What's your FSA contribution "magic number?"
Figuring out how much to contribute to your FSA is a bit like deciding how much food to bring on a backpacking trip. Once you get out in the wilderness, you're stuck with the rations you've brought - if you packed too much, you may have to toss it along the way. If you packed too little, you'll have to end the trip early.
Because you can't change FSA contributions mid-year unless you have a qualifying event, like changes in marital or work status, it pays to contribute the right amount. Contribute too little and you may end up with some hefty out-of-pocket expenses.
Contribute too much and you'll be faced with a dilemma - roll over up to $640 to the next year or try to spend the remaining balance in the first two and a half months (if your employer permits). Everyone has a magic number for how much they should contribute to their FSA. Here's one way to find yours.
Go through last year's expenses
The best way to decide how much to save for health care expenses is to look at how much you spent the previous year. Log on to your insurance account and see if you can find the total amount you paid, not including monthly premiums.
Include how much you spent for all medical expenses, such as glasses and contacts, prescriptions, counseling and therapy visits, medical devices, dental visits and more. Then, examine those expenses and determine how common they were. If your only visits to the doctor were because of ordinary problems like the flu or sinus infection, you can probably estimate this next year will be the same.
If you ran into a major health problem, you should evaluate if next year will be similar. Some issues, like diabetes or asthma, require more-frequent doctors' visits. Others, like appendicitis, happen once a lifetime.
If you had a costly medical emergency, consider the likelihood that it will occur again and whether or not to include that figure in your estimate.
Compare health insurance plans
Even if you're signing up for a similar health insurance policy, the deductibles, copays and coinsurance rates might change from year to year. Compare the figures to see if you'll be paying more and adjust your FSA contribution accordingly.
For example, if your health insurance copay is increasing from $40 a visit to $60, add up how many visits you made last year and multiply them by $20.
Think ahead about major procedures
Sometimes you know about major operations and procedures ahead of time, so you can plan ahead. If you know this is the year when you're going to get LASIK surgery or finally get your knees replaced, call the insurance company to get an estimate of those costs.
Most of the time you can get an accurate idea of the expenses you're facing. If the insurance company can only guess what your costs might be, go with the higher end of the estimate. This way, you'll be covered in case you end up paying more.
What if you picked the wrong number?
If you end up saving more than you needed, ask your HR rep about the company's rollover policy. Most will either let you roll over up to $640 or give you a grace period of 2.5 months to spend the remainder (they cannot offer both and are not required to offer either). If you saved too little, try upping your contributions next year to maximize your tax-free benefits.
Finding your FSA magic number is essentially a guessing game. Don't be surprised if you estimate too much or too little the first time you do it. It's all about taking charge of your finances and making the most educated guess possible.
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