To check your FSA balance, log into your FSA administrator’s website or mobile app, call the member services number on the back of your FSA debit card, or open your most recent account statement. Your employer doesn’t run the account directly — a third-party administrator does, and that company is who holds the current number. If you’re not sure which administrator handles your plan, look at the back of your debit card, check your employer’s benefits portal, or ask HR. Common ones include HealthEquity, WageWorks, Optum Financial, and Navia Benefit Solutions.
Three Ways to See the Number
Once you know the administrator, any of these will get you a current balance.
- Online portal or mobile app. Log in with the credentials you set up at enrollment. The dashboard shows your total annual election, what you’ve spent, what’s been reimbursed, and what’s left. First-time users register with name, date of birth, and either a Social Security number or an employer-assigned ID.
- Phone. The number on your debit card connects to an automated system that reads your balance after you verify your identity. A representative can walk through specific transactions if something looks off.
- Debit card alerts and statements. Many administrators text or email a balance update after each card swipe if you’ve opted in, and periodic Explanation of Benefits statements summarize recent claims and remaining funds.
Whichever route you use, look at two figures, not one: your remaining balance and any pending claims. A pending claim is an expense you’ve submitted that hasn’t been processed yet. Once approved, it reduces what’s available.
What the Balance Actually Means
Health care FSAs work in a way that surprises people the first time they check. Your entire annual election is available on the first day of the plan year, no matter how little you’ve contributed through payroll so far.1Internal Revenue Service. Publication 969 – Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans If you elected $3,400 and the plan year started January 1, all $3,400 is spendable in January even though only one or two paychecks have been deducted. This is the uniform coverage rule, and it means your “available balance” isn’t limited to what you’ve paid in. It’s your total election minus what you’ve already spent or claimed.
Dependent care FSAs are different. You can only be reimbursed up to the amount actually deposited into the account at the time you submit the claim. So if you check a dependent care FSA balance in February, you’ll see roughly what’s been payroll-deducted so far, not your full annual election.
Pending Claims and Receipt Requests
The balance shown online can move for reasons besides new purchases. Some debit card transactions auto-verify at checkout because the merchant’s system confirms the item is eligible. Others require you to send documentation after the fact, and the administrator will flag those and give you a window — typically around 30 days — to respond.
Valid documentation is an itemized receipt or Explanation of Benefits showing the provider, date of service, description of the expense, and amount charged.2FSAFEDS. Eligible Health Care FSA Expenses Credit card and bank statements don’t count, because they don’t show what was purchased. Miss the deadline and your card can be deactivated; the unverified amount may also be treated as taxable income. A simple habit fixes most of this: photograph every receipt the day you get it and keep them in one folder on your phone.
Deadlines That Decide Whether Your Balance Survives
The single most important thing to know once you’ve checked your balance is when that money expires. Health FSAs are use-it-or-lose-it. Money left in the account at the end of the plan year is generally forfeited, your employer can’t refund it, and it doesn’t roll over on its own.1Internal Revenue Service. Publication 969 – Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans
Employers can offer one of two safety valves, but not both:
- Grace period. An extra two and a half months after the plan year ends to incur new expenses against last year’s balance. For a plan year ending December 31, that runs through March 15.1Internal Revenue Service. Publication 969 – Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans
- Carryover. Up to $680 of unused funds rolls into the next plan year (the 2026 limit, adjusted for inflation). Anything above $680 is still forfeited.3FSAFEDS. New 2026 Maximum Limit Updates
A run-out period is a separate thing, and it’s the source of most confusion. It gives you extra time (often 90 days) to submit claims for expenses you already had during the plan year. It does not let you make new purchases after the year ends. Check your plan documents so you know which combination applies to you, because guessing wrong here is how people forfeit hundreds of dollars.
If your balance is checking-account small and the year is nearly over, you’re fine. If it’s larger and the deadline is close, schedule the dental cleaning, replace the glasses, refill the prescriptions, and restock eligible supplies now.
What You Can Actually Spend It On
The IRS defines eligible expenses broadly: costs for diagnosing, treating, or preventing disease, or for treatments affecting any structure or function of the body.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 213 – Medical, Dental, Etc., Expenses In practice that covers doctor and specialist visit costs, your share of prescription costs, deductibles and coinsurance, dental work (cleanings, fillings, crowns, orthodontia), vision care (exams, glasses, contacts, solution), and mental health care including therapy and substance abuse treatment. Since the CARES Act took effect in 2020, over-the-counter medications and menstrual products are eligible without a prescription.1Internal Revenue Service. Publication 969 – Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans
What’s off-limits: health insurance premiums, cosmetic procedures, gym memberships, general toiletries, and long-term care services.1Internal Revenue Service. Publication 969 – Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans If you’re not sure about a specific item, use your administrator’s online eligibility tool before buying. Getting reimbursed for something ineligible and not paying it back turns that amount into taxable income.
One planning note for orthodontia or other multi-year treatment: because health FSA funds expire each year, you’ll want to time payments to match each plan year rather than pay everything up front. Most orthodontists can set up a schedule that lines up with your FSA cycle.
When the Balance Disappears Before You Expect
Leaving your job cuts off access to your health FSA on your termination date. You can still submit claims for expenses you had before that date, but new purchases stop. If you’ve contributed more than you’ve been reimbursed, your employer must offer COBRA continuation for the FSA, which lets you keep incurring eligible expenses through the plan year — but you pay the full contribution yourself plus a 2% administrative fee, without payroll pre-tax treatment.
COBRA rarely makes financial sense for an FSA unless you have significant planned medical costs before year-end. If you know you’re leaving, the better move is to use the balance while you’re still employed: book the dental visit, refill prescriptions, and buy the eligible supplies you’ll need.
Dependent care FSAs are harsher. There’s no COBRA option. You can only be reimbursed for eligible dependent care expenses incurred while you were employed, and only up to what’s already been payroll-deducted. Anything you elected but hadn’t yet contributed is simply lost.5HealthCare.gov. Using a Flexible Spending Account