you might assume they simply combine the contribution limits, for a total contribution ceiling of $10,800.

Can married couples share HSA?

This is not the case, however. The IRS gives married couples three options: Allocate it unevenly, according to a division both parties agree upon. In any case, the IRS treats married couples as a single tax unit, which means they must share one family HSA contribution limit of $7,200.

Can you use two FSA accounts to reimburse the same expense?

This ensures that you can’t use both accounts to reimburse the same expense.

Does the IRS have a limit on HSA contributions?

The IRS has specific rules for HSA contribution limits and how they work with spouses. There are penalties for exceeding your contribution limits, so it’s important to make sure you and your spouse know the rules.

How long do you have to work to qualify for Medicare?

First, it is important to know how eligibility for Medicare works. Most Medicare beneficiaries have worked and paid Medicare payroll taxes for at least 10 years to qualify for premium-free Medicare Part A as well as Part B coverage. If you have not worked for 10 years but your spouse has, you are allowed to claim benefits on their record. Medicare benefits cannot start earlier than when you turn 65, unless you are disabled, have ALS, or have end-stage renal disease. Medicare will only cover you, not your spouse or children if they are not eligible on their own.

How long does a spouse have to be on Cobra?

If a company has more than 20 employees, it is required to offer COBRA benefits. COBRA allows coverage for 18 months, sometimes longer, so if the working spouse can wait to retire until 18 months before the younger spouses 65th birthday, this would work out nicely.

Can a non-working spouse get Social Security?

If the non-working spouse is older than the working spouse, the non-working spouse can qualify on on the working spouses work record if they are at least 62, since that is when qualification for Social Security begins. In this case, if the working spouse is still working, the non-working spouse should stay on the work health insurance ...

Can a spouse get health insurance after 65?

The other option would be for the younger spouse to find a job that offers health insurance until they turn 65. While this is a long-shot, some companies will provide coverage for the younger spouse even after the working spouse retires.

Can a non-working spouse claim Medicare?

If the working spouse is no longer employed, the non-working spouse should go ahead and apply for coverage fully from Medicare. If the working spouse is younger than 62, the non-working spouse will not be able to claim on the record.

Does Medicare cover spouse?

Medicare will only cover you, not your spouse or children if they are not eligible on their own. This is where problems begin, especially when a working spouse is older than a non-working spouse. Say the working spouse turns 65, retires, and claims Medicare. The other spouse is only 61.

Can a spouse with a low income get medicaid?

Medicaid is a joint Federal and State program designed to help people with low incomes cover healthcare costs. If, by retiring, your income falls under a certain level, the younger spouse may be eligible for Medicaid coverage. Be aware, as a family, you have to have a very low income and very little assets, so many people will not qualify.

Can a non-spouse inherit an HSA?

One caution: You should try to spend down the balance by the end of your life, or a surviving spouse’s. Non-spouse beneficiaries do not inherit the HSA’s favorable tax treatment; rather, the HSA’s assets get treated as taxable income.

Do you pay taxes on HSA distributions?

Because you won’t pay income tax on any HSA distributions that are used for qualified medical expenses, it makes the most financial sense to continue to use this money for health care needs, says Fronstin.

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