A Health Savings Account (HSA) is an individually owned, tax-advantaged savings account. You may use HSA funds to pay for medical, dental, prescription, and vision expenses. If you enroll in the State’s High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), HSA enrollment is required. You must re-enroll in the HSA annually if you continue to participate in the State’s HDHP.
If you do not use all of your HSA funds, the funds carry over year-to-year without forfeiture. The money is yours, even if you leave the HDHP or state service.
See the Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) HSA Program Page for more details. The program is administered by Optum Financial.
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Questions?
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact HR.
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For assistance with translation or interpretation, please contact contact Cultural Linguistic Services.
Eligibility
You must be enrolled in the HDHP through the State to be eligible.
You are not eligible if:
- You are a Graduate Assistant or Short-Term Academic Staff
- You are enrolled in Medicare Part A or Part B
- You are covered under another health plan that is not a qualified HDHP
- You are covered by TRICARE, or have accessed your Veterans Administration (VA) benefits in the past 90 days. Exceptions may apply.
- You or your spouse have a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
- You can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return (other than your spouse)
Enrollment
If you have any questions regarding your eligibility or enrollment options, contact HR.
If you are a newly hired employee:
- You have 30 days from the date employment begins to enroll
- Coverage effective date will coincide with your State Group Health effective date
If you are a currently enrolled employee:
- You may change/start/stop your HSA contribution at any time.
- You are required to re-enroll each year to continue participation. Enrollments do not carry forward from year to year
HSA Contribution Limits
The IRS updates HSA contribution limits annually. The annual contribution limits include contributions from all sources, including the UW employer HSA contribution. You are responsible for making sure your HSA contributions (from all sources) are within the annual IRS limits.
| HDHP/HSA Coverage Level (Individual or Family) |
2024 Contribution Maximums | 2025 Contribution Maximums |
|---|---|---|
| Individual, less than age 55 | $4,150 | $4,300 |
| Individual, age 55+ | $5,150 | $5,300 |
| Family, less than age 55 | $8,300 | $8,550 |
| Family, age 55+ | $9,300 | $9,550 |
Employer Contribution Amounts
Universities of Wisconsin will contribute a prorated total of the following amounts equally over 24 paychecks (no contributions made during C pay periods, which occur in months when there are three paychecks) to your HSA depending on your HDHP coverage level.
2024:
- Individual coverage: up to $750
- Family coverage: up to $1,500
2025:
- Individual coverage: up to $828
- Family coverage: up to $1,650
The employer contributions begin when you are eligible for the employer contribution towards your health insurance premium. If you are required to pay half of the total health insurance premium, you are eligible for up to half of the annual contribution (prorated if you are not enrolled for the entire calendar year).
Frequency of Contributions
Annual Employees (paid over 12 months):
Employee and employer contributions are processed on the first two paychecks of each month (24 paychecks per year if eligible and enrolled for the entire calendar year).
Academic Year Employees (paid over 9 months):
Employee and employer contributions are processed on the first two paychecks of each month during the academic year (18 paychecks per year if eligible and enrolled for the entire calendar year).
Mid-Year Enrollments
The maximum contribution limits and UW contribution amounts are based on HDHP or HSA enrollment for the entire calendar year. If your enrollments are not effective on January 1, the amounts above will be prorated.
Limited Purpose FSA (LPFSA)
A Limited Purpose FSA (LPFSA) covers eligible dental and vision expenses. You may also use LPFSA dollars for medical expenses once your HDHP medical deductible is met. These expenses can be incurred by you, your spouse, and/or a qualifying child or relative. This plan is only available if you are enrolled in an HDHP plan. See IRS publication 969 for more details on expenses that may qualify.
The annual contribution limit for 2025 is $3,200 per employee. If an employee’s Limited Purpose FSA has unused funds on December 31, 2025, up to $640 will roll over to the following plan year; any amount over $640 will be lost.