MONARCH ACCOUNTING GROUP
  • Home
  • Solutions
    • CFO Services
    • Cloud ACCOUNTING
    • Bookkeeping Services
    • QuickBooks Training
    • Income Taxes
    • Other Services
  • Resources
    • Tax Rates
    • SmartVault
    • Tax Tips
    • Tax Organizer
    • Record Retention Schedule
  • Reviews
  • Meet Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Understanding Tax Terms: Health Savings Accounts (HSA)

5/30/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
If Benjamin Franklin were alive today, his famous quote Nothing is certain, except death and taxes might include a third item — paying medical expenses. Fortunately a health savings account (HSA) is a great way to cut your spending on medical expenses.

A major tax break
If you have a high deductible health insurance plan (a plan with a deductible of at least $1,500 for an individual or $3,000 for a family), you can add an HSA to pay for medical expenses with pre-tax income. Contributions to an HSA can be made via payroll deduction or directly to the account and deducted as an adjustment on your tax return. This approach effectively reduces your medical bills by as much as 37 percent!

Tips to maximize your HSA
Once your HSA is established, here are four ideas you can use to take full advantage of this tax-savings vehicle:
  1. Maximize your HSA contributions every year. Set a goal to contribute the full amount allowable by the IRS into your HSA each year. Unlike other funds, unused balances can remain in the account, giving you a great way to build up a nice emergency fund over the years. The 2023 total contribution limits are $3,850 for single taxpayers and $7,750 for a family (add $1,000 if you are 55 or older). You have until April 15 of the next year to make contributions, but when figuring out how much to contribute, remember to include contributions by your employer in your total.
  2. Pay for medical expenses with your HSA. Typically you can pay for medical expenses directly from your HSA account via a debit card. If not, track all payments you make for medical expenses and take matching distributions from your HSA. If you don’t have enough in your HSA to cover an expense, make a contribution to your HSA first and then pay the bill. Keep ALL your medical bills and receipts to prove that the distributions are for qualified medical expenses.
  3. Prioritize HSA contributions. HSA contributions are tax-deductible and distributions are tax-free (for qualified medical expenses). Traditional IRA distributions, on the other hand, are taxable. So it often makes sense to maximize HSA contributions over Traditional IRA contributions.
  4. Look at every year as an opportunity. Remember, each year has an HSA contribution limit. If you do not maximize that year's opportunity, it is gone. So try to find a way to make pre-tax contributions to your HSA up to the annual limit. Most of us will need money for medical, dental, or vision expenses and wouldn't it be nice to do this with pre-tax money?


So knowing you will always have medical expenses, prioritize your HSA contributions to take advantage of its additional tax benefits.


"Tax Tips" are published to provide current tax information, tax-cutting suggestions, and tax reminders. If you would like more information on anything in "Tax Tips," or if you'd like to be on our mailing list to receive other tax information from time to time, please contact our office.
 
The tax information contained in this site is of a general nature and should not be acted upon in your specific situation without further details and/or professional assistance.
 
We are trusted CPA advisors servicing Burr Ridge, Hinsdale, Willowbrook, Darien, Naperville, and all Chicagoland area. 

Do you need assistance with your business and/or personal tax returns? Would you like to have a trusted source for your accounting, allowing you additional time to focus on increasing your business? Do you use QuickBooks, or plan to in the future, for your accounting? We include these in all our service packages, customized to fit your personal or business needs.  
 
We are currently accepting new clients. Your initial consultation is free, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Our experienced staff is available to help you streamline your accounting, giving you more free time for yourself. Set up an appointment today by calling (630) 320-3720 or email us at [email protected]. 
 
For more free resources, such as Tax Organizers, and Record Retention Schedules, access our website www.monarchaccountinggroup.com.

Mia Verc, CPA;  Janice Papais, CPA
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    BLOG

    To better serve our clients and friends, to keep you up-to-date and informed, our blog is a resource for tax tips and overall accounting related articles. We hope you find this useful!


    CATEGORIES​

    All
    Business Owners: Must Know
    IRS Tax Tip
    Monthly Newsletter
    Tax Return: Must Know
    Tax Tip Of The Week


    ARCHIVES

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Phone: (630) 320-3720

Monarch Accounting Group Inc
145 Tower Drive, Suite 10
Burr Ridge, IL 60527-7836
Email: [email protected]


Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
  • Home
  • Solutions
    • CFO Services
    • Cloud ACCOUNTING
    • Bookkeeping Services
    • QuickBooks Training
    • Income Taxes
    • Other Services
  • Resources
    • Tax Rates
    • SmartVault
    • Tax Tips
    • Tax Organizer
    • Record Retention Schedule
  • Reviews
  • Meet Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us