2025 Health Care Flexible Spending Account
A General Purpose Health Care Flexible Spending Account allows you to use pre-tax dollars to pay eligibe health care expenses not covered by your medical, dental or vision plans.
Contact Sentinel Benefits
888-762-6088
https://www.sentinelgroup.com/
Sentinel Help Center
781-213-7301 (fax claims)
Important Open Enrollment Information
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ENROLLMENT-If you would like to contribute to a Flexible Spending Account, you MUST make a new election each year during the annual open enrollment period. If you miss the enrollment window you will not have another opportunity to enroll until the following plan year. Employer contributions to the HCFSA do not require active enrollment
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ANNUAL LIMIT-The annual limit is $3,300
Use it or Lose it Deadline 3/31/25
This is an important reminder for those who have balances remaining in a 2024 Health Care FSA account. You have until 3/31/25 to submit eligible expenses (incurred between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24) for reimbursement Back to Pageswith Sentinel Benefits. Balances not eligible for carryover (greater than $640) will be forfeited on 4/1/25.
Understanding the Benefits
Flexible Spending Accounts are strictly regulated by the IRS. It is your responsibility to read and understand the information provided. For clarification about information on this webpage, please reach out to the Dartmouth Benefits Office. If you have specific questions around these IRS rules and regulations surrounding your HCFSA plan, you are advised to speak to your tax professional.
For more in-depth information about your plans and how they work, please read the information provided below and from Sentinel here.
IRS Guidelines
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You cannot make changes to your annual contribution amount or start/stop an annual contribution to a HCFSA, without an IRS defined status change event. If eligible, changes must be made within 30 days of the event date.
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All HCFSA funds must be spent within the same calendar year in which they are contributed.
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Claims must be submitted by March 31 of the following calendar year. Any remaining HCFSA account balance greater than the allowed carryover balance will be forfeited on April 1st. See below or more information on HCFSA filing deadlines
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The IRS annual maximum amount you may contribute to a HCFSA is $3,300.
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The IRS does not require employer contributions or carryover dollars to count towards the $3,300 annual limit.
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Those who are eligible to receive medical-expense reimbursement under your own Health Savings Account (HSA) or that of a spouse or parent are NOT eligible to contribute to or receive employer funds in a General Purpose HCFSA.
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For additional details on the IRS guidelines, please visit IRS Publication 502
2025 Annual IRS Limit
Annual Limit per employee: $3,300
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This limit is per individual, so couples can each enroll in an HCFSA and contribute the maximum.
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If you are new to Dartmouth and contributed to a HCFSA through your former employer, you may still contribute the annual maximum through Dartmouth.
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The IRS allows all carryover balances and employer contributions to be an additional contribution above and beyond the annual limit.
Employer Contribution
Employees who meet the following criteria may also be eligible for an employer contribution of up to $250 per calendar year in a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA).
- You must be eligible to contribute to a HCFSA in 2025.
- You must be enrolled in the Open Access Plus medical plan, or you must waive medical coverage for 2025.
- You must be bi-weekly paid, or you must be paid monthly and earn $60,000 per year or less.
The $250 employer contribution is prorated based on Full Time Equivalency (FTE) and/or is based on hire date if you begin benefit eligibility after 1/1/2025.
HCFSA Carryover
Carryover funds are unclaimed dollars that are still still sitting in your HCFSA account at year end. Carryover dollars are eligible to be moved and added to your new calendar year account and can be used to pay for expenses incurred in the new calendar year. However, there is a limit to the amount of carryover funds that are allowed to be moved, so any amount of funds that exceed or are below the limits will not be considered eligible for carryover and will be forfeited at the end of the runnout period.
2024 Carryover Eligibility - HCFSA account balances ranging between $30 and $640 on 12/31/24 are eligible to carryover into your 2025 account. Any amounts greater than $640 or less that $30 must be claimed (by submitting eligible 2024 incurred expenses to Sentinel) prior to the end of the runout period on 3/31/25, otherwise the funds will be forfeited on 4/1/25.
2025 Carryover Eligibility - HCFSA account balances ranging between $30 and $660 on 12/31/25 are eligible to carryover into your 2026 account. Any amounts greater than $660 or less that $30 must be claimed (by submitting eligible 2025 incurred expenses to Sentinel) prior to the end of the runout period on 3/31/26, otherwise the funds will be forfeited on 4/1/26.
Suggestions for spending down excess funds - If you think you will have excess funds in your account as you approach year end, we strongly suggest that you spend down these funds prior to December 31st. One way to do this is to purchase eligible products online through thefsastore.com (FSA Eligible Health Essentials). You may also want to review your online medical, dental, vision and pharmacy accounts to see if you have any eligible out of pocket expenses that were not yet submitted to Sentinel for reimbursement.
Create an Account
Set up your account with Sentinel and download the mobile app
1. Go to www.sentinelgroup.com (Chrome and Safari are the recommended browsers)
2. In the "I am an Individual" section, click on GET STARTED
3. From the LOGIN drop down, select "FSA, HSA, HRA, Commuter Accounts"
4. Under NEW USER select "Create your new Username and Password"
5. Enter your personal information.
In addition, you can also upload the Sentinel Accounts App onto your mobile phone for ease in claim monitoring and claim submission.
For more information, watch this helpful video from Sentinel on how to navigate your online account. https://help.sentinelgroup.com/help/navigating-your-online-account
Eligibility and Enrollment
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All benefits-eligible Faculty, Exempt, Non-Exempt and SEIU employees are eligible to contribute to an HCFSA.
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Research Associate Bs and Research Fellows are NOT eligible to participate in the HCFSA.
Per IRS guidelines, anyone enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan with Health Savings Account (HSA) and those eligible for reimbursement under a spouse's HSA are NOT eligible to contribute to a Health Care FSA but ARE eligible to contribute to a Limited Purpose FSA.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you do not elect a contribution amount during your New Hire enrollment or during your annual open enrollment period, you will not be able to contribute to a Health Care FSA for the calendar year, unless you have an IRS eligible qualified life event.
Eligible Expenses
Health Care Flexible Spending Account dollars can be used to pay for a variety of eligible medical, dental, vision and even over the counter expenses. For a list of the IRS's eligible Health Care Expenses, please click here.
Important Filing Deadlines
12/31/24 - Last day to incur eligible expenses for calendar year 2024, when switching to an
HSA in 2025. Any remaining balance above the allowed $640 carryover amount will be forfeited. Carryover balances will be deposited into a Limited Purpose FSA.
1/1/25 - Stop using your Sentinel debit card to pay for eligible 2024 incurred HCFSA expenses.
After this point, 2024 incurred claims must be submitted manually until the 3/31/25 deadline.
3/31/25 - FSA Runout Period Ends - Last day to submit 2024 incurred HCFSA claims to Sentinel
for reimbursement. You will still be able to submit 2025 incurred HCFSA claims after
this point, but they will be applied toward your 2025 elections and carryover balances.
4/1/25 - No more 2024 incurred claims will be accepted by Sentinel. Any remaining 2024
balance greater than the allowed carryover amount will be forfeited.
You do not need to report FSA contributions or expenditures to the IRS through your annual tax return.
Key Benefits
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Set aside guaranteed pre-tax dollars that you can use during the year to pay for eligible health care expenses.
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The account can be used together with an HRA to help pay for vision and dental expenses, co-pays, and additional deductible and coinsurance amounts that are not covered by the HRA.
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You can use your Sentinel Benefits VISA debit card to pay for eligible expenses on day one, and even spend leftover HCFSA dollars at thefsastore.com without substantiation.
Dependents
You are permitted to use your HCFSA plan to pay for eligible healthcare expenses for you and your eligible dependents. In general, an eligible dependent is:
- Your Spouse
- Your dependent that you can claim on your tax return
- Your adult child(ren) who are under the age of 27.
A domestic partner is not considered a spouse under federal law, so a domestic partner's
medical expenses cannot be reimbursed under your medical FSA account unless the domestic
partner is a qualifying relative as described above. A qualifying spouse must be legally
married.
How the HCFSA Benefit Works
HCFSA Account is Funded - The full amount that you elect to contribute for the year plus any money that Dartmouth gives you for the year, will be front-loaded into your HCFSA Account as of 1/1/25 (as of benefits eligibility date if hired after 1/1/25). This means that the full balance will available for your to start using on day one.
HCFSA Payroll Deduction - Your annual contribution amount will be split evenly across all paychecks received in calendar year 2025 (12 deductions for monthly paid, 24 deductions for biweekly paid-2 biweekly checks will not have deductions). These contributions will be deducted each pay period from your paycheck reducing the amount of taxes you pay each pay period and will go into your HCFSA Account at Sentinel Benefits.
Incur Eligible HCFSA Expenses - You or your eligible dependent will then receive eligible health care service/product as determined by the IRS, and the provider will request payment or submit an invoice for you to pay.
Look up Eligible HCFSA Expenses
Pay your Provider - You may then use your Sentinel Benefits Debit card to pay your provider (if VISA is accepted) or you can pay out of pocket and submit a claim to Sentinel Benefits for reimbursement prior to the submission deadline of March 31, 2025.
Keep your HCFSA Receipts - Some expenses will require substantiation as you spend. Keep your receipts for any expense that is paid by your HCFSA.
Submit/File a Claim - In some cases, you may need to supply supporting documentation (substantiation) to Sentinel Benefits as proof that the money you spent was on what the IRS considers an eligible expense. See the Substantiation and Filing an HCFSA claim sections below.
HCFSA Deadlines - HCFSAs have deadlines regulated by the IRS. With the exception of the allotted carryover balance, any unclaimed balance remaining in your account at the end of the March 31st run out period will be forfeited. Please pay careful attention to the IMPORTANT FILING DEADLINES section above.
Tax Reporting - You are not required to report contributed or spent HCFSA funds on your annual tax return. But box 1 of your W-2 does reflect the reduction in wages that were sent to your HCFSA account, reducing your annual tax liability.
Claim Substantiation
Before you try to file a claim with Sentinel, it is important to understand what it means to "substantiate" the claim.
Most of the eligible expenses that you pay through your HCFSA account will require some form of substantiation as proof to Sentinel Benefits and the IRS that the money you spent was on what the IRS considers an eligible health care expense. Your health care provider, dentist, etc. does not send copies of your invoices to Sentinel Benefits.
Unless the amount is equal to one of Dartmouth's medical or pharmacy plan copay amounts, you will most likely have to submit a copy of the invoice, receipt or medical Explanation of Benefits (from Cigna/Delta Dental, etc) as your proof that the claim was for a legitimate IRS approved health care expense.
The IRS does not require that you show proof of payment to receive reimbursement on a bill or receipt. They only need to see that the service was incurred on an IRS eligible expense within the calendar year for which the pre-tax dollars were allotted. Your substantiation document must show the following five pieces of information for approval by Sentinel:
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Your Name
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Name of the Provider
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Date of Service (shows proof that service was incurred during the same calendar year for which the pre-tax dollars were deducted from your paycheck)
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Description of Service (indicating eligible expense)
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Amount of Service (Must match the amount of payment that was made - if Benny card used)
For more information on claim documentation, please review Sentinel's website at https://help.sentinelgroup.com/help/uploading-claim-documentation
FILING A CLAIM
There are three ways to file/submit claims through Sentinel Benefits.
- Sentinel Benefits VISA Debit Card - Use the Sentinel Benefits VISA debit card to pay the bill at the time of service. Then submit a copy of receipt or Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to Sentinel after the fact through your online account or through the Sentinel Mobil app.
- Pay out of Pocket - Pay for the service out of pocket then submit a copy of the receipt or EOB to Sentinel after the fact through your online account or through the Sentinel Mobil app. Sentinel will reimburse you by check or via direct deposit (typically within 3-5 business days).
- Unpaid Invoice - Obtain a copy of an unpaid provider invoice or Cigna EOB, submit a copy of the unpaid bill or EOB to Sentinel through your online account or through the Sentinel Mobil app. Sentinel will reimburse you by way of direct deposit or paper check. You will then have funds available to pay the unpaid invoice.
NOTE: Do not try to use funds from your 2025 HCFSA account to pay for an expense incurred in 2024, unless it is paid from your 2024 carryover balance and before the March 31st submission deadline.
For more information on submitting a claim through the online portal, please check out the following video from Sentinel Benefits: https://help.sentinelgroup.com/help/submitting-an-online-claim
Leaving Dartmouth
Changing Employment Categories - RAB and Research Fellows are not eligible to participate in either of the FSA benefits. If you are enrolled in a HCFSA and move into one of these non-eligible employment categories, you will lose benefit eligibility and the benefit will end and you may choose to continue contributing to it on a post-tax basis under COBRA.
Losing Benefit Eligibility - If you are enrolled in a HCFSA and your Full Time Equivalency decreases below half time, you will lose benefit eligibility and the benefit will end. You may choose to continue contributing to it on a post-tax basis under COBRA.
Debit Cards - Your Sentinel VISA debit card will be deactivated on the day after you lose eligibility for the benefit (see losing benefit eligibility above).
Overspend of Funds - If you have already spent more money than you have contributed by the time your plan coverage ends, you will not be required to pay back the difference.
COBRA - If you have already spent more than the amount that you have contributed year to date (as of the time you become eligible for COBRA), you will not be eligible to continue the HCFSA under COBRA. Otherwise, when you elect to continue your Health Care FSA under COBRA, you may continue to incur expenses and contribute to the account on a post-tax basis, through the end of the plan year in which your employment ends. The plan year ends on December 31st. For more information on Cobra benefits please visit our Leaving Dartmouth webpage.
Runout Period (Deadline to submit claims) - Regardless of whether you continue the benefit under COBRA, the Health Care FSA has a three month runout period (through March 31st), that allows you to submit claims for expenses that were incurred during the period within the prior calendar year for which your account was active (Typically January 1st through either the last day of the month in which you were benefits eligible OR through December 31st if you continued the benefit under COBRA).
Carryover Feature - If you continue your Health Care FSA under COBRA, unused dollars will not carry over after the runout period ends and the remaining balance in your account will be lost.
Incurring Claims - You may continue to incur claims through the end of the month, in which you leave Dartmouth or lose eligibility for the benefit. If you are eligible to continue the benefit under COBRA, then you may continue to incur claims through the end of the calendar year.
Submitting for Reimbursement - Once your card has been deactivated, claims may be submitted directly to Sentinel by filling out a claim form and sending it via US mail, by using the Sentinel phone app, or by uploading the form to your personal account at www.Sentinelgroup.com
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