Deadline for Submitting 2022 Flexible Spending Account Claims to Return to Pre-COVID-19 Schedule

If you are one of the many employees who has a flexible spending account (FSA) in 2022, you will need to use your remaining balances before March 15, 2023. This is because rules signed into law in late 2020 under the COVID-related Tax Relief Act of 2020 are set to expire.

Qualifying expenses from your medical and/or dependent care FSAs incurred between January 1, 2022, and March 15, 2023, may be reimbursed from your 2022 FSA account. All 2022 plan-year FSA claims must be submitted to Benefit Strategies by April 30, 2023.

The rules provided financial relief and flexibility to employees who participated in medical and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSAs) in 2020 and 2021. For MCPS employees, this included—

• Extended grace periods for spending unused account balances. Employees who have unused medical or dependent care FSA funds from the 2021 calendar year have until December 31, 2022, to incur claims and spend those funds.
• Grace periods for terminated or retired MCPS employees who participated in a medical FSA while employed with MCPS. Medical FSA participants who terminated or retired from MCPS employment in 2021 can spend their unused 2021 FSA balances on expenses incurred through December 31, 2022.
• Employees may change their FSA account elections during 2022 without a qualifying life event. You may enroll in an FSA, change your contribution amount (up to the maximum allowed but not less than the amount already contributed), or cancel your participation for any reason. The changes must be made by submitting MCPS Form 450-3, Flexible Spending Account Calendar Year 2022 Election.

To download a claim form and review your 2021 or 2022 FSA accounts, visit the Benefit Strategies website. For additional information about FSAs, visit our website.