I used CareCredit to pay for Dental expenses in 2016. Can I use my HSA to make monthly CareCredit payments?

[dmertz]

The establishment date of an old HSA only carries over to the new HSA if the owner had a non-zero balance in the old HSA at some point in the 18 month period ending on the date that money was first deposited into the new HSA.

[Opus 17]

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@dmertz wrote:

The establishment date of an old HSA only carries over to the new HSA if the owner had a non-zero balance in the old HSA at some point in the 18 month period ending on the date that money was first deposited into the new HSA.

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@dmertz do you have private messaging turned off?  I wanted to ask a personal question but I can't select you in the PM field.

[dmertz]

@Opus 17 , try now.

[Joygill]

Actually, if you call Care Credit and ask for the routing number and account number that is associated with your Card, they will give it to you.  I did it, and it was simple.  Then I paid the Care Credit using those numbers instead of the card numbers, and it worked.

[Carina8080]

Hi, I have an HSA. Can I reimburse myself for a medical expense that my fiancé will incur now. He’s not on my HSA but after we get married in June, he will be on my HSA?

[dmertz]

Medical expenses incurred by your fiancé before you are married are not medical expenses incurred by your spouse and cannot be paid from your HSA.  Only the medical expenses he incurs while you are married are medical expenses of your spouse.

[Anonymous]

Could someone please confirm this one, hypothetical scenario one more time?

- qualified medial procedure completed in 2019, fully paid for by Care credit card 

- making monthly payments from personal checking account on Care credit card throughout 2020 to pay off the balance (no interest, no bank fees)

Will my FSA (Navia) reimburse me for these monthly payments I’m making in 2020 to payoff Care credit card balance that originated from the medical procedure in 2019?

[NCperson]

@Anonymous - normally an FSA is 'use or lose it' in the year the medical expense occurred. 

they should only be paying out for the medical expense in the year that it occured.  it's not about when you pay the provider , it's about the date the medical expense occured.    

[Opus 17]

@Anonymous 

Since you have posted this question in 2022 and are referring to 2019 expenses and a 2020 FSA, I am a bit confused.

However, I believe the FSA can only reimburse you for expenses that occur during the year of the FSA, and you usually have a two or 3 month grace period after the end of the FS a year to apply for reimbursement.  For purposes of the FSA, you incurred the expense in the year you had the work done, not when you paid for it.  If you have work done in 2019, you could use a 2019 FSA to pay for it but not a later year.