Your FSA money expires. You may have already spent it — and not claimed it.
Every December, people panic-buy sunscreen and band-aids to burn down an FSA balance. Here's the move nobody mentions: scan your last 12 months of bank history first. The eligible spending is usually already there — pharmacy runs, copays, glasses, dental visits you paid out of pocket and never submitted.
Real numbers from the founder's own account, July 2026. Your waste will vary — that's the point of the audit.
Use it or lose it — the actual rules
An FSA is funded with your own pre-tax paycheck money — for 2026 you can set aside up to $3,400 — but unlike an HSA, it doesn't follow you and it doesn't wait. Money you don't use by the plan-year deadline is forfeited back to your employer. For most plans that deadline is December 31.
Employers can soften the cliff in one of two ways — but only one:
- A grace period: up to 2.5 extra months to incur new expenses — until March 15 for calendar-year plans.
- A carryover: a capped amount rolls into next year — up to $680 of 2026 plan-year funds can carry into 2027. Everything above the cap is still forfeited.
Your plan may offer either, or neither — never both. If you don't know which yours does, that's the first thing to ask HR, because it decides whether your real deadline is December 31, March 15, or "mostly December 31 except for the last few hundred dollars." Separately, most plans give a run-out window after the year ends to file claims for expenses you already incurred — which is exactly the window this scan is built for.
Before you buy anything: claim what you already bought
An FSA claim doesn't have to be filed the week you spend the money — it just has to be an eligible expense incurred during the plan year. Which means the question isn't "what can I buy before December 31?" It's "what did I already buy this year that I never submitted?"
For most people, that's a longer list than they think. Skycopia connects to your bank read-only and scans the last 12 months for spending at health merchants — so the answer takes minutes, not a night of scrolling statements. Eligible spending hides in places like:
Eligibility ultimately follows IRS Publication 502 and your administrator's list — the scan surfaces candidates; you confirm before filing. And remember a transaction alone usually isn't enough to file: recover the itemized receipt or EOB from the pharmacy's purchase history or your provider's portal, which is easy once you know which dates and merchants to look for.
FAQ
When does my FSA money actually expire?
For most plans, at the end of the plan year — commonly December 31. But your employer's plan may soften that one of two ways: a grace period of up to 2.5 extra months (until March 15 for calendar-year plans) to incur new expenses, or a carryover of a limited amount into the next year — up to $680 of 2026 plan-year funds can carry into 2027. A plan can offer one of those or neither, but not both, so check your specific plan documents or ask HR.
How much can I put in an FSA in 2026, and how much carries over?
The 2026 IRS limit for employee health-FSA contributions is $3,400. If your plan offers carryover, up to $680 of unused 2026 funds can roll into 2027; anything above that is forfeited. If your plan uses a grace period instead, there's no carryover — you just get until roughly March 15 to spend it down.
Can I submit an FSA claim for something I bought months ago?
Yes — that's the whole point of this page. An expense qualifies if it was incurred during the plan year (or grace period) while you were enrolled; you don't have to submit it the week you buy it. Most plans give you a run-out period after the year ends to file claims for expenses you already incurred. So a scan of your last 12 months of transactions can surface eligible purchases you paid for out of pocket and simply never claimed.
What counts as FSA-eligible?
More than most people think: copays, deductibles, prescriptions, dental and vision care (exams, glasses, contacts, LASIK), over-the-counter medicines, menstrual products, first-aid supplies, sunscreen (SPF 15+), pregnancy tests, blood-pressure monitors, and more. IRS Publication 502 and your FSA administrator's eligibility list are the authoritative sources — when in doubt, check before you file.
How does Skycopia help me find purchases I forgot?
Connect your bank read-only through Plaid (Skycopia can see transactions but can never move money) and it scans your history for spending at pharmacies, doctors, dentists, optometrists, and other health merchants. You get one list of candidate claims with dates and amounts — instead of scrolling twelve months of statements the week before the deadline. The scan is free, no card needed.
Is a bank transaction enough to file an FSA claim?
Usually not by itself — most FSA administrators want an itemized receipt or Explanation of Benefits showing what you bought, the date, and the amount. The transaction list tells you which receipts to recover (pharmacy purchase history, provider portals, your insurer's EOB archive) so you can attach real documentation to each claim.
More money hiding in your transaction history
Don't forfeit money you already earned back.
Skycopia reads your bank history read-only and surfaces the health spending you paid out of pocket this year — your candidate claims, before the deadline hits.
The founder's own audit scanned 6,027 transactions — real numbers, July 2026.
Scan your last 12 months, free →