HSA Calculator

An HSA is the only account untaxed at all three points. going in, growing, and coming out for medical care. Most people empty it every year. Left alone to grow, it becomes the most tax-efficient retirement account you have.

You and your cover

An extra $1,000 is allowed from 55.

Does your plan qualify?
What you would put in

Through payroll it also escapes Social Security and Medicare tax. No other retirement account does.

The long view

Set this to zero to model paying bills from your own pocket instead.

Your limit this year

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Tax contributing saves you
$0
So it really costs you
$0
Spending it as you go, after 20 years
$0
Leaving it to grow instead
$0
Genuinely ahead, after your own bills
$0

Where the money goes

The green block is tax contributing saves you and it stays yours. The orange is so it really costs you and it does not come back.

Try a different number

Move it and watch

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at {v} for medical bills you would pay from the account each year

What this assumes

And what you can change

Growth is steady every yearReal markets are not
You keep contributing as enteredLife interrupts most plans
Nothing is taken in tax along the wayDepends on the account
Not what you expected?

Why your own figure may differ

Markets do not move in a straight line. A steady rate is a model, not a forecast. Try a lower one too.
Fees eat more than people expect. A percentage point of fees over decades is a large sum.
Inflation shrinks the number. A pot in thirty years buys less than the same pot today.

Spending it against leaving it alone

Same contributions either way. The only difference is whether the medical bills come out of the account or out of your pocket.

Spending the account against leaving it invested
AfterSpending itLeaving it aloneYou paid yourselfGenuinely ahead

Leaving it alone only looks better because the bills you paid yourself are subtracted before the gain is worked out. With no growth at all the gain is exactly zero - the advantage comes entirely from money staying invested rather than leaving.

HSA: real examples

Three ways to look at the same account. Click any card to load it.

  • The usual approach

    Spending it as you go

    Family cover, paying $2,000 of bills a year from the account.

    The account reaches $296,090. Leaving it alone instead would reach $383,820. and after the $40,000 of bills you paid yourself, you are $47,730 ahead.

    Load this scenario in the calculator →
  • Ten more years

    Thirty years instead of twenty

    The same account, left to run longer.

    The gap widens hard: $884,389 against $682,243. You are $142,146 ahead after the $60,000 of bills you paid yourself.

    Load this scenario in the calculator →
  • A plan that does not qualify

    A $2,000 family deductible

    A good plan, but not one you can pair with an HSA.

    It does not qualify. The deductible is below the minimum, so no contributions are allowed however good the plan otherwise is.

    Load this scenario in the calculator →

Common questions about an HSA

What makes an HSA different from every other account?

It is the only one that is untaxed at all three points. Money goes in untaxed, grows untaxed, and comes out untaxed when spent on medical care. A Traditional account taxes you coming out. A Roth taxes you going in. An HSA does neither, and nothing else manages that.

What is the mistake most people make with one?

Treating it as a spending pot and emptying it every year. If you can afford to pay medical bills from your own pocket and leave the account alone to grow, it quietly becomes the most tax-efficient retirement account you have. The tool shows the difference with your numbers.

Do I need a special health plan?

Yes. You must be on a qualifying high-deductible plan. For 2025 that meant a deductible of at least $1,650 for self-only cover or $3,300 for family cover, with out-of-pocket costs capped. The tool checks your plan against those figures.

Does contributing through payroll matter?

Yes, and it is worth knowing. Money paid in through payroll also escapes Social Security and Medicare tax, which no other retirement account manages. Contributing from your bank account afterwards saves the income tax but not that part.

What happens after 65?

You can take money out for anything at all without a penalty. It is taxed as ordinary income if it is not spent on medical care, which makes it behave like a Traditional account for everything else. Spent on medical care, it stays completely untaxed.

What if I never have big medical bills?

That is a good problem and it is not really a risk. Most people face substantial medical costs later in life, and the account can also reimburse you for bills you paid years ago, provided you kept the receipts. Keeping them is the whole trick.

The guide behind this calculator

More guides on an HSA

Contribution limits are for the 2026 tax year: $4,400 for self-only cover, $8,750 for family, plus $1,000 from age 55. Plan thresholds shown are the 2025 figures, which is what Publication 969, Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans printed when checked on 2026-08-18.