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Can You Reimburse from HSA for Prior Year Expenses?

Published December 31, 2022

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Short answer: Yes—if the expenses qualify as eligible medical expenses, occurred after you established your HSA, and you had an HSA at the time incurred.

Reimbursing prior-year HSA medical expenses

If you have a Health Savings Account (HSA), you may wonder whether you can reimburse yourself for healthcare expenses incurred in prior years. The answer is yes, you can reimburse yourself from your HSA for qualifying medical expenses from previous years. This flexibility is one of the advantages of having an HSA, as it allows you to use the funds saved in your account for past expenses that were not covered at the time.

Wondering if you can use your Health Savings Account (HSA) to cover medical expenses from previous years? The great news is that you absolutely can! Your HSA is a powerful tool that allows you to reimburse yourself for eligible medical costs incurred even in prior years. Just make sure to follow a few guidelines to ensure everything is in order.

Key rules for qualifying prior expenses

When it comes to reimbursing yourself for prior year expenses from your HSA, there are a few important things to keep in mind:

  • You can only reimburse yourself for expenses that occurred after you established your HSA.
  • You must have had an HSA at the time the expenses were incurred.
  • The expenses must have been considered eligible medical expenses by the IRS.

Recordkeeping for IRS compliance

It's essential to keep detailed records of your medical expenses and payments, as well as any reimbursements from your HSA, to ensure compliance with IRS regulations.

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