Purdue and Purdue Global HSA, HRA and FSA Overview
Health Savings Accounts (HSA), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA), and Flexible Spending Accounts(FSA) let you use pre-tax dollars to pay for qualified healthcare expenses.
HSA Bank is our resource for these accounts. Your Purdue University and Purdue Global Resource Center, courtesy of HSA Bank, is a customized website for Purdue employees, which contains educational videos and information on the different medical savings accounts.
Visit our HSA, HRA and FSA dedicated web pages for detailed information on each account. Access your HSA Bank account online or mobile app to manage your account(s).
HSA/FSA/HRA definitions:
- HSA, Health Savings Account, is a unique, tax-advantaged account that can be used to pay for current or future healthcare expenses, and can also be used for retirement savings. When combined with a High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), it offers savings and tax advantages that a traditional health plan can't duplicate. Learn more here.
- FSA, flexible spending account, allows you to save pre-tax money from your paycheck for eligible healthcare and/or dependent care expenses. Learn more here.
- HRA, health reimbursement arrangement, can help optimize your healthcare finances. HRAs are employer-funded accounts you use to reimburse yourself for IRS-qualified medical expenses not covered by your insurance plan. The money funded by Purdue University is not included in your wages as taxable income.* Learn more here. (Purdue University Staff and Faculty only)
Purdue University/Purdue Global Resource Center (website)
2024 How HSAs Work (video)
2024 HSA vs FSA (video)
When your first account with HSA Bank is opened, you will be mailed a debit card and a welcome kit with information. You may request another card for an authorized signer (e.g., spouse, dependent) at no cost, but additional cards after that will be $6 each.
With FSAs and the HRA, cards may only be swiped to spend funds for the current plan year. For example, if you had an FSA in 2022 and another in 2023 and used the card within the prior year's runout period (90 days following the termination of the account, typically 3/31) to pay for an eligible 2022 expense, the card would pull from the 2023 account which would trigger the need for an amendment on your part as funds may only be spent on current year expenses in the case of FSAs and HRAs.
For security purposes, debit cards have a daily transaction limit of $3,000 for point-of-sale purchases.
Debit Card
If you have multiple accounts with HSA Bank, your accounts will all be tied to the same debit card (no additional cards will be sent when another account is opened) and will follow a stacking order, meaning funds will be pulled from the first applicable account until the balance is exhausted, then it will pull from the next applicable account.
Your card will pull from an FSA (healthcare, limited purpose, dependent care) before it will pull from an HSA or HRA.
- Ex) If you have a Limited Purpose FSA and an HSA, swiping your card at the eye doctor's office to purchase new eyeglasses will pull funds from your Limited Purpose FSA until it is spent, then any remaining amount due will be taken from your HSA.
If you have an HRA and an inactive HSA (meaning you aren’t receiving or making contributions to it), when your HRA is exhausted, funds will not be pulled from your HSA. In order to use HSA funds when you have an HRA on the stack, you will have to log in to the member portal at www.hsabank.com or log in to the mobile app to either make a payment from your HSA to a health care provider or to reimburse yourself from your HSA for an eligible expense.
Filing A Claim Online or by Form
The stacking order also applies to filing claims online or submitting paper forms for reimbursement from your FSA or HRA – HSA Bank will always pull from your first applicable account based on the stacking order (FSA before HRA or HSA), account balance, and type of expense, regardless of what Plan Type you put on the form.
Ex) Filing a claim for an eligible dental service would first come out of your Limited Purpose FSA, then your HSA when the Limited Purpose FSA is exhausted.
As a reminder, funds will not pull from your HSA when there is an HRA on the stack – HSA reimbursement/withdrawal has a separate process and does not use this form.
- HSA-HRA-FSA
- HSA, Health Savings Account
- HSA Frequently Asked Questions
- FSA, Flexible Spending Accounts Overview
- Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
- Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA)
- Limited Purpose Flexible Spending Account (LPFSA)
- HRA, Health Reimbursement Arrangement for Purdue University Faculty and Staff