Need New Glasses? FSA Helps

Wearing glasses can be a burden for some people, especially for those who have never owned a pair before. People often misplace them and have to get a new pair, or put them in a place where they get damaged and have to get them repaired/replaced. If you are someone who has spent hundreds of dollars on replacing your glasses before it was time to get a new pair, then you should consider opening a flexible spending account. This is a type of account that your employer likely offers and allows you to store money in for the sole purpose of using it towards health care expenses. The reason people make use of FSAs is because the money in the account is untaxed; you can get all the glasses you need without ever having to pay a dime in taxes!

Flexible Spending Account Details

If you have been thinking about opening a FSA through your employer, then there are a few things you need to know first.

• The funds in your FSA will not roll over to the next working year. If you don’t use the cash in your FSA before the new year comes, then you will lose all of the money in the account.
• Your employer has the option of allowing $500 to roll over to the next year, or they can provide you with a two and a half month grace period into the new year. However, they can only choose one of these options and neither of them are required, so be sure to ask your employer about this when inquiring about a FSA.
• You can use your FSA funds to get eyeglasses in Miami Beach, or contacts if you prefer them, and you can also use it to cover any copays that your eye doctor charges when you come in for a visit.

What if You Don’t NEED a New Pair of Glasses?

If the end of the year is coming up and you have already had an exam from your Miami Beach eye doctor, they may have told you that your visual health is the same as the previous year and you don’t need a new prescription in your glasses. If this is the case for you, then you may want to consider getting a few pairs of backup glasses. People commonly lose their glasses or break them while being careless, in which case they will have to pay out-of-pocket for a new pair. If you get a couple pairs of glasses before the new year starts, though, then you can be sure that you have some extras and won’t have to worry about spending your hard-earned cash the next time you lose or break them. Also, waiting to the end of the year ensures that you won’t have anything else to use your FSA money on before it expires–you won’t get stuck with several pairs of glasses while trying to fill a prescription or get a pair of crutches for an unrelated problem if you get your backups in December.

photo credit: Daniela Hartmann (alles-schlumpf) Facebook via photopin (license)