Health Care Spending Account (HCSA)
What is it?
You can use the credits in your HCSA toward eligible health-related expenses that are not covered (or are not fully covered) under your plan.
What is covered?
- $500 per person up to a maximum of $1,000 per family per year (January 1 to December 31)
Eligible Services
There are a lot of expenses that are covered under the HCSA, such as:
- Out-of-pocket expenses for all benefits under your plan
- Paramedical claims that cost more than your plan’s maximum coverage
- Expenses not covered by your plan, but are eligible for HCSA coverage, such as sign language interpretation services
- …and so much more!
Click here to see a full list of what is covered by the HCSA. If you are looking for something that is not on the list, it is not covered by the HCSA.
How your HCSA works
If you do not have dependent children or a spouse under your plan | If you have dependent children or a spouse under your plan |
|---|---|
You get $500 in your HCSA every January 1 | You get $1,000 in your HCSA for you and your family every January 1 |
If you do not use all of your HCSA credits from one plan year (January 1 to December 31) they are carried forward to be used in the next plan year.
However, you must use those credits by December 31 of the second year or you will lose them.
2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
January 1, 2022 $500 HCSA | January 1, 2023 $500 HCSA | January 1, 2024 $500 HCSA | January 1, 2025 $500 HCSA |
December 31, 2023 Last chance to spend any remaining 2022 HCSA credits | December 31, 2024 Last chance to spend any remaining 2023 HCSA credits | December 31, 2025 Last chance to spend any remaining 2024 HCSA credits |
How to make a claim using your HCSA
Out-of-pocket expenses remaining after you receive coverage for benefits covered by your plan (e.g., dental, vision) | Eligible health-related expenses not covered by your plan OR you have reached your plan’s coverage limits |
|---|---|
When you submit your initial claim, select “YES” when answering the question: If your plan only covers part of the expense, do you want your spending account to cover the rest? You can submit your claim online at greenshield.ca or by mailing your claim form to GreenShield. | Make a direct HCSA claim online at greenshield.ca or by mailing your claim form to GreenShield. |
HCSA claims must be submitted by December 31 of the next benefit year (e.g., if your claim is from June 1, 2023, you must submit the claim by December 31, 2024).
