Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)

High deductible health plan. (HDHP)  For HSA purposes, the minimum annual deductible of an HDHP increases to $1,100 ($2,200 for family coverage) and the maximum annual deductible and other out-of-pocket expenses limit increases to $5,500 ($11,000 for family coverage).

Deductible limitation on contributions.  The annual deductible limitation for contributions to your HSA based on the amount of your health insurance deductible is repealed. For 2007, the maximum HSA deduction increases to $2,850 ($5,650 for family coverage) regardless of the amount of your health insurance deductible. The maximum additional deduction for individuals age 55 or older increases to $800.

Deductible contributions for part-year coverage.  For HSA purposes, you can be treated as an eligible individual for each month in your tax year if you are an eligible individual during the last month of your tax year. This applies to each month for which you would not otherwise qualify as an eligible individual. For these months, you are treated as enrolled in the same HDHP that you were enrolled in for the last month of your tax year. However, if you are not an eligible individual, for any reason other than death or becoming disabled, for the 12 months following the end of your tax year, any contribution attributable to these months is included in your income and is subject to an additional 10% tax. The income and additional 10% tax are reported for the tax year in which you cease to be an eligible individual.

Transfers from a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) or health flexible spending arrangement (FSA) to an HSA.  Your employer can make a one-time direct transfer of the balance in your HRA or health FSA to your HSA without violating the requirements for those arrangements. The maximum allowable transfer is the lesser of the HRA or health FSA balance on September 21, 2006, or on the date of transfer.

The amount transferred is not included in your gross income, is not taken into account in applying the HSA contribution limitation, and is not deductible. However, if you are not an eligible individual, for any reason other than death or becoming disabled, for the 12 months following the month of the transfer, the amount transferred is included in your income and is subject to an additional 10% tax. The income and additional 10% tax are reported for the tax year in which you cease to be an eligible individual.

If the employer makes a transfer available to any employee, all employees who are covered under an HDHP of the employer must be allowed to make a transfer. Otherwise, the employer is subject to an excise tax.

Generally, you are not an eligible individual for an HSA if you have health coverage other than an HDHP. For tax years beginning after 2006, coverage under a health FSA for the period immediately following the health FSA's plan year during which unused benefits or contributions remaining at the end of the year may be paid or reimbursed to you for qualified expenses incurred during that period does not disqualify you from being an eligible individual. The coverage does not disqualify you if the balance in the health FSA at the end of the plan year is zero or the entire remaining balance in the health FSA is transferred to your HSA as described above.

Comparable contributions by an employer.  An employer that makes contributions to the HSAs of employees must make comparable contributions to all comparable participating employees' HSAs. For tax years beginning after 2006, for purposes of making contributions to the HSA of an employee who is not highly compensated, a comparable participating employee does not include a highly compensated employee.

 
Rebu Financial and Tax Services
Rebu Financial and Tax Services