Accounts FAQs

There are several advantages to having an HSA:

• Triple Tax savings: 
  1. Pre-tax contributions lower your taxable income.
  2. Tax-free growth, even on investments.
  3. Tax-free distributions mean you don’t pay taxes when you use HSA dollars to pay for eligible health care expenses.
• You can contribute: When you contribute to an HSA, you lower your taxable income.
• Investment opportunities: When your account balance reaches $500, you can invest some or all of your HSA money above that $500 in a variety of investment funds.
• No “use it or lose it” rule: You don’t have to use all of your HSA money by the end of the year; it carries over from year to year, even after you retire or leave Morgan Stanley.
• Higher before-tax savings opportunities: With an HSA in 2023, you can contribute up $3,850 per year for individual coverage or $7,750 per year for family coverage. In 2024, you can contribute $4,150 per year for individual coverage or $8,300 for family coverage. If you’re age 55+, you can contribute an additional $1,000 to your HSA until you become Medicare-eligible.
• Portability: You can use it if you switch medical plans in the future and after you leave the Firm. The money in your account follows you wherever you go.
• Flexibility: You can change or stop your HSA contributions at any point during the year. You also have flexibility as to when you use your HSA funds: now or in the future, including in retirement.

High-deductible health plans, which are a requirement to contribute to an HSA, may not be the best option for you, especially if you expect to have significant health care expenses due to chronic or high-cost medical conditions. You must have enough cash on hand or in your HSA to cover the full out-of-pocket maximum, in case of a high-cost injury or illness.

No, you are not required to make HSA contributions, but the tax benefits and potential investment opportunities are good reasons to consider doing so.

The HSA can help you budget for the higher deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums of Option C and it is a tax-effective way to save for future qualified health care expenses. Additionally, since the per-paycheck premiums for Option C are significantly lower than the other medical plan Options, you may want to consider contributing the difference in your premiums to the HSA.

No. If you choose to make paycheck contributions to the HSA account, your annual election will be divided by the number of paychecks in the year. The amount will be deposited into your account each pay period, and only the amount that’s been deposited to date is available. You may not “borrow” against contributions not yet deposited in your account.

For this reason, if you expect to have significant health care costs immediately, you’ll want to be sure you budget adequately to pay for them out-of-pocket. You can be reimbursed from your HSA as your contributions are added to your account.

Yes. You may only submit eligible expenses for reimbursement only from the point in time when your HSA was opened. For example, if you open your HSA on February 7, 2024, any medical expenses incurred before that date are not eligible for reimbursement.

No. You may submit eligible expenses at any time, including years later or even in retirement. What’s important is that your HSA is open at the time the service was incurred.

No, investing the funds in your HSA is optional.

The investment feature is flexible and allows you to invest a portion of your account balance. You must have a minimum cash balance of $500 in your HSA before you can begin investing your money. The HSA investment feature is designed to promote savings for future health care expenses. Reimbursements from your HSA for current health care expenses can only be taken only from amounts that are not invested.

You can begin investing your HSA assets as soon as your cash balance is $500. (Some investment funds may require a minimum investment in excess of $500.) If your account balance does not meet that minimum, you may not be able to invest in a particular fund immediately.)

If your balance falls below $500, you will not be able to purchase further investments until you replenish the cash account. The current investments you hold would remain invested in the account.

There are three simple ways to access your HSA balance to pay for eligible health care expenses:

1. When you enroll in an HSA, you will receive a Smart-Choice debit card to pay for eligible expenses. As long as there are funds in your account, you can use the card to pay for expenses.
2. Pay bills online: Request a payment to your provider, at no charge, through your HSA on the Benefit Center. No claim forms will be necessary, and your funds will be drawn directly from your account. View your account balance and recent payments online, too.
3. Pay for an expense out of your own pocket and be reimbursed by your HSA. Request reimbursement by logging on to your HSA account on the Benefit Center. Or call a Benefits Advocate at 877-MSHR-411 (674-7411). You can make requests daily. Reimbursements can be deposited electronically into any account you specify, or you can choose to receive a paper check in the mail.

If you use HSA money for non-qualified expenses and are under age 65, you’ll be taxed on that money at your income tax rate and assessed an additional penalty. Once you reach age 65, you’ll be taxed on HSA money used for non-qualified expenses, but you won’t pay the additional penalty.

There is no limit on the amount you can accumulate in your HSA. However, there is a limit on how much you can contribute to the account each year.

2023

2024

If you and your spouse both have an HSA, both of you are treated as having Family coverage, even in a situation where you are not covered by your spouse’s medical plan or vice versa.

If your spouse has Family medical coverage and you have Individual coverage, both of you are treated as having Family coverage, even if the Family plan doesn’t cover you both. In either case, you can both make and receive HSA contributions as long as your total contributions don’t exceed the annual Family coverage contribution limit of $7,750 in 2023 and $8,300 in 2024. The contribution limit is divided equally between you and your spouse, unless you agree on a different division.

For example, Bill (a Morgan Stanley employee) and Diana, both under age 55, are married with two children. Bill has Family coverage with Option C for himself and their children. Diana has Individual coverage for herself. Each establishes an HSA in 2024. Unless they agree to a different allocation, Bill can contribute $4,150 to his HSA and Diana can contribute $4,150 contribution to hers (each contributing half of the $8,300 limit). If both Bill and Diana were age 55 or older, each would be able to contribute an additional $1,000.

If you already have an HSA with your prior employer, you may elect to keep your account with your current bank or transfer your balance to Morgan Stanley.

If you switch to Option A or B, you will not be able to contribute to an HSA (until you return to Option C). However, you can continue to use your HSA funds at any time to reimburse yourself for health care expenses.

If you leave Morgan Stanley, your HSA will be converted into a individual account and you will receive a new debit card from UMB, which will continue to hold the account.

No. If you have an HSA, you cannot contribute to an FSA. However, you can contribute to a Limited Purpose Health Care FSA.

A Limited Purpose FSA allows you to put aside before-tax money to pay for eligible dental and vision expenses only if you are enrolled in Option C under the Medical Plan. Use your Limited Purpose FSA to pay deductibles, copays and coinsurance related to dental and vision expenses only. Other eligible health care expenses include eyeglasses, laser eye surgery and orthodontia. For a complete list, see IRS Publication 502. The Limited Purpose FSA is administered by Smart-Choice.

For 2024: Contribute up to the IRS maximum of $3,200.

To pay for eligible Limited Purpose FSA expenses, use the Smart-Choice debit card to pay at the time of service or purchase, like you would use a debit or credit card. With the Smart-Choice debit card, you don’t have to fill out forms or wait for reimbursements. Eligible expenses will automatically be debited from the correct account—either the HSA or the Limited Purpose FSA—depending on which account the purchase is eligible for.

• For 2023: Eligible Limited Purpose FSA expenses must be incurred by December 31, 2023, and submitted for reimbursement by April 30, 2024.
• For 2024: Eligible Limited Purpose FSA expenses must be incurred by December 31, 2024, and submitted for reimbursement by April 30, 2025.

Use it or lose it: By law, any amount in your Limited Purpose FSA that is not timely claimed by you must be forfeited. Estimate your projected dental and vision expenses and potential tax-savings with the FSA Calculator on the Benefit Center website.

No, you must incur all 2023 Health Care FSA expenses by midnight on December 31, 2023, or your funds will be forfeited. The 2023 carryover feature is available to use only toward eligible health care expenses in 2024 if you enroll in a Health Care FSA and do not enroll in Medical Plan Option C.

By participating in a Health Care FSA, you can save from 25 to 40% on the cost of your eligible out-of-pocket health care expenses.

You can use a Health Care FSA for out-of-pocket medical, prescription drug, dental and vision care costs not covered by those plans, including deductibles, copays and coinsurance as well as other health care expenses such as bandages, braces, eyeglasses, contacts, laser eye surgery and more. Review a list of eligible expenses.

You can use your Health Care FSA for health care costs for yourself or any of your covered dependents, including yourself, your spouse and children under the age of 26.

You may contribute up to the IRS maximum, which is $3,200 for 2024.

You may carry over up to $640 of 2024 Health Care and Limited Purpose FSA funds into 2025, assuming you reenroll in the same FSA type for 2025 and do not enroll in Medical Plan Option C. Find out how much to contribute by using the FSA Calculator, which you can access at the Benefit Center (from the office, type benefits in your browser, or visit morganstanley.com/benefits).

Your eligible expenses for the 2023 calendar year must have been incurred by December 31, 2023. You will need to submit these expenses for reimbursement by April 30, 2024. Your eligible expenses for the 2024 calendar year must be incurred by December 31, 2024, and submitted for reimbursement by April 30, 2025.

Your total annual election is yours to use on the first day of the year.

No, you can contribute to a Health Care FSA even if you’re not enrolled in the Firm’s medical, dental or vision plans.You cannot contribute to a Health Care FSA if you are enrolled in Medical Plan Option C or another high-deductible medical plan (e.g., through your spouse/partner or parent).

By participating in a Dependent Day Care FSA, you can save from 25% to 40% on the cost of your eligible dependent day care expenses.

You can use your Dependent Day Care FSA to pay for day care providers for dependent children age 12 and under or qualifying dependents of any age who are physically or mentally incapable of self-care, such as disabled children or elderly dependent parents, as described in Internal Revenue Code section 152(c).

How much you may contribute depends on your marital status. For 2024, you may contribute between $100 and $5,000 annually to the Dependent Day Care FSA if you are single or married and file a joint tax return. (Lower limits may apply in certain circumstances.)

If you are married and file separate tax returns, you may contribute between $100 and $2,500 annually.

Any unused 2023 Dependent Day Care FSA funds will not roll over into 2024 and will be forfeited.  Find out how much to contribute by using the FSA Calculator, which you can access on the Benefit Center (from the office, type benefits in your browser, or visit morganstanley.com/benefits). 

Your eligible expenses for the 2023 calendar year must be incurred by December 31, 2023, and submitted for reimbursement by April 30, 2024. Your eligible expenses for the 2024 calendar year must be incurred by December 31, 2024, and submitted for reimbursement by April 30, 2025.

You may receive reimbursement only from your Dependent Day Care FSA for your contributions to date.

No. Your Health Care and Dependent Day Care accounts are separate. You may use your Health Care FSA only for eligible health care expenses and your Dependent Day Care FSA only for eligible dependent day care expenses.

No. Generally, unless you have a qualifying family status change (such as getting married or divorced, having a child, etc.), you cannot change your contribution amount during the year. You will have to wait until the next annual benefits enrollment period, typically held in the fall for the following calendar year. Special rules also apply if your qualifying family status change occurs after November 1.

If you take public transportation to work or pay for parking at the office, you can save up to 25% to 40% on the cost of your commute, depending on your tax bracket. The Commuter Benefits Program lets you contribute before-tax dollars to transportation or parking accounts or both, up to the IRS maximums.

• If you take public transportation—including the train, bus, subway, vanpool or ferry—you can contribute up to $300 per month in 2023 ($315 for 2024) for eligible expenses.
• If you drive and park your car, you can contribute up to $300 per month in 2023 ($315 for 2024) for eligible parking expenses.
• You can enroll in, change or stop your contributions at any time during the year.