Flexible Spending Accounts

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) allow you to contribute a portion of your pay on a pre-tax basis up to IRS contribution limits to pay for eligible health care and/or dependent care expenses.

The rule regarding using funds during the calendar year apply and your FSA may be subject to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) “Use it or Lose” rule as noted below.

FSAs expire every year on December 31 (you have until April 30 to submit expenses incurred during the prior year). You must re-enroll in FSAs each year during Open Enrollment.

How To Enroll in an FSA

To enroll in an FSA, visit eServe within 30 days of becoming benefits-eligible, within 31 days of a qualifying life event, or during the university’s annual Open Enrollment period.

After you enroll in an FSA, EBPA, Tufts' FSA vendor, will send you a benefits debit card along with step-by-step instructions to set up an online account. When registering, you must enter the Tufts University Employer ID, CBA10803. Then enter your Employee ID number, which is your Social Security Number.

Eligibility for Health Care and/or Dependent Care FSAs

• All eligible employees must have a Social Security Number (or ITIN) and pay FICA taxes to enroll in this benefit.
• Benefits-eligible Faculty and Staff:
  • Staff: Regularly scheduled to work at least 17.5 hours a week for a minimum 90-day period
  • Faculty: Half-time or more with an appointment of at least two semesters (as determined by the academic department)
• Postdoctoral Scholars: Regularly scheduled to work at least 17.5 hours a week with at least a twelve-month appointment
• International Employees: Regularly scheduled to work at least 17.5 hours a week for a minimum 90-day period

Health Care FSA

The Health Care FSA lets you pay for eligible health care expenses for you and your eligible tax dependents using pre-tax dollars, such as deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. Your health plan premium is not an eligible expense. 

Restriction: Please note that you may not contribute to both the Health Care FSA and the Health Savings Account (HSA) in any given calendar year. You (or your spouse) cannot simultaneously contribute to an HSA and a Health Care FSA. Because FSAs can be used to pay for each other's medical expenses, one spouse contributing to an FSA disqualifies the other from HSA eligibility. You do not need to be covered by your spouse's health coverage to be considered covered by their FSA.

Many over-the-counter (OTC) medications are eligible for reimbursement through your Health Care FSA. You can use your EBPA debit card, or you can pay for the OTC medications out-of-pocket and submit receipts for reimbursement to EBPA. More information is included on this list of FSA-Eligible Health Care Expenses.

You may contribute an amount up to the annual limit set by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS):

• 2025 Health Care FSA Limit: $3,300 per employee
• 2026 Health Care FSA Limit: $3,400 per employee

Minimums and Carryover Provision 

• $100 minimum annual enrollment contribution required to enroll in a Health Care FSA.  
• For 2025: IRS guidelines permit active employees to carry over between $100 and $660 of unused contributions from their Health Care FSA into 2026. The amount carried over will not count against the IRS limit for the following year.
• For 2026: IRS guidelines permit active employees to carry over between $100 and $680 of unused contributions from their Health Care FSA into 2027. The amount carried over will not count against the IRS limit for the following year.
• Unused Health Care FSA contributions for active employees that are carried over into the next plan year must be used to pay for or reimburse eligible health care expenses for you and your tax dependents. Health Care FSA carryover is not available if you are enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) in the year in which the carryover occurs.
• Unused amounts under the previously stated minimum or over the maximum permitted for the plan year are forfeited under the IRS “Use It or Lose” rule. This means active employees may carry over a minimum of $100 and a maximum permitted for the plan year of unused contributions in your Health Care FSA into the next year. 

Dependent Care FSA

The Dependent Care FSA lets you pay for day care, elder care, and other eligible dependent care expenses using pre-tax dollars. Per the IRS, use it when dependent care is necessary to allow both you and your spouse/domestic partner to work or your spouse/domestic partner to attend school full-time. The limit applies to each family for dependent children (less than age 13) or adult/elder daycare expenses.

Since your individual situation determines if this account is appropriate for you, we suggest that you consult a tax advisor before enrolling in the Dependent Care FSA.

• Contribute any amount between $100 and the annual limit set by the IRS: 
  • 2025 Dependent Care FSA Limit: $5,000 per family
  • 2026 Dependent Care FSA Limit: $7,500 per family
• For dependent care services (child daycare), you must verify that your child is under age 13.
• There is no carryover provision for Dependent Care FSA. The IRS “Use it or Lose” rule applies; if you do not incur eligible expenses during the calendar year in which you were enrolled, you forfeit the funds in the subsequent year.

How to Submit a Claim

Use your Benefits Debit card to pay for eligible expenses or pay out of pocket and submit your claim online for reimbursement.

• EBPA Benefits Card FAQs (PDF)
• How to Submit Claims Online (PDF)
• FSA-Health Care Reimbursement Form (PDF)
• FSA-Dependent Care Reimbursement Form (PDF)

How Health Care FSA Funds Are Used (Current Year and Carryover)

When you use your FSA card or submit a claim for an eligible expense during the new calendar year—including during the runout period (up to 120 days after the previous plan year ends)—your funds are used in this order:

1. Current Year Funds First: If enrolled, any money you elected for the new calendar year will be used first to pay for eligible expenses.
2. Carryover Funds Second: Once your current year funds are depleted, any available carryover money from the previous year (up to the allowed limit) will be used next.

• Important Note:
  • This process happens automatically, whether or not you have actively re-enrolled in a Health Care FSA for the new plan year.
  • If you didn’t re-enroll but still have eligible carryover funds, you can use those funds for new expenses incurred in the new year during the runout period.  However, keep in mind that if using these funds reduces your prior year’s unused balance below the minimum threshold amount of $100, you will no longer be eligible for the carryover and your remaining FSA balance with be forfeited.

Important Reminders for FSAs

• When you initially enroll in a Health Care and/or Dependent Care FSA, you will receive a letter from EBPA with information on online account setup and using the Benefits Debit Card, which you will receive the first year you enroll. Each following year, your card will be electronically updated with your new FSA election.
• If you contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA), you cannot contribute to a Health Care FSA, nor are you eligible for the Health Care FSA carryover. Learn more about Health Savings Accounts at AccessTufts Health Plans.
• The IRS allows you to submit requests for reimbursement until April 30 for eligible FSA expenses that you incurred while enrolled during the prior calendar year.
• Expenses incurred before your FSA participation commences or after you cease participation cannot be reimbursed.
• If you leave the university or your benefits eligibility changes, you will have a 120-day run-out period following your benefits termination date to submit eligible FSA expenses incurred earlier in the plan year in which you were enrolled.

For More Information

For more information about your FSAs or questions, call EBPA at 888-678-3457 or visit the EBPA website.