FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS Open Enrollment

ENROLLMENT Open Enrollment is usually held late October and includes the first week in November with an effective date of January 1, the following year. All enrollment forms must be submitted to the Benefits Coordinator by the end of open enrollment.

Contributions to Flexible Spending Accounts Are Pre-tax Tax elimination – not tax deferral Taxes

What are these benefits? Flexible Spending Accounts, governed by the IRS, allow employees to have income withheld from their paychecks before taxes for eventual reimbursement of certain expenses. PASSHE offers two types of FSA’s – a medical reimbursement account and a dependent care reimbursement account.

Dependent Definition Dependents include all family members whose health care expenses would be an allowable deduction on the employee’s federal income tax return.

Medical Reimbursement Account Employees designate the amount to be deducted from their pay to cover out-of-pocket medical expenses for self and dependents. $3,500 annual maximum

Federal – Approximately 15% to 30% State – 3.07% Local – % varies FICA (Social Security) % Medical Reimbursement Account Tax Savings

Eligible Medical Expenses Major Medical deductibles PPO/HMO office visit co-pays Prescription co-pays and deductibles Dental and vision expenses Lasik eye surgery Hearing Aids Many over-the-counter items & more

Ineligible Medical Expenses Expenses not allowed on income tax return Cosmetic surgery Expenses paid through other sources Insurance premiums

Example WITHOUT a Medical Reimbursement Account: Married, claiming 2 exemptions & who incurs $2000 of annual medical expenses not covered on health insurance Gross Bi-weekly Salary $1, Bi-weekly contribution (0) Taxable Income $1, Total Tax Withheld $ _____________________________ Bi-weekly Tax Savings (0) Annual Tax Savings (0)

Same Example WITH a Medical Reimbursement Account: Gross Bi-weekly Salary $1, Bi-weekly Contribution $76.92 Taxable Income $1, Total Tax Withheld $ ______________________________ Bi-weekly Tax Savings $20.56 Annual Tax Savings $534.56

Dependent Care Reimbursement Account Employees designate amount to be deducted from pay to cover dependent care expenses $5,000 annual maximum per family

Dependent Care Reimbursement Account: SAVINGS Federal – Approximately 15% to 30% FICA (Social Security) %

Dependent Care Definition A dependent is defined as an individual under age 13 or a spouse or other individual who is physically or mentally unable to take care of themselves and who qualifies as a dependent for income tax purposes.

Eligible Dependent Expenses Eligible expenses are those that enable you & your spouse (if married) to work or look for work Child care centers with 6+ children (must meet IRS qualification definition) Caregivers for disabled spouse or dependent living with you Babysitters Nursery Schools Before & After school care

Ineligible Dependent Expenses Babysitting for social events Charges for overnight camp Educational expenses (kindergarten and beyond) Expenses taken as child care credit on income tax return

Employee Estimates Annual Expenses & Enrolls in Plan Equal Amounts Deducted From Paycheck Employee/ Dependent Incurs Expenses Employee Files Claim for Reimbursement Eligible Expenses Processed Eligible Expenses Reimbursed Through Biweekly Paycheck HOW IT WORKS

Filing Claims for Reimbursement Claims must total more than $25.00 per submittal, except for claims filed after the plan year ends. After this time, and before March 31, claims may be submitted for any amount, not to exceed enrolled plan allowance.

FSA Enrollment Plan Year January 1 – December 31 Annual Open Enrollment period Mid-year changes to elections only if “Status Change” defined by IRS (i.e. marriage, divorce, additional dependent) Must re-enroll each year to stay in medical/dependent care accounts

All claims are processed in Harrisburg for confidentiality purposes. PRIVACY

Estimate Expenses Carefully! Funds not spent through reimbursement accounts are forfeited and used to fund plan administration.

QUESTIONS?