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At the end of the year many of us are trying to use this year's unused healthcare Flexible Spending Account (FSA) dollars before we loose them, and are also signing up for next year's election. Did you know that massage therapy might be eligible for FSA reimbursement? Depending on your particular plan, your massage may be covered if you have a doctor’s note or prescription for massage therapy to treat a particular ailment. Check with the administrator of your FSA to find out if you qualify.
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If you qualify, let me know and I will provide you with a receipt which you can turn in for reimbursement.
Savings Explained
For every pre-tax dollar you spend, you could save up to 30 cents. Here's an overly simplified illustration: Let's say you pay $70 for a massage with pretax money. That's the only cost. But if you paid for it with post-tax money, the massage will have cost almost $100 because you paid $70 for the massage plus the income taxes that you already paid on that $70 when you earned the money.
Flex Spending Account (FSA) explained
A Flexible Spending Account (FSA), also known as a Flexible Spending Arrangement, is one of a number of tax-advantaged financial accounts that can be set up through a cafeteria plan of an employer in the United States. It is a special account you put money into that you use to pay for certain out-of-pocket health care costs. You don’t pay taxes on this money. This means you’ll save an amount equal to the taxes you would have paid on the money you set aside. In most cases you save about 30% on your taxes.
You can use a Flexible Spending Account to pay for co-payments, deductibles, some drugs, and some other health care costs. FSAs are limited to $2500 per year. At the end of the year or grace period, you lose any money left over in your FSA. So it's important to plan carefully.
You can use a Flexible Spending Account to pay for co-payments, deductibles, some drugs, and some other health care costs. FSAs are limited to $2500 per year. At the end of the year or grace period, you lose any money left over in your FSA. So it's important to plan carefully.
Is Massage Eligible for FSA?
Your FSA expenses must be medically necessary to qualify for reimbursement. Because some health care services and products like massage therapy may be for both medical and non-medical reasons, your FSA administrator may request that your doctor confirm that the expense is a recommended treatment and is a direct result of a specific, diagnosed medical condition.
You also can set aside money for massage therapy for a spouse or child who are on your healthcare plan if he or she has a qualifying medical condition.
How to Qualify Massage for FSA
The IRS ruling states that medical care expenses must be primarily used to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental ailment. Examples of illnesses that qualify include carpal tunnel syndrome, stress, back pain, arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression and pain management.
If you suffer from one of the above conditions (and who isn't stressed?), you need to set up massage as a qualifying expense. If your FSA administrator won’t approve the expense, you can point them to a study on one benefit of massage. Remind them that the giant flexible spending account run by the federal government will approve reimbursement for massage if a doctor believes it to be medically necessary.
Once approved by your FSA administrator, you will need to let your practitioner know that you have an FSA account and that you want to use some of your funds toward massage for treatment or prevention of your condition. Most doctors are happy to oblige once you explain the reasoning to them.
Your physician will need to provide three pieces of information on the prescription:
Once you've obtained the prescription, save it in case you are ever asked to back up the expense. It's not necessary to bring the prescription to your massage.
If you suffer from one of the above conditions (and who isn't stressed?), you need to set up massage as a qualifying expense. If your FSA administrator won’t approve the expense, you can point them to a study on one benefit of massage. Remind them that the giant flexible spending account run by the federal government will approve reimbursement for massage if a doctor believes it to be medically necessary.
Once approved by your FSA administrator, you will need to let your practitioner know that you have an FSA account and that you want to use some of your funds toward massage for treatment or prevention of your condition. Most doctors are happy to oblige once you explain the reasoning to them.
Your physician will need to provide three pieces of information on the prescription:
- Medical necessity: why you need massage therapy (example: to relieve back pain)
- Frequency: number of sessions per month (example: minimum of two sessions per month)
- Duration: length of treatment (example: 12 months)
Once you've obtained the prescription, save it in case you are ever asked to back up the expense. It's not necessary to bring the prescription to your massage.
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Remember, with FSA accounts, if you don’t use it, you lose it. So why not use your hard earned dollars on something as beneficial as massage? The benefits are numerous and with your healthcare FSA, it may be more affordable too.
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