A Healthy Way to Increase Your Retirement Savings: HSAs
If you don't like paying taxes, health savings accounts could be a way to save for your health costs… and for retirement, too.

Opening a health savings account (HSA) offers a triple tax advantage. The catch is they are not available to everyone. To qualify you must be in a high-deductible health insurance plan (HDHP), you can't be enrolled in Medicare, and you can't be participating in another health insurance plan. Unlike an IRA contribution you do not have to have at least one spouse with earned income to qualify.
In addition, the HDHP must have minimum deductibles ($1,300 for an individual and $2,600 for a family for 2017) and maximum out-of-pocket costs ($6,550 for an individual and $13,100 for a family for 2017). If you are enrolled in a plan that meets these requirements, then you may be able to fatten up your retirement savings with an HSA.
HSAs offer these three potent tax advantages:

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
- Contributions are tax-deductible.
- Any interest and earnings grow tax-deferred.
- Distributions are tax-free when used for qualified medical expenses.
These accounts were created to help people in HDHPs pay for current medical expenses, but the money saved in HSAs can also be used for health care or other expenses in retirement.
Unlike flexible spending accounts (FSAs), there is no "use it or lose it" provision. Any money left in an HSA at the end of the year belongs to the account owner and remains in the account, growing tax-deferred, until it is distributed.
An individual can contribute up to $3,400 to an HSA in 2017, and a family can contribute up to $6,750. Also, if you're 55 or older, you can make a catch-up contribution and save an additional $1,000 in your HSA each year. The money in your HSA is yours if you change employers. Most HSAs offer investment options, giving you the opportunity to grow your savings tax-deferred over a long period of time, if you don't use the money for medical expenses.
Even if you stay healthy well into retirement, at age 65, the money in an HSA can be used to help pay Medicare premiums tax-free or be withdrawn as a taxable distribution for any non-medical purpose, similar to an IRA distribution.
Saving in an HSA gives participants in HDHPs opportunities to set aside pre-tax dollars, grow any earnings tax-deferred, and pay no taxes on distributions, as long as they're used for qualified medical expenses. It's a win-win-win opportunity.
So, if you're already saving for the future in an IRA, 401(k), or another qualified retirement plan—and you have the opportunity to enroll in an HDHP and open an HSA—you may want to consider it.
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

-
13 Answers to Pressing Social Security Questions
From smart claiming strategies for couples to tips on maximizing your monthly check, we have advice that can help you.
-
Keep Tax Collectors at Bay with Muni Bond Funds
Municipal bonds can be good insurance against inflation — and interest is tax-free. But as with all investments, understanding risk is key.
-
Eight Tips From a Financial Caddie: How to Keep Your Retirement on the Fairway
Think of your financial adviser as a golf caddie — giving you the advice you need to nail the retirement course, avoiding financial bunkers and bogeys.
-
Just Sold Your Business? Avoid These Five Hasty Moves
If you've exited your business, financial advice is likely to be flooding in from all quarters. But wait until the dust settles before making any big moves.
-
You Were Planning to Retire This Year: Should You Go Ahead?
If the economic climate is making you doubt whether you should retire this year, these three questions will help you make up your mind.
-
Are You Owed Money Thanks to the SSFA? You Might Need to Do Something to Get It
The Social Security Fairness Act removed restrictions on benefits for people with government pensions. If you're one of them, don't leave money on the table. Here's how you can be proactive in claiming what you're due.
-
From Wills to Wishes: An Expert Guide to Your Estate Planning Playbook
Consider supplementing your traditional legal documents with this essential road map to guide your loved ones through the emotional and logistical details that will follow your loss.
-
Your Home + Your IRA = Your Long-Term Care Solution
If you're worried that long-term care costs will drain your retirement savings, consider a personalized retirement plan that could solve your problem.
-
I'm a Financial Planner: Retirees Should Never Do These Four Things in a Recession
Recessions are scary business, especially for retirees. They can scare even the most prepared folks into making bad moves — like these.
-
A Retirement Planner's Advice for Taking the Guesswork Out of Income Planning
Once you've saved for retirement, you'll need your nest egg to support you for as many as 30 years. For that, you need a clear income strategy, not guesswork.