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Health Savings Account coverage date
originally posted: 11/22/2006
reposted: 2/18/2011 This post has not been recently
reviewed or revised by the author and may be out of date. If you notice an error or are in doubt, please send a new question by email or ask for an update. Email asktony@tonynovak.com.
Q:
If I open an HSA account any time during the year, are medical expensive incurred in the same year but prior to opening the HSA account and funding it eligible for the pretax treatment?
A:
Expenses incurred after the health savings account has been funded may be paid with tax-free HSA funds. It is the date that the expense is incurred that matters for this purpose, not the date that you made the payment to the medical provider. (This response was updated after 2004 based on more recent IRS interpretations of trust account law).
Summary
More resources:
healthsavingsaccount-hsa.com