Sure, filling out these claims takes time, but doing so can net you hundreds of dollars each year by allowing you to pay for health-related expenses with pretax dollars, says Kelley Long, a Chicago-based personal-finance coach and certified public accountant. Even if you spend just $300 on copays a year, filing them through a flexible-spending program may save you up to $100 on taxes. To streamline the paperwork, print out a claim form from either your company’s website or the website of your program’s administrator. Then make 12 copies—one for each month—and place them in a folder where you will save all your health-care receipts. Once a month (mark your calendar), fill in the expenses you have accrued and fax it to the administrator.
Solutions to 9 Puzzling Financial Frustrations
‘I’m Enrolled in a Flexible-Spending Account, But I’m Feeling Overwhelmed by the Paperwork’
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Financial Fixes
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