It can be challenging to understand which products are eligible for reimbursement. Thankfully, many store receipts have codes to indicate eligible items. These codes vary by vendor, so this guide will help you see what’s HRA-eligible and provide other helpful tips to maximize your benefit no matter where you shop.
Below are examples of receipts from several stores where we’ve highlighted the essential information. It’s also helpful to understand that even if a receipt doesn’t indicate an item is HSA-eligible, it may still be eligible.
Amazon:
Amazon receipts will show the eligibility of products under the item description. They also break down the total amount you can request for reimbursement near the bottom under the payment information. Not all Amazon receipts look like this. It’s also important to know that we use the order date to verify the expense and cannot use the shipping date.
Costco:
The “F” to the left of the item description indicates that this item is FSA-eligible and eligible with your HRA. This receipt also shows that this item received a discount. Looking at the bottom of the receipt, you can see the FSA-eligible portion before discounts and tax and the FSA total at the bottom after discounts and tax. This is the amount you can request. The “A” to the item description’s right shows that the “A” rate was used to calculate this item’s tax.
CVS:
The bottom of the receipt explains that the “F” on the left side of the item means this item is FSA-eligible and eligible with your HRA. The total at the bottom includes tax and is usually the total you can request for reimbursement. In this case, a coupon reduced the cost, but the total did not reflect this change. Your employer can only reimburse you for the amount you’re responsible for paying, so it’s important to be aware of coupons and discounts.
HEB:
The “H” to the right of the item description indicates that these items are HSA-eligible and eligible with your HRA. Above the total sale, the receipt also shows the FSA subtotal, the total amount you can request for reimbursement. If your receipt is cut off and doesn’t show the purchase date at the bottom, we can use the long number near the top to determine the date.
HSAstore.com:
All items on the HSA Store are eligible for reimbursement. You need to submit dental and vision items in a separate request from medical items.
Kroger:
Receipts from stores owned by Kroger, such as Fred Meyer’s, Fry’s, and Smith’s, often look very similar. The “FX” to the left of the item description indicates that these items are FSA-eligible and eligible with your HRA. The tax for eligible items is also eligible for reimbursement, but you cannot include the tax for ineligible items.
Rite Aid:
The “H” to the right of the item description indicates that this item is HSA-eligible and eligible with your HRA.
Sam’s Club:
The “H” to the left of the item description indicates that this item is HSA-eligible and eligible with your HRA.
Target:
The key on the bottom of the receipt shows that the “+” indicates an eligible Health Item. The Health Item Total is the total amount you can request for reimbursement. If you need to calculate the tax, the “T” indicates that, in this instance, the item receives a 6% tax.
Walgreens:
The “FSA” to the left of the item description indicates that these items are FSA-eligible and eligible with your HRA. The bottom of the receipt shows the total eligible amount for this receipt, including tax.
Walmart:
The “H” at the end of the item’s SKU number indicates that this item is HSA-eligible and eligible with your HRA. Item descriptions are sometimes unclear, so if an item doesn’t have an “H” next to it, you may need to attach a photo of the item(s) you purchased so we can determine its eligibility.
Other helpful tips
- Item descriptions don’t always provide enough information for us to find the exact product to determine its eligibility. If you find a description unclear, please attach a photo of the item when you submit your request.
- You can submit one request for every eligible item on your receipt, even if some items are in different categories (pain relievers and antacids, for example). The only exception is that you can’t submit dental and vision items with medical items.
- Dental and vision expenses (such as denture cleaners and contact solution) can be submitted together but can’t be submitted with medical products (Aspirin, menstrual supplies). This is because of HSA coordination rules; please see the related articles for more information.
- If your receipt contains both eligible and ineligible items and doesn’t indicate the tax rate for each product, you can calculate the average tax rate of each item. To do so, divide the total tax by the subtotal to find the tax rate; you can apply this to the total cost of the eligible items.
- When calculating the total you’re eligible to receive, it’s important to note that eligible items sometimes are not taxed. Many receipts may tell you when a product is taxed and how much, but you may have to look at the tax rate for your area to find out.
- Make sure to account for discounts, as you can only receive reimbursement for the total you’re responsible for paying. Receipts that show the total eligible amount don’t always account for manufacturer’s discounts, so you may need to calculate the total eligible amount yourself.
- Due to IRS guidelines, payments made with HSA or FSA cards aren’t eligible for reimbursement. We also can’t verify payments made with rewards points as they aren’t typically exchangeable for legal tender.