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Flexible Spending Accounts

 

 Contents:

 

FSA Overview

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) enable you to set aside some of your pay, on a pre-tax basis, into an account to pay for eligible health care or dependent care expenses. "Pre-tax" means you do not pay federal income or FICA taxes on the amount of money you put in the FSA. You save money due to a decrease in your taxable income. For reimbursement from your FSA account(s), you submit a claim form and required documentation to the spending account administrator, Benefit Express/WEX.

There are two types of Flexible Spending Accounts at Vanderbilt:

  • Health Care FSA reimburses items such as eyeglasses, copayments, prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs — any eligible health care expenses that are not covered by a benefit plan. The annual election minimums and maximums are $104 to $3,200 per employee. If you are married and you and your spouse are employed and offered FSA’s, the maximum election is $$3,200 each.
  • Dependent Day Care FSA reimburses the cost of day care expenses for your children (under the age of 13) or other eligible dependents (learn more irs.gov). The day care must be used as a means to allow you and/or your spouse to be gainfully employed. The annual election minimums and maximums for Dependent Day Care FSA are $104 to $2,500 per employee. If both spouses work, both can claim $2,500 - for a total household limit of $5,000.

The money contributed to your FSA account must be used during the calendar year; it does not carry over from year to year. You do have a grace period in which you are allowed additional time to incur claims for reimbursement. This grace period allows participants to incur claims up until March 15 of the following plan year. Money not used will be forfeited. Please plan your election amount carefully.

If you are on an unpaid leave and have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), your payroll contributions will stop until you return to work. Upon return to work, the remaining FSA election will be recalculated based on remaining payrolls and deducted from your pay.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) enable you to direct some of your pay, on a pre-tax basis, into an account to pay for eligible health care or dependent day care expenses. "Pre-tax" means you do not pay federal income or FICA taxes on the amount of money you put in the FSA. Because your income is going into your FSA account pre-tax, you save money by not paying income tax on that amount. The money contributed to your FSA account must be used during the calendar year and does not carry over from year to year. You do have a grace period (March 15 of the following plan year), in which you are allowed additional time to incur claims for reimbursement. Money not used will be forfeited. Please plan your election amount carefully. For additional details, please visit our Flexible Spending Account page.

Yes. Vanderbilt offers a health care FSA and a dependent day care FSA.

  • With the health care FSA, you can pay for your and your dependents’ eligible health-related expenses, up to the IRS limit of $3,050 per year. If both spouses work, both can claim up to $3,050. You have access to the full amount when you become eligible, even though the account is funded evenly from each paycheck you receive in the calendar year. For additional details, including how to submit a claim, please visit our Flexible Spending Account page. A complete list of eligible expenses can also be found in the Flexible Spending Account Summary Plan Description.
  • With the dependent day care FSA, you can pay for eligible day care services for your eligible dependents. You can contribute up to the IRS limit of $5,000 per household. If both spouses work, both can claim $2,500 - for a total household limit of $5,000. Dependent day care FSAs are not for medical expenses and can only be used for eligible day care services for your eligible dependents. The dependent day care flexible spending account is “pay as you go,” meaning that you only have access to the funds that you have contributed at that time. In most cases, you would pay for eligible daycare services up front and then submit a claim for reimbursement. For additional details, please visit our Flexible Spending Account page.

1. Log into My VU Benefits.
2. On the welcome page, scroll down to the section that says "Reimbursement Accounts (FSA/HRA)."

FSA1

3. Click on "View My Reimbursement Account."

FSA2

Putting pre-tax money from your paycheck into a flexible spending account lowers your taxable income, so you pay less income tax.

As long as you are employed, you can continue to make contributions to your FSA through payroll deduction. Medicare is not a determining factor, like it is for an HSA

How to enroll

For New Employees

If you want to enroll in an FSA, you must enroll within three months of your hire date. Then your FSA start date will be the first day of the month following 90 days of eligible employment. You can file and be reimbursed for claims for eligible services received on or after your FSA start date. Payroll deductions begin upon the first paycheck after eligibility. For example, if you were hired on July 10, your payroll deductions would start with your November paycheck. The amount you elect will be deducted evenly from each paycheck for that year, beginning with the first paycheck after three months of employment.

For Current Employees
To continue an FSA each calendar year, you must request FSA enrollment during the benefits Open Enrollment period each fall. The FSA start date will be January 1 of the next calendar year. You can file and be reimbursed for claims for eligible services received on or after your FSA start date. Payroll deductions begin upon the first paycheck after eligibility.

How to submit a claim

Benefit Express/WEX is Vanderbilt’s FSA and HRA vendor. There are three ways to submit your FSA claim:

  1. Online using the My VU Benefits. Log in with your VUnetID and ePassword and then click on the WEX FSA icon.
  2. Fax a receipt and the FSA Claim Form to 1.253.793.3766. You can find the FSA Claim Form online in Reimbursement Accounts (FSA/HRA) on your MyVU Benefits home page.
  3. Email a FSA Claim Form with receipts to claims@mybenefitexpress.com 

How to set up direct deposit for FSA reimbursements

How to enroll

  • Log into My VU Benefits and click on “Library” in the top bar.
  • Select “FSA – GENERAL” and you should see the FSA Direct Deposit Authorization form listed first in the menu.
  • Click on the link to download the form to your computer.
  • Print, complete and mail it to Vanderbilt’s FSA administrator, Benefit Express. If you choose to direct deposit your reimbursements into a checking account, you should include a voided check with your completed form.

fsa

FSA Direct Deposit FAQs

How often are direct deposit reimbursements processed?
Direct deposit reimbursement claims are processed daily.

Once processed, how long will it be before my direct deposit is issued?
There is typically a one week turnaround. For claims submitted on Wednesdays, there is a possible 10- day turnaround.

Once my direct deposit is issued, when will the money be in my account?
Your money should be in your account within one to two business days, depending on your bank.

After I set up direct deposit, when will it take effect?
It will take effect within a week of Benefit Express receiving your form. Please note: If you submit a direct deposit form and a reimbursement on the same day, you may receive a check for that claim, but going forward, you will be reimbursed via direct deposit unless you note otherwise.

End of employment - Submitting Claims

If your employment with Vanderbilt ends, you may still submit claims to be reimbursed. However the claims must be incurred prior to your end of employment date. You can still use the Flexible Spending Account Reimbursement Request Form and submit your claims to Benefit Express by the deadline of the run-out period, which is April 15. To obtain claim forms and review your balance you must register at  myfsaexpress.com . For tips on registering click  here .

Resources

Benefit Express

IRS Information

Contact information

Benefit Express
claims@mybenefitexpress.com
Customer Service: 1.833.238.2639 select 4 for reimbursement accounts, then 1 for FSA accounts

 

updated 01/11/2022