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Yes, you can use flex spending for hearing aids Find out what's covered by HSA and FSA accounts Contributed by Joy Victory, managing editor, Healthy Hearing Last updated December 10, 20242024-12-10T00:00:00-06:00 Key points: Health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) help people reduce the burden of out-of-pocket medical care. Hearing aids and accessories like chargers and cleaning kits are considered qualifiying medical expenses. If you have money set aside in an FSA, you must spend the full amount each calendar year. It will not roll over. If you've got hearing loss and need to buy hearing aids, it's a very good idea to use HSA or FSA funds for this purchase. Why? Because hearing aids are not covered by Medicare nor by many health insurance plans, so using pre-tax money reduces your out-of-pocket expenses. What kind of hearing care expenses are covered? The following are typically considered “qualifying medical expenses,” meaning you can use your savings accounts for these purchases: Hearing aids and related services, such as co-pays, exam fees and repairs Hearing aid chargers and batteries Hearing assistive devices, such as captioned phones Ear cleaning kits Quick definitions Health savings account HSAs are “a type of savings account that lets you set aside money on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualified medical expenses,” according to HealthCare.gov. You can contribute to an HSA only if you have an HSA-eligible plan (also called a High Deductible Health Plan). You can roll over the money year after year. The money may also earn interest and is not taxed. Flexible spending account FSAs are similar but offered by employers and do not roll over year after year. When you have an FSA, you put pre-tax money from your salary into the account to pay for out-of-pocket health expenses. This helps you save money. The downside? There are limits on how much you can put in an FSA and all the money must be spent within the calendar year. Here's a handy comparison chart on the two. Hearing aids are tax deductible More good news: Hearing aids and other costs related to treating hearing loss can be included as medical deductions on your taxes. This is another good way to reduce the price of hearing aids, which can reach upwards of $6,000. More: Hearing aids and tax time: What to know. Joy Victory, managing editor, Healthy Hearing Joy Victory has extensive experience editing consumer health information. Her training in particular has focused on how to best communicate evidence-based medical guidelines and clinical trial results to the public. She strives to make health content accurate, accessible and engaging to the public. Read more about Joy. Related Help Pages: Hearing aids Prices Insurance & financial assistance Medicare Batteries Assistive listening devices and systems

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Yes, you can use flex spending for hearing aids

Find out what's covered by HSA and FSA accounts

Contributed by Joy Victory, managing editor, Healthy Hearing
Last updated December 10, 20242024-12-10T00:00:00-06:00

Key points:

Health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) help people reduce the burden of out-of-pocket medical care.
Hearing aids and accessories like chargers and cleaning kits are considered qualifiying medical expenses.
If you have money set aside in an FSA, you must spend the full amount each calendar year. It will not roll over.

If you've got hearing loss and need to buy hearing aids, it's a very good idea to use HSA or FSA funds for this purchase.

Why? Because hearing aids are not covered by Medicare nor by many health insurance plans, so using pre-tax money reduces your out-of-pocket expenses.

Can you use HSA and FSA for hearing aids? What to know

What kind of hearing care expenses are covered?

The following are typically considered “qualifying medical expenses,” meaning you can use your savings accounts for these purchases:

Hearing aids and related services, such as co-pays, exam fees and repairs
Hearing aid chargers and batteries
Hearing assistive devices, such as captioned phones
Ear cleaning kits

Quick definitions

Health savings account

HSAs are “a type of savings account that lets you set aside money on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualified medical expenses,” according to HealthCare.gov. You can contribute to an HSA only if you have an HSA-eligible plan (also called a High Deductible Health Plan). You can roll over the money year after year. The money may also earn interest and is not taxed.

Flexible spending account

FSAs are similar but offered by employers and do not roll over year after year. When you have an FSA, you put pre-tax money from your salary into the account to pay for out-of-pocket health expenses. This helps you save money. The downside? There are limits on how much you can put in an FSA and all the money must be spent within the calendar year.

Here's a handy comparison chart on the two.

Hearing aids are tax deductible

More good news: Hearing aids and other costs related to treating hearing loss can be included as medical deductions on your taxes. This is another good way to reduce the price of hearing aids, which can reach upwards of $6,000.

More: Hearing aids and tax time: What to know.

Joy Victory, managing editor, Healthy Hearing

Joy Victory has extensive experience editing consumer health information. Her training in particular has focused on how to best communicate evidence-based medical guidelines and clinical trial results to the public. She strives to make health content accurate, accessible and engaging to the public. Read more about Joy.

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