MundoKit

Health FSA Carryover Calculator: 2026 Forfeiture

Enter your remaining health FSA balance, pending claims and planned spending. Select the employer’s carryover or grace-period option to estimate funds at risk.

Inputs
USD
Include outstanding payroll funding if needed to reflect the full annual benefit; do not subtract pending claims yet.
USD
Only claims that will be submitted within the plan’s run-out deadline.
USD
USD
2026 maximum is $680. Your plan may allow less.

Results

Projected forfeiture without more eligible spending
$220.00
Additional spending needed by plan-year end
$220.00
Projected carryover
$680.00
Balance after planned year-end claims
$900.00
  • For a plan year beginning in 2026. Confirm the employer’s plan-year end, expense-incurrence deadline and claim-submission deadline.
  • A run-out period gives time to submit claims; it does not extend the date for incurring expenses.
  • This planner assumes continued eligibility under the plan. It does not determine whether a purchase qualifies for reimbursement.

Results update as you type. The share link stores your inputs after the # in the address, which is not sent to our server, but anyone you send it to can read them.

This is a general estimate for information only, not tax, legal or financial advice. Real rules have more conditions than a calculator can show, so check the official source below or a qualified professional for your situation.

Last checked 2026-11-14. Rules change, sometimes at short notice. We list the date we last checked each official source; confirm with the official government source before you travel, buy or file. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice.

How it works

For plan years beginning in 2026, the employee salary-reduction limit is $3,400 and the maximum permitted carryover is $680. A lower employer carryover cap applies when entered. The balance itself is not capped at $3,400 because it may include other available funds.

Year-end balance = max(0, available balance − pending claims − planned year-end spending) Carryover mode: at risk = max(0, year-end balance − employer carryover cap) Grace mode: at risk = max(0, year-end balance − planned grace-period spending)

With neither option, the year-end balance is at risk. Carryover and a grace period cannot both apply to the same health FSA. A grace period may extend eligible spending by up to 2½ months; its actual length comes from your plan. We show the additional spending needed after your entered plans, not a recommendation to buy unnecessary items. No intermediate rounding; results display to cents.

Worked examples

Carryover with pending claims

A $1,200 balance less $200 pending claims and $100 planned spending leaves $900. With a $680 carryover cap, another $220 of eligible spending is needed by plan-year end.

Grace period instead

With the same $900 year-end balance and $300 planned grace-period spending, $600 remains at risk. That additional spending can occur by the grace-period deadline; no carryover is assumed.

Frequently asked questions

Must my employer offer the full $680 carryover?
No. Carryover is optional, and the plan may set a lower cap. Enter the amount in your plan documents.
Is a run-out period the same as a grace period?
No. A run-out period permits claim submission after the expense deadline. A grace period allows new eligible expenses during its specified period.
Does carryover reduce my next election limit?
Permitted carryover does not reduce the salary-reduction limit. The next year’s indexed limit and your employer’s plan rules still apply.
Should I subtract pending claims before entering the balance?
No. Enter a balance that still includes those funds, then enter the claims separately. Otherwise they would be counted twice.
Does this work for dependent-care FSAs?
No. It applies to health FSAs for plan years beginning in 2026. Use the separate dependent-care tool for household election planning.

Sources

Last reviewed 2026-11-14; next review due by 2027-01-15. The method is written out above so you can check our math.