Can I pay my Gym membership from my Health Savings Account?
by admin ~ November 8th, 2007 . Filed under: United States .
tetris asked:
I am overweight and I need to lose few pounds, can I pay my Gym membership from my HSA ? do I need something written from my doctor as a proof?
Randall Williams
I am overweight and I need to lose few pounds, can I pay my Gym membership from my HSA ? do I need something written from my doctor as a proof?
Randall Williams
November 8th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Just ask your benefits administrator. The worse they can say is no, but then just don’t contribute as much to the hsa.
November 11th, 2007 at 5:05 am
I dont think so but I would call your insurance person and ask.
November 13th, 2007 at 6:07 am
IRS pub 502, page 14 gym memberships explicitly not deductible as a weight lose expense.
November 16th, 2007 at 10:38 am
No you cannot pay your Gym membership from your Health Savings Account. Health Savings Accounts are for medical services only.
November 18th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Your doctor has to diagnose you as obese, using the medical definition that is defined by your BMI or Body Mass Index. If he diagnoses you as such, you can deduct the cost of any weight loss program as an itemized medical deduction, and any itemizable medical deduction can be paid for with HSA money (but not then also deducted - one or the other).
Paying a gym membership may be a stretch of the definition of a “weight loss program” however. That usually means weight watchers fees or similar program.
November 20th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
You can pay anything from your HSA. However, if you pay for items that are not “medical” (as outlined by the IRS), then the amount you pay for these items are subject to income taxes and perhaps penalties.
A reasonable approach is to research deductible medical expenses at the IRS website. (The publication to look for relates to itemized deductions.) If gym memberships prescribed by a doctor shows up, then you’re okay. If not, you’ll have to work with a tax advisor to see if what you can do to obtain deductibility.