October 22, 2024

The IRS released 2025 limits for FSAs, commuter benefits, adoption assistance, and more.

November 9, 2023

The IRS has announced 2024 contribution limits for Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption Assistance Programs and Commuter Plans. 

November 6, 2019

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released additional qualified benefit plan contribution limits for 2020, including limits for flexible spending accounts (FSA) and Commuter Benefit accounts.

July 2, 2024

You likely have a primary care physician and hospital relatively close by, but there may be times when you need to travel outside your local area to see a specialist for diagnosis and/or treatment. Medically related travel expenses can add up quickly, and your healthcare FSA or HSA can be used for many of them.

December 20, 2023

On November 9,2023, the IRS issued IRS Revenue Procedure 2023-34, which address annual inflation adjustments for more than 60 tax provisions. Included are new limits for Flexible Spending Accounts, Commuter Benefits and various other code provisions.

December 20, 2023

Open enrollment is one of the busiest times of year for employee benefits professionals. It’s a stressful season that typically results in questions and complaints and comes with a high potential for both employer and employee mistakes.

August 24, 2023

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) are designed to reimburse medical care expenses. IRS Code says that expenses must be for the “diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease, or for the purpose of affecting any structure of function of the body”, but what if something can be used to cure a disease and for general health? In these cases you must use the "but for" test. 

On March 11, 2021 President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), which provides financial relief to employers and employees affected by the COVID 19 pandemic. The legislation included several provisions affecting health benefits:

February 17, 2021

Today, savings and spending plan participants can swipe their benefit card and funds are automatically deducted from their benefit account(s) for eligible expenses. The benefit card eliminates most out-of-pocket cash outlays and paperwork, as well as the need for reimbursement checks. Some FSA and HRA debit card transactions, however, may still require substantiation. These substantiation requests can be a real pain point for employers and plan participants, so here are some helpful details to provide clarity.

February 17, 2021

As we get further into 2021, it is unclear when the COVID-19 national emergency ("Outbreak Period") will end. However, the temporary extension of certain benefits time frames can be no more than one year (ending at the latest on February 28, 2021). Health and benefits professionals and their advisors should be aware of the imminent end to the relief and start planning to rollback processes to regular time frames effective March 1, 2021. 

February 17, 2021

The 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) was signed into law on December 27, 2020. Designed to provide economic relief for victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, the relief provided limited provisions that directly affect limited, health, and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSAs). Employers have the option to take advantage of any of these non-mandatory provisions, as long as their plan is amended to do so. 

January 28, 2021

It has been a month since President Trump signed into law new economic relief called the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) 2021. The relief contained provisions affecting Health FSAs and Dependent Care FSAs.

October 27, 2020

The IRS has announced new qualified benefit plan limits for 2021. You can also find these and historical qualified benefit plan limits in this handy reference guide.

August 31, 2020

Earlier this year, the IRS provided increased flexibility allowing for mid-year changes to FSAs and other benefit plans due to the COVID-19 crisis. Previously, mid-year plan changes were only allowed following a qualifying life event such as marriage or the birth of a child. Now a qualifying event may not be necessary, but there is one caveat: FSA mid-year changes are only available if an employer allows them.

August 31, 2020

Due to COVID-19, there has been a dramatic increase in work-from-home arrangements over the last five months. Employers now have increased flexibility to make changes to their Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA) programs and allow employees to spend down their prior plan year DCFSA accounts. Here are some options available to employers based on IRS Notice 2020-29 and additional guidance. 

June 5, 2020

In response to questions we have received related to the benefit plans we administer, Chard Snyder has compiled these helpful resources to provide guidance for our partners. Answers include the most recent information shared by the U.S. government and its agencies regarding the impact of COVID-19 on these services.

May 13, 2020

The Internal Revenue Service has released two notices to allow temporary changes to section 125 cafeteria plans and provide additional flexibility to participants

April 16, 2020

Watch Chard Snyder's webinar featuring Darcy Hitesman, an Employee Benefits Attorney, to learn about "COVID-19 and Its Impact on Health Plans, HSAs, and Cafeteria Plans."
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March 30, 2020

On Friday, March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to aid businesses, workers, and the U.S. healthcare system in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

February 27, 2020

For employees, the main downside to a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) can be the “use-it-or-lose-it” rule. If an employee doesn’t incur enough qualified expenses to use all FSA funds, any leftover balance generally reverts back to the employer after the end of the year.

November 25, 2019

You likely have a primary care physician and hospital relatively close by, but there may be times when you need to travel outside your local area to see a specialist for diagnosis and/or treatment. Medically related travel expenses can add up quickly, and your healthcare FSA or HSA can be used for many of them. What's eligible?

November 25, 2019

The state of California has enacted Assembly Bill No. 1554 (AB-1554) into law, which becomes effective January 1, 2020. The law imposes new notification requirements for California employers that sponsor a health flexible spending accounts (FSA). California employers must notify FSA plan participants of the “use it or lose it rule," using at least two different forms, before each plan year’s end. 

August 27, 2019

It's not uncommon for there to be multiple FSA accounts in a single household if the adults in the home each have one through their employer. Since an FSA lets you apply tax-free dollars towards eligible medical expenses, it makes sense financially for everyone in the family to take advantage of the benefit. But understanding how to manage FSA accounts with different employers can be confusing.

October 20, 2017

In order for a Flexible Spending Account to be eligible for COBRA continuation, there must be a positive balance at the time the employee experiences the qualifying event.