3 ways employees can use HSAs for back-to-school expenses

September 8, 2025 7:00 AM

Mom and daughter picking out item at pharmacy

Key insight: Learn how employers can drive FSA/HSA utilization via targeted, seasonal communications.
What's at stake: Health-E Commerce's online FSA/HSA search surfaces eligible kid-focused products, but missed engagement opportunity risks unused employee balances and reduced perceived benefits value.
Expert quote: Employers must understand dependent eligibility to tailor outreach, says Susan Elliott-Bocassi.
Bullets generated by AI with editorial review

Working parents have a lot on their plates, especially in the hectic months of the back-to-school season. Health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) are valuable, tax-free tools that help pay for medical, dental and vision needs, and this time of year is a great chance to remind employees about all the ways these benefits can work for them and their families.

"Employers have a unique opportunity to understand their employee population and who falls under that umbrella, including dependents," says Susan Elliott-Bocassi, chief merchandising and operations officer for online health and wellness platform Health-E Commerce. "Once the employer really understands that, they have an opportunity to encourage the employees to explore what some of these FSA and HSA eligibility options include."

Health-E Commerce's online FSA and HSA store search features make it easy to explore eligible products and services, including kid-related options. Benefit leaders can familiarize themselves with these products, and can customize reminders to employees by putting together seasonal suggestions or back-to-school lists by age, suggests Elliot-Bocassi. Sending these to all employees helps get the word out to those who aren't yet enrolled as well as those with FSA funds that need to be used up by the end of the year.

"Back to school aligns nicely with open enrollment," Elliot-Bocassi says. "A whole presentation could be packaged on how FSAs and HSAs work, and how they could support employee savings [when it comes to money] you're naturally spending on your children."

Elliot-Bocassi highlights three ways benefit leaders can help working parents make the most of their HSAs and FSAs as kids head back to school.

Make eligible products and services easy to find

Eligibility lists are available on the FSA Store and HSA Store websites, and parents can search for their needs by product type, brand, and price. Through the expense tracker on the HSA app, parents can identify qualifying items, scan receipts to identify past purchases for reimbursement, keep track of their spending history and account balance and access resources for further education.

With new products being added all the time — especially as tech tools such as fitness trackers and wellness wearables become more popular — parents might be surprised at many of the things covered by their benefit, Elliot-Bocassi says.

"People can understand what is eligible and what's not," she explains. "[The expense tracker helps parents] stay within [their] budget, know how much is left to spend in their account, and then start to apply that forward."

Read more:

The big changes to HSAs and what they mean for planning

HSA cards for college students

Parents with HSA or FSA benefits can typically authorize an account debit card for dependents who are 18 or older, allowing them to purchase their own health and wellness needs. This is especially helpful as kids head off to college, ensuring they can get quick access to the care they need in person or online, Elliot-Bocassi says.

"The child can go right to the FSA or HSA store to purchase over-the-counter things, but they can also use it when they need to go see a doctor," she says.

Take advantage of telehealth

Many telehealth services for physical and mental health are covered by HSAs and FSAs, allowing parents to potentially receive quick consultations, treatment and prescriptions without having to take children into a doctor's office or urgent care.

These services also empower older dependents — such as college students with an account card — to seek out things like preventative or mental health care even when they're away from home, says Elliot-Bocassi.

"There's an opportunity [for young people] to take control of their own health journey," she says. "As they're a little bit older, they can learn how to maximize these funds, and the more we talk about it, the more people learn how they can use them, and the less stigma there is around mental health or any other healthcare issues."

Read more:

It's time to remind employees to use their FSA