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February 12, 2021
Question

HSA Excess Deduction Calculation

  • February 12, 2021
  • 1 reply
  • 0 views

Not sure what I am missing.

TT figures my max contribution as $675. I put in $1296 or I am over $621.

TT figures my spouse (married filing jointly) max contribution at $4846. She put in $4550 or under $296

Moving to the next screen TT then states I have over contributed $917

TT seems to be adding the over and under ?

Anybody know what I am missing and why my over is not either $296-$621 or maybe just $621

 

    1 reply

    February 12, 2021

    "TT figures my max contribution " The screens in the HSA interview that claim to show your mx contribution limit has a problem when you have Family coverage under your HDHP plan.

     

    It calculates your max ignoring the spouse.

     

    If you have Family overage on your HDHP plan, then you and your spouse share the $7,100 annual HSA contribution limit. So when TurboTax calculates the limit for one of you, it should not allow the other spouse to use the same monthly limit.

     

    In any case, don't depend on those max numbers if you have Family coverage.

     

    What you need to do (if you will) is to do the following:

    1. Tell us how many HSAs you have and who owns them (each spouse can have an HSA, there is no such thing as a joint HSA).

    2. What kind of HDHP coverage you have: Self-Only for one of you, Family, or did each of you have Self-Only from two different HDHP policies.

    3. How much did each of you actually contribute and to which HSA.

    4. The ages of both you and your spouse (based on your numbers, I am guessing that at least one of you is 55 or older).

     

    Add to your reply @ plus BillM223 (no space between them), so that I will see that you responded.

    **Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post**Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"
    Joe MAuthor
    February 12, 2021

    @ plus BillM223

    Thanks

     

    HSA for each spouse

    #1 Family 1 month Medicare 11 months  $1296 2020 contribution Over 55

    #2 Family 1 month Self 11 months $4550 2020 contribution Over 55

    My actual calculations that I figure on proper max contribution do not match TT but I was juts going to go with the flow.

    Can I file with different number that TT says is proper? will the software make a fuss?

    Think TT is going to fix this?

    Employee
    February 12, 2021

    What TurboTax initially tells you is each spouse's maximum contribution without regard to any contribution made by the other spouse.  In your case your maximum contribution for you 1 month of eligibility is $8,100 / 12 = $675 as TurboTax indicated.

     

    For your Spouse's maximum contribution without regard to your contribution is $8,100 / 12 +11 * $4,550 /12 = $4,846 (rounded).

     

    However, the the regular family limit of $592 (rounded) for the month that you had family coverage is shared between the two of you, so when taking both of your contributions into account your maximum combined contribution is contribution between the two of you is $4,929, your spouse's maximum contribution of $4,846 plus just your catch-up contribution of $1000 / 12 = $83.

     

    Since, you've contributed $1,296 to your HSA, that's $621 more than the maximum that you are permitted to have contributed, without regard for your spouse's contribution you have contributed $621 more than permitted.  However, removing just $621 from your HSA would leave your spouse with an excess contribution of $296 due to the combined limit of $4,929.  Since you have an excess contribution to your HSA regardless of anything else, simplest would be for you to obtain a return of contribution of $621 (your own excess) + $296 (the shared excess) = $917 from your HSA, leaving you with a net contribution of $379.  Adding that $379 to your spouse's contribution of $4,550, that gives you a total of $4,929, the maximum combined amount permitted.

     

    To get the correct result in TurboTax, you would tell TurboTax that you made the $1,296 contribution, that your spouse made the $4,550 contribution, that you want to split the $592 between the two of you as $296 each, then indicate that you will remove $917 from your HSA by an explicit return of excess contribution.