Flexible spending accounts can be great if your employer offers one. You get to put away pre-tax money to cover qualifying healthcare costs. This can help you keep your monthly expenses down, since you get a tax break on the money you're using to pay for medical services.
Sadly, unlike with an HSA, there's a deadline for spending the funds, and you risk losing the money if you don't use it. The deadline for spending most 2025 FSA contributions was Dec. 31, 2025. However, you may still have options to spend some or all of the money -- but time is running out fast.
Here's what you need to know about the rules, along with some tips on what to spend your unused FSA money on, if you still have the chance.
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You have to spend FSA money, or you lose it
Unfortunately, FSAs are different from HSAs, and most other accounts you contribute to with pretax money.
While investing HSA contributions is allowed, it is not possible to do so with FSA contributions. In fact, the money you put into your flexible spending account generally has to be spent in the calendar year that you make the contribution, with two possible exceptions:
- Your employer may offer up to a 2.5-month grace period until March 15 to spend the money.
- Your employer may allow you to roll over a small amount of the funds (up to $660 from the 2025 plan year could roll over to 2026).
Not all plans allow either of these options, so you'll need to ask your employer what the rules are for your plan. If yours offers a grace period and you didn't spend all your 2025 FSA contributions, you may need to act quickly to do so before March.
10 ways to spend your FSA money before the March deadline
If you have a good amount of cash left over in your FSA, what can you spend it on? Here are 10 potential things to buy that could be a good use of your contributed dollars.
- Dental care, including cleanings or fillings
- Over-the-counter meds
- A vision exam and a new pair of glasses
- Bandages or first-aid equipment
- Chiropractic care
- Contact lenses or lens solution
- Cough drops
- Flu shots or other vaccines
- Menstrual products
- Massage therapy
These are just some of the many different kinds of medical services or over-the-counter products related to your health that you could spend your unused FSA funds on.
FSA Feds has a comprehensive list of eligible products and services. You can check the list to see if items that you use regularly are on it. If so, act by the end of the grace period, so you don't waste the hard-earned money that you contributed.
