We’ve assembled this guide to help make HSA claims seamless and stress-free. Let's review some quick tips to help you get your money fast.
Official Receipt
Having the proper documentation in hand is the first important step of submitting any claim. The receipt needs to be clear and legible. It must show the name of the person receiving the services or product, the service date, and detailed information about the provider including their designations or registration numbers.
At the pharmacy: When you pay for a prescription medication, you get two types of receipts. For purposes of an HSA claim, the official pharmacy receipt is required. This shows the name of the person receiving the medication, the prescribing doctor, the name and drug identification number, and how much you paid out of pocket.
The cash register receipt does not need to be submitted as part of your claim.
At the massage therapist, physiotherapist, or other paramedical practitioner: The practitioner's name and designation plus the type of service received must be outlined on the bill.
The receipt needs to show who is receiving the service, the date of the appointment, as well as payment information.
Plan Year
Not all plan years are set up to coincide with the calendar year, and some accounts are set up to align with the company’s year-end.
Claims for both HSA and Wellness can only be submitted in the benefit year in which they occur; you can’t carry forward those claim amounts into the following year.
Ensure that you are submitting claims promptly to avoid missing CRA-dictated deadlines.
Eligible Expenses
CRA lists the types of products and services that are eligible to be reimbursed tax-free through a Health Spending Account. CRA provides a complete list of these eligible expenses.
For example, massage therapists need to be registered by their provincial body and have certain designations. When in doubt, check whether the type of therapist you are seeing is eligible under your HSA, and ensure the therapist has the relevant designations.
The designations commonly required include:
· Acupuncturist R.Ac.
· Chiropractor DC
· Naturopath ND
· Physiotherapist B.PhysT, B.ScPhysio, B.Physio, CPTA
· Podiatrist DPM
· Psychologist PsyD
· Social Worker RSW, RCC, MFT
· Consult this summarized list of eligible expenses for more details
CRA allows up to 10% of the total amount claimed in a given plan year to be used towards ineligible medical expenses. For example, if you have submitted $500 in claims, $50 can be used for vitamins and supplements, which are not eligible under CRA guidelines.
There is a lot of confusion in the marketplace about eligible expenses as they relate to gym memberships or fitness apparel. Some employers offer taxable Wellness accounts as an employee retention strategy, but these are different from a non-taxable health spending account.
Quick Tips
Add myHSA to your list of safe senders. Sometimes those system-generated emails can go to your junk mail
You can only submit the expense once the money has left your jeans. If you pre-pay for massage treatments, you can only submit the claim once the treatment has been received
Don’t buy gift cards and pay with those. CRA does not allow this as the covered individual may not have spent that money in the first place
If you have health and dental coverage through another insurer the expense should be submitted there first before submitting to HSA
Use explanation of benefits or claims summaries: If the claim was submitted first to an insurance company, submit the Explanation of Benefits. This can be found through the claims portal. If you prefer to submit claims just once a year, you can download a claims summary for a specified date range. It shows how much you submitted, how much was reimbursed by the carrier, and what you can submit to the Health Spending Account in one statement
Tips/gratuity are not eligible under a Health Spending account
Eyeglasses should be prescription glasses
Don’t see your dependent when you are making a claim? You must add the dependent through the myHSA portal first. Send us an email if you need help
Attach doctor’s prescription if stated in the claim category or for take-home purchases made in a practitioner’s office/clinic