28 everyday essentials you can buy with your FSA money before you lose it on March 15
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- The pre-tax money you contribute to your FSA must be used on eligible healthcare products and services.
- FSA dollars work on a "use it or lose it" provision. If you don't use your FSA money by December 31 of each year (or March 15 of the new year for many), you lose it.
- If you have money in your FSA account that you don't want to go to waste, you can use it on household essentials like contact solution, sunscreen, lip balm, Band-Aids, condoms, first aid kits, Motrin, allergy medications, and more.
- FSAstore.com is full of over 4,000 products guaranteed to be covered by your FSA Card. Below, we rounded up 28 essentials to save on that you may already be buying out of pocket.
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In case you hadn't already heard, the pre-tax money you contribute to your FSA works on a use-it-or-lose-it provision, and you have to use it by December 31 of each year (or March 15 of the new year for many) - or it disappears.
Every year, more than $400 million of earned money is forfeited because employees either miss or forget the deadline.
But that shouldn't really be the case, because you can use your FSA money on household staples as mundane as ibuprofen and Band-Aids, and options like online shopping at the FSA Store make it easy to spend that money on things you'd otherwise already be buying. In fact, the FSA Store has over 4,000 items that are guaranteed to be covered by your FSA (or you get your money back), so you don't have to waste time researching just to use your own money. It includes items as basic - and timelessly useful - as sunscreen, pain and allergy relief, first aid kits, thermometers, neck pillows, knee braces, and condoms.
Thanks to a partnership with Phil, Inc. you can also use your FSA to save on your prescription medications. You can order them online and get free delivery to your door on prescription transfers and refills. Read more here.
For things like ibuprofen, aspirin, and other over-the-counter products, IRS regulations require a prescription when buying them with your FSA/HSA. However, they're pretty easy to get - and FSA Store will do it for you online.
Shop for over-the-counter medications on the FSA Store, add to cart, and click on the "Prescription" banner to complete the prescription process at checkout. All you'll need to do is provide FSA Store with your physician's information (name, phone number, address) and they'll take care of the rest. If you already have your prescription ready, just mail it. Or, ask your doctor to fax it to FSA Store's pharmacy partner. Find out more here.
Shop by FSA-approved category on your own here:
The deadline is fast-approaching, so I've rounded up 28 options on the FSA store that could be a good investment with your FSA money - and which you may not have known were eligible before.
Below are 28 helpful household items you can buy with your FSA money:
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