One of us got hearing aids this year which cost $4500. Can I submit this to my FSA and get the total amount I have for that account ($2600), and then let my spouse submit a claim on the spouses account for $1900? I'm worried that both accounts will send records to the IRS and the IRS will think we're trying to get a double reimbursement. I call customer service at my FSA and the guy didn't really seem sure about what he was saying...
2 Answers
Can a single expense be split between my and my spouses flexible spending account?
Yes, the IRS doesn't care so long as you're not double-dipping. I would specify the amount of reimbursement requested if the balances aren't fixed and/or wait for the first reimbursement before requesting the second.
This happens very frequently, it's easiest when you have FSA debit cards and can split at time of payment to the merchant, but no matter how you slice it this is a qualified expense that you can both pitch your FSA money to.
The customer service rep probably has access to the same slightly-vaguely worded information most insurance companies provide their customers regarding this. No, you can't submit the same expense to multiple accounts, but yes, you can use multiple accounts to pay off an expense. Confusing, right?
The way I've been sold this concept is that you should submit the expense to only 1 FSA at a time. If you submit the expense to Account A, and only $2,600 is available to pay it off, you could then submit the remaining balance to Account B. You should wait to have the first payment hit the account before submitting for the second payment rather than trying to submit to both accounts for specific amounts simultaneously.
answered Aug 16, 2018 at 17:55
