The contribution limits for various tax-advantaged accounts for the following year are usually announced in October, except for the HSA, which comes out in April or May. The contribution limits are adjusted for inflation each year, subject to rounding rules.
You can only contribute to an HSA if you’re covered by a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with no other coverage. You can use the money already in the HSA for qualified medical expenses regardless of what insurance you currently have.
HSA Contribution Limits
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Coverage | $4,150 | $4,300 |
| Family Coverage | $8,300 | $8,550 |
Source: IRS Rev. Proc. 2023-23, Rev. Proc. 2024-25.
Employer contributions are included in these limits.
The family coverage numbers happened to be double the individual coverage numbers in 2024 but it isn’t always the case every year. Because the individual coverage limit and the family coverage limit are both rounded to the nearest $50, the family coverage limit can be slightly more or slightly less than double the individual coverage limit when one number rounds up and the other number rounds down.
Age 55 Catch-Up Contribution
As in 401k and IRA contributions, you are allowed to contribute extra if you are above a certain age. If you are age 55 or older by the end of the year (not age 50 as in 401k and IRA contributions), you can contribute an additional $1,000 to your HSA. If you are married, and both of you are age 55, each of you can contribute an additional $1,000 to your respective HSA.
However, because an HSA is in one individual’s name, just like an IRA — there is no joint HSA even when you have family coverage — only the person age 55 or older can contribute the additional $1,000 in his or her own name. If only the husband is 55 or older and the wife contributes the full family contribution limit to the HSA in her name, the husband has to open a separate account in his name for the additional $1,000. If both husband and wife are age 55 or older, they must have two HSA accounts in separate names if they want to contribute the maximum. There’s no way to hit the combined maximum with only one account.
The $1,000 additional contribution limit is fixed by law. It’s not adjusted for inflation.
Two Plans Or Mid-Year Changes
The limits are more complicated if you are married and the two of you are on different health plans. It’s also more complicated when your health insurance changes mid-year. The insurance change could be due to a job change, marriage or divorce, enrolling in Medicare, the birth of a child, and so on.
For those situations, please read HSA Contribution Limit For Two Plans Or Mid-Year Changes.
HDHP Qualification
The IRS also defines what qualifies as an HDHP. For 2024, an HDHP with individual coverage must have at least $1,600 in annual in-network deductible and no more than $8,050 in annual out-of-pocket expenses. For family coverage, the numbers are a minimum of $3,200 in annual deductible and no more than $16,100 in annual out-of-pocket expenses.
For 2025, an HDHP with individual coverage must have at least $1,650 in annual deductible and no more than $8,300 in annual out-of-pocket expenses. For family coverage, the numbers are a minimum of $3,300 in annual deductible and no more than $16,600 in annual out-of-pocket expenses.
Please note the deductible number is a minimum while the out-of-pocket number is a maximum. The maximum out-of-pocket limit only applies to the in-network number. If the in-network out-of-pocket limit of your insurance policy is too high, it doesn’t qualify as an HSA-eligible policy.
In addition, just having the minimum deductible and the maximum out-of-pocket isn’t sufficient to make a plan qualify as HSA eligible. The plan must also meet other criteria. See Not All High Deductible Plans Are HSA Eligible.
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Coverage | ||
| minimum deductible | $1,600 | $1,650 |
| maximum out-of-pocket | $8,050 | $8,300 |
| Family Coverage | ||
| minimum deductible | $3,200 | $3,300 |
| maximum out-of-pocket | $16,100 | $16,600 |
Source: IRS Rev. Proc. 2023-23, Rev. Proc. 2024-25.
Contribute From Payroll
If you have a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) through your employer, your employer may already set up a linked HSA for you at a selected provider. Your employer may be contributing an amount on your behalf there. You save Social Security and Medicare taxes when you contribute to the HSA through payroll. Your employer may be paying the fees for you on that HSA.
When you contribute to an HSA outside an employer, you claim the tax deduction on your tax return similar to when you contribute to a Traditional IRA. If you use tax software, be sure to answer the questions on HSA contributions. The tax deduction shows up on Form 8889 line 13 and Schedule 1 line 13.
Non-Dependent Adult Children
If your HDHP also covers an adult child who’s not claimed as a dependent on your tax return, each non-dependent adult child covered by the plan can also contribute to a separate HSA in their name at the family coverage level when they don’t have other non-HDHP coverage. This is because they meet the eligibility:
(a) Covered by an HDHP with no other coverage; and
(b) The HDHP policy they have covers more than one person.
Each non-dependent adult child can open a separate HSA on their own with an HSA provider.
Best HSA Providers
If you get the HSA-eligible high deductible plan through an employer, your employer usually has a designated HSA provider for contributing via payroll deduction. It’s best to use that one because your contributions via payroll deduction are usually exempt from Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you want better investment options, you can transfer or roll over the HSA money from your employer’s designated provider to a provider of your choice afterward. See How To Rollover an HSA On Your Own and Avoid Trustee Transfer Fee.
If you are not going through an employer, or if you’d like to contribute on your own, you can also open an HSA with a provider of your choice. For the best HSA providers with low fees and good investment options, see Best HSA Provider for Investing HSA Money.
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Paul says
My employer allows for $5,600 of pre-tax payroll withholding to be placed in my HSA, with the remaining $1,500 to be contributed after tax on my own.
I’m curious, what is the advantage to my employer of only allowing 79% of the max contribution to be from payroll? And is this typical?
Harry Sit says
Not typical. No idea why they do that.
Robert A. says
[Yes, I realize this is an old comment…]
It’s possible that the company “reserved” some capacity for other avenues. At a prior employer some of the HSA contribution came from a wellness program. For instance if the employee completed certain wellness steps, an additional $1,000 would be contributed to the HSA.
DW says
I’m a single mother with a 19 years-old dependent student under my HSA insurance at my company. Is my HSA limit for 2020 considered individual HSA ($3,500) or family HSA ($7,100) ? Thank you!
Harry Sit says
Family, when your plan covers two or more people.
DW says
Thanks very much Harry!
Ruby Valderrama says
Hello,
I chose an HSA qualified health plan. However, I have yet to contribute to my HSA account. I have approximately $6500 in medical expenses for my family for 2020. Is it okay to contribute the $7100 and pay myself back for those medical expenses? I would be depositing the money myself as this is an individual plan that is not through my employer. I am not sure of the requirements on contributing myself and reimbursing myself for medical expenses.
Harry Sit says
The HSA money can only pay for expenses you incur after you establish the HSA. If you had a token $10 in an HSA, that would’ve established the HSA, and you can add more money later. But if you never had an HSA and you’re only creating one now, you can’t use the money to reimburse for old expenses.
Ashley says
If we have a family plan, in my name, and my husband turned 65 this year (I am not 65), can we take the penalty-free distribution?
Harry Sit says
For non-medical expenses? If the HSA is under your name, no. You are better off using the money for qualified medical expenses. Using it for non-medical expenses is taxable, even when it’s penalty-free.
D says
Please fix your RSS feed. It is not up to date
Harry Sit says
The RSS feed is up to date. Your RSS reader client may have chosen to suppress updated items by treating them as old items. Other RSS clients don’t do that.
James says
Thanks for the info! I have a HDHP for me+kids and my wife has HDHP for herself only. So I understand that we have a combined $7,200 in HSA contribution room this year, and that we can allocate between my wife and I in any way.
Is the contribution room or split affected whether we file 2021 taxes as married joint or married separate?
I believe that dependent-FSA contribution limits are combined if married joint, but if filing married separate then capped at half each. I was not sure if that applies to HSA contributions also, or if we can still split the HSA family contributions any way and the IRS will just match the two returns and make sure that they both add up to $7,200? Thanks!
Harry Sit says
It’s not affected by whether you file jointly or separately.
Anne says
I already contributed to the 2022 HSA then realized as I read this more closely that our Cobra plan has an out-of-pocket limit that is a problem. The Person max for out of network is below the max but the family figure is higher than the max you noted above.
Can I take it back out? (it was just sent over in the last 2-3 business days)
What is the penalty?
Harry Sit says
The HSA custodian usually has a form for withdrawing excess contributions. Say the key phrase “excess contributions” and follow their procedures.
Don Haskeli says
Sorry if you answered this somewhere (I gave up looking at 100 comments):
“If your HDHP also covers your adult child who’s not claimed as a dependent on your tax return, they can also contribute to an HSA in their own name if they don’t have other non-HDHP coverage. They get a separate family coverage limit. They will have to open an HSA on their own with an HSA provider.”
Is this case even for a single adult child with no children — they get the family coverage limit?
Harry Sit says
Yes, because (a) the single adult child has an HDHP with no other coverage; and (b) the HDHP covers more than one person (the adult child and a parent).
Don Haskeli says
Thanks Harry. Even if the adult child has no income? (I realize that one of the benefits of the HSA (current year tax deduction) is lost.)
Harry Sit says
Someone with no income tends to be claimed as a dependent but if that’s not the case, HSA contributions are not contingent on income.
Mike says
I’m retired and have a HDHP so I can contribute on my own to a HSA account. I will be first eligible for Medicare this year and I know from IRS Publication 969 that my contribution limit is pro-rated by the number of months I am not eligible for Medicare.
My question is about the timing. Do I have to actually make the contributions before I’m eligible for Medicare? Or does the pro-rata formula just set the amount I am allowed to contribute anytime during the year?
Harry Sit says
Timing doesn’t matter. You only have a lower limit. The deadline to contribute is still the same.