United States 

Office of 

Personnel Management 

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency

Benefits Administration Letter

Number: 14-801 Date: August 27, 2014

Subject: The Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS) Changes: 

 Adopting Carryover and Reducing Minimum Election for 2015

Purpose 

To notify agencies and participants that the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program 

(FSAFEDS) is implementing two significant changes effective for the 2015 plan year.

 Health care and limited expense flexible spending accounts (FSAs) will no longer have a 

grace period; instead, qualifying participants will be able to carry over up to $500 of 

unused funds to the next plan year. Dependent care FSAs will still have a grace period 

and will not have carryover to the next plan year.

 The minimum annual election for all three types of FSAs will be reduced from $250 to 

$100.

Background 

Grace Period 

FSAFEDS currently has a grace period which adds 2-1/2 months to the end of the annual benefit 

period for all three types of FSAs. During this grace period, participants can incur eligible 

expenses for reimbursement from their prior year’s balance.

IRS Rule Change 

In October 2013, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) changed the FSA forfeiture rule (use-or-lose 

rule) by allowing carryover for health care FSAs. FSA programs can now allow their participants 

to carry over up to $500 of unused health care FSA funds from one plan year to the next. The 

IRS restricts carryover to health care FSAs that are not using a grace period. Programs must 

eliminate the grace period for their health care FSAs before they can implement carryover. 

Transitioning from the Grace Period to Carryover 

2014 Participants – No Changes 

Qualifying 2014 participants will still have the grace period in the first 2-1/2 months of 2015. 
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Participants have from January 1, 2014 through March 15, 2015 to incur eligible expenses for 

reimbursement from their 2014 account. Participants must be employed by an agency that 

participates in FSAFEDS and actively making allotments from their pay through December 31, 

2014 to participate in the grace period. 

Participants have until April 30, 2015 to submit claims for reimbursement from their 2014 

account. 

2015 Participants – Health Care and Limited Expense Health Care (LEX) FSAs 

Health care and limited expense health care (LEX) participants will not have a grace period in 

the first 2-1/2 months of 2016. These participants will have from January 1, 2015 through 

December 31, 2015 to incur eligible expenses for reimbursement from their 2015 account. They 

will have until April 30, 2016 to submit claims for reimbursement from their 2015 account. 

Participants can carry over up to $500 of unused 2015 health care or LEX elections to 2016. 

Carryover funds can be used for reimbursement of eligible expenses incurred in 2016. Carryover 

funds can also be used for reimbursement of eligible expenses incurred in 2015 until the claims 

submission deadline of April 30, 2016. 

Participants must be employed by an agency that participates in FSAFEDS and actively making 

allotments from their pay through December 31 to use carryover. Participants must also reenroll 

in a 2016 health care or LEX FSA for at least the minimum annual election to use carryover. 

2015 participants who do not re-enroll in a health care or LEX FSA for 2016, or who are 

not employed by an agency that participates in FSAFEDS and not actively making 

allotments from their pay through December 31, 2015, will not be eligible to use carryover. 

Participants ineligible for carryover will forfeit all FSA elections for which they did not incur 

eligible expenses during 2015 and file claims by April 30, 2016. 

2015 Participants – Dependent Care FSAs – No Changes 

2015 dependent care participants still have the grace period in the first 2-1/2 months of 2016. 

Participants have from January 1, 2015 through March 15, 2016 to incur eligible expenses for 

reimbursement from their 2015 account. Participants must be employed by an agency that 

participates in FSAFEDS and actively making allotments from their pay through December 31, 

2015 to participate in the grace period. 

Participants have until April 30, 2016 to submit claims for reimbursement from their 2015 

account. 

Minimum Election Reduction 

FSAFEDS is reducing the minimum annual election from $250 to $100 for all three types of 
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FSAs beginning with the 2015 plan year. Reducing the minimum makes the FSAFEDS benefit 

accessible to more employees. It also complements the switch to carryover by further 

encouraging first-time enrollment in FSAFEDS. Our experience has been that once employees 

try FSAFEDS with a low initial election, they quickly use up their funds and increase their 

election the next year. 

Further Guidance

ADP, the third party administrator for FSAFEDS, will be communicating these changes to 

participants and eligible employees on its website, by email, and in visits to agency health fairs. 

Employees with questions about these changes should contact ADP at 1-877-FSAFEDS (372-

3337) or FSAFEDS@adp.com. 

Sincerely, 

John O’Brien

Director 

Health and Insurance