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For open enrollment: HSA, FSA and Medicare

Open enrollment runs October through December: these free calculators and worksheets help you pick a health plan and use your FSA or HSA money correctly before the deadline.

Free toolsno sign-up

FSA calculatorThe tax you save vs what you could forfeit, for every election.FSA year-end deadline calculatorGrace period, carryover or forfeiture: the deadline that matters and what's at risk.Dependent care FSA calculatorThe $7,500 dependent care FSA or the child care credit: which saves more.FSA/HSA eligibility calculatorA general-purpose FSA usually blocks the HSA -- see whether you're eligible and what it costs if not.HSA calculatorContributions under the limit, tax saved, and your balance at 65.HSA contribution limit calculatorYour HSA limit if you weren't covered all year: month by month or the last-month rule.HSA/Medicare excess contribution calculatorEnrolling in Medicare after 65 can backdate -- see what that does to recent HSA contributions.Open enrollment paycheck calculatorWhat next year's benefit elections do to your take-home pay.Medical bill calculatorWhat you should owe on each claim, and which bills don't match.Family health coverage calculatorMy plan, my spouse's, or split the family: the cheapest way to cover everyone.Health plan cost calculatorPremiums plus care, minus HSA money and tax saved: the cheapest plan at every level of spending.

Tested spreadsheets

FSA Election Planner

How much to put in your health FSA: the tax you save vs what you could forfeit, plus a medical expense log.

✓ 103 formulas · 0 errors · checked claim by claim through the year$6

HSA Planner

Contributions within the limit, the tax you save, and your HSA year by year to 65: paying bills vs saving receipts.

✓ 513 formulas · 0 errors · every year checked independently$6

Open Enrollment Benefits Worksheet

Every election this year vs next: per paycheck, tax saved, the change in take-home pay, and HSA / FSA / 401(k) limit checks.

✓ 261 formulas · 0 errors · every result recomputed independently$6

Deductible & Out-of-Pocket Tracker

What you should owe on each medical claim, mismatched bills, and your deductible and out-of-pocket progress.

✓ 1,013 formulas · 0 errors · every claim checked independently$6

Health Plan Comparison

PPO vs HDHP + HSA vs HMO: what each plan really costs you in a year, at every level of medical spending.

✓ 106 formulas · 0 errors · checked claim by claim through the year$7

Guidesworked examples

2026-10-04What happens to unused FSA money: the year-end deadline, grace period and carryover
Unused health FSA money is forfeited at plan-year end unless your employer's plan adds a grace period (2.5 more months, any amount) or a carryover (up to $680 for 2026 plan years) -- never both, and it's the employer's choice, not yours. Dependent care FSAs don't get the carryover. How to find out which one your plan has, and two worked examples.
2026-10-03Medicare Advantage vs. Original Medicare (2026) -- and the HSA trap if you're still working past 65
Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage for 2026 Open Enrollment (Oct 15 - Dec 7): provider networks, Medigap, Part D, and out-of-pocket maximums, with the official 2026 Part A and Part B costs. Plus the HSA trap few sites cover -- enrolling in Medicare Part A after 65 can be backdated up to 6 months and turn recent HSA contributions into an excess contribution with a 6% excise tax.
2026-10-03IRMAA 2026: Medicare's income surcharge is a cliff, not a phase-in
The full 2026 IRMAA tier table for Medicare Part B and Part D, both filing statuses, with a worked example showing how a $200 difference in MAGI two years ago adds $1,736.40 a year to Medicare premiums -- and why a December Roth conversion or QCD choice today sets the MAGI that triggers it.
2026-10-03How to appeal a Medicare IRMAA surcharge: Form SSA-44 and the 8 life-changing events
How to appeal an IRMAA Medicare surcharge with Form SSA-44 after a life-changing event -- the 8 events SSA recognizes (marriage, divorce, death of a spouse, work stoppage or reduction, loss of income-producing property, loss of pension income, employer settlement payment), the exact evidence each one requires, how and where to file, and what SSA does if it approves the request.
2026-10-03How much will my prescriptions cost under Medicare Part D in 2026?
The 2026 Medicare Part D standard benefit, phase by phase: the $615 deductible, 25% initial-coverage coinsurance, and the $2,100 annual cap on cash out-of-pocket drug costs, with worked examples.
2026-10-03FSA vs HSA: which should you choose during open enrollment
During open enrollment (Oct 15 - Dec 7, 2026), a general-purpose health FSA and an HSA-eligible HDHP are usually mutually exclusive -- IRS Publication 969 treats the FSA as "other health coverage" that disqualifies you from the HSA. The fix is often a limited-purpose or post-deductible FSA instead. A worked example of what re-electing the wrong FSA out of habit costs in lost HSA tax savings.
2026-09-28Open enrollment for 2027: HSA, HDHP and dependent care FSA limits, and HSA per paycheck
The benefit numbers you choose this fall apply to 2027: HSA $4,500 / $9,000, HDHP minimum deductible $1,750 / $3,500, dependent care FSA $7,500. What each is, what isn't announced yet, and HSA contributions per paycheck.
2026-09-28How to check a medical bill against your EOB: a worked example with deductible, coinsurance and out-of-pocket max
Seven claims on a $3,000 deductible, 20% coinsurance plan, worked through in date order: $4,932 is owed, and a $310 lab bill should be $62. Why the order of claims matters, and what happens at the out-of-pocket maximum.
2026-09-28How much will an HSA or 401(k) contribution reduce my paycheck? Tables for 2027
A pre-tax deduction takes less from your take-home pay than it puts away. Tables: the 2027 HSA maximum per paycheck by tax bracket, and $500 a paycheck to a pre-tax 401(k), a Roth 401(k) or through the cafeteria plan.
2026-09-28HSA limit for a partial year: month by month, or the last-month rule (2027 tables)
Starting a high-deductible plan mid-year, switching to family coverage or enrolling in Medicare changes your HSA limit. How the month-by-month limit and the last-month rule work, with 2027 tables and the IRS examples.
2026-09-28Family health insurance: my plan, my spouse's, or split? A worked example
When both parents can get health insurance at work, splitting the family between the two plans can beat putting everyone on one. A worked example with a spousal surcharge, embedded vs aggregate deductibles, and what changes when one person has a costly year.
2026-09-27How much to put in your FSA: a worked example with the 2026 limit and carryover
A worked FSA example: $800 of certain costs, $690 likely, $400 maybe. What each election saves in tax and what it could forfeit, with and without the $680 carryover, and the rule behind it: elect a cost only if you're more than 1 − your tax rate sure of it.
2026-09-27HSA: pay medical bills from it, or pay yourself and save the receipts?
A worked HSA example from age 35 to 65: maxing a family HSA with $1,800 a year of medical bills. Paying the bills from the HSA leaves $813,546; paying them yourself and saving the receipts leaves $1,012,519 plus $85,636 you can reimburse tax-free.
2026-09-27HDHP vs PPO: when the high-deductible plan with an HSA really costs less
A worked open-enrollment example: a $180-a-month PPO against a $60-a-month HDHP with a $3,300 deductible. The HDHP costs less up to $18,250 of care, but only because of the HSA money. Without it, the PPO wins from about $2,300.