HSA Contributions While on Parents' Insurance - Fixing Ineligible Contributions for 2021-2022
I'm in a pretty stressful situation with my HSA contributions and could really use some help. After finishing college, I started my first job in 2022 and opened an HSA account (let's call it Account 1) through my employer. I contributed about $1,350 last year and around $2,700 this year to Account 1. A few months ago, I switched jobs and briefly opened another HSA (Account 2) where I put in about $350. Here's where things went wrong - I just realized ALL these contributions were ineligible because I'm still covered under my parents' health insurance plan (I'm 24). My parent got rehired at their old company shortly after I started working, and I was automatically added to their policy since I'm under 26. I had no idea this made me ineligible for HSA contributions! I've stopped all contributions to Account 2 and contacted the tax preparer who did my 2022 taxes to fix this mess. When I asked my former and current employers about reversing the contributions, they both told me I need to handle everything directly with the HSA providers. I submitted an excess contribution form for Account 2, and was planning to do the same for Account 1 (for both tax years). But now I'm confused because Account 1 says they won't issue corrected 5498s, but will instead give me 1099-SAs dated for this year. My former employer also said they won't issue corrected W-2s for the HSA payments. My tax preparer claims I can't amend last year's return without a corrected W-2 and thinks I shouldn't be filling out excess contribution forms at all. They suggested asking my former employer to include my 2022 HSA contributions as part of my 2023 wages, but I doubt they'll agree. I'm completely lost. Should I: - File an amended 2022 return or just report the 1099-SA on my 2023 taxes? - What should my W-2s from both employers look like next year once the money's removed? This whole situation is making me incredibly anxious. I'm worried about being audited and can't sleep thinking about it. Any advice would be so appreciated - even just reassurance that I'll get through this.
18 comments


NightOwl42
This is definitely a stressful situation, but it's actually a common mistake and completely fixable! Don't lose sleep over it. When you contribute to an HSA while not enrolled in a qualifying HDHP (because you were on your parents' plan), those contributions are considered "excess contributions." There are established procedures to correct this. For your immediate steps: You're on the right track with the excess contribution withdrawal forms. This is exactly what you should be doing - the HSA administrators (not your employers) handle this process. When you submit these forms, they'll remove both your contributions and any earnings those contributions generated. For the tax implications: The 1099-SA that Account 1 will issue is the correct form - it shows distributions from your HSA. When you receive this, you'll report it on Form 8889 with your 2023 taxes. For the 2022 contributions being removed in 2023, you'll report those on your 2023 return. For the 2022 tax return that's already filed, you should file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to remove the HSA deduction you claimed. Don't worry about corrected W-2s - they're not necessary in this scenario. Your original W-2s showed the contributions were made (which they were), and the 1099-SA will show they were distributed back to you. The most important thing is to request the withdrawal of excess contributions as soon as possible to minimize any penalties. The IRS charges a 6% excise tax on excess contributions for each year they remain in the account.
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Sofia Rodriguez
•Thanks for the detailed response! One thing I'm still confused about - if my employer coded these contributions as pre-tax on my W-2 (in box 12 with code W), how does that get corrected if they won't issue a new W-2? Won't my amended return for 2022 conflict with what the IRS has on file from my employer? Also, do I need to pay that 6% excise tax for both 2022 and 2023 since the money was sitting there during both tax years?
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NightOwl42
•Your W-2 box 12 code W shows what was contributed, and your employers are correct that they don't need to issue corrected W-2s. When you file your amended return, you'll include Form 8889 showing the contribution was made but that you weren't eligible, effectively negating the tax benefit you received. The IRS will reconcile these documents - this is a standard process for correcting HSA contribution errors. For the 6% excise tax, you'll owe it for each year the excess contributions remained in your account. So if you contributed in 2022 and remove the funds in 2023, you'd owe the excise tax for 2022 (reported on Form 5329 with your 2022 amended return). If you complete the removal before your 2023 tax filing deadline, you can avoid paying the excise tax for 2023.
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Dmitry Ivanov
After spending hours figuring out my own HSA mess last year, I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me tons of stress. It analyzes your specific tax situation and gives personalized guidance on how to handle complicated issues like HSA contribution errors. When I had almost the exact same situation (contributed to HSA while on my wife's insurance), I uploaded my tax docs and got step-by-step instructions on which forms to file, which accounts to contact, and exactly what to say. It flagged the 6% excise tax issue before I even knew about it and showed me how to minimize penalties. The best part was it explained all the IRS jargon in plain English and showed me exactly where on each form to report everything. Saved me from having to piece together advice from different sources that kept contradicting each other.
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Ava Thompson
•That sounds interesting but I'm always skeptical of tax tools. Does it actually work with complicated situations? Like can it handle the fact that the contributions were spread across two different tax years and two different HSA accounts? My situation is similar to OP's but even more complicated because I also had a period where I was eligible.
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Miguel Herrera
•I've never heard of that before. Is it like TurboTax or something different? My main concern would be privacy since we're talking about tax documents with sensitive info.
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Dmitry Ivanov
•It's actually designed specifically for complicated tax situations that most software struggles with. The HSA eligibility analysis is one of its strengths - it can handle multiple accounts, partial year eligibility, and contributions across different tax years. It creates a timeline of your coverage and contributions to identify exactly which portions were eligible or ineligible. For privacy concerns, it's different from TurboTax in that it's more of an analysis tool than filing software. They use bank-level encryption and don't store your documents after analysis. I was concerned about that too, but their security explanation convinced me it was safe. The tool helped me avoid what would have been thousands in potential penalties because it caught issues my tax preparer missed.
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Miguel Herrera
I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and seriously, thank you so much for recommending it! My situation was almost identical - contributed to an HSA while on my parents' insurance for part of 2022 and 2023. The tool immediately identified which contributions were ineligible and generated specific instructions for each HSA administrator. It even created template letters to send to my HSA providers requesting the excess contribution withdrawals with all the proper terminology (saved me from stumbling through those awkward phone calls). The best part was it showed me exactly how to report everything on my tax forms to avoid penalties. It calculated that doing an amended return for 2022 AND properly reporting the distribution on my 2023 return would save me about $700 compared to other approaches. I was struggling with this for weeks before finding this tool. Such a relief to have clear guidance instead of conflicting advice from different people!
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Zainab Ali
If you're stressed about dealing with the IRS on this, you might want to try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation last year with HSA contribution mistakes and needed specific guidance from the IRS that I couldn't find online. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to a human at the IRS - constant busy signals, disconnections after waiting on hold for hours, it was a nightmare. Then I found this service that gets you to the front of the IRS phone queue. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c When I finally got through to an IRS agent, they walked me through exactly how to handle the excess contributions and amended returns. Having an official answer directly from the IRS gave me peace of mind that I was fixing the problem correctly. Worth every penny to avoid the hold time and get definitive answers.
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Connor Murphy
•Wait, how does this actually work? Sounds too good to be true. The IRS phone system is notoriously horrible. How could some service possibly get you to the front of the line?
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Yara Nassar
•Seems sketchy. Why would the IRS let some random company bypass their queue? And even if you do get through, are you sure the IRS agent you speak with will actually know how to handle this specific HSA situation? In my experience, different agents give different answers to the same question.
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Zainab Ali
•It's not bypassing the system - they use an enterprise-level call system that continuously redials until it makes a connection, then alerts you when an agent answers. The IRS phone system is designed to disconnect after so many callers are queued, so normal people get busy signals while automated systems can eventually get through. They explain it all on their site. As for the expertise of IRS agents, I specifically asked for someone in the HSA department when connected. The agent I spoke with dealt with HSA issues every day and could cite the exact IRS publication numbers covering my situation. Not all agents are equally knowledgeable, but you can request someone who specializes in your specific issue when you get connected.
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Yara Nassar
I was EXTREMELY skeptical about Claimyr when I first saw it mentioned here. I thought it was either a scam or wouldn't work for complicated tax situations. I had made excess HSA contributions for THREE years while unknowingly covered under my spouse's plan, and was facing potentially thousands in penalties. After trying for literally months to get through to the IRS myself (42 attempts, longest hold time 3.5 hours before getting disconnected), I reluctantly tried the service. I got connected to an IRS agent in under 45 minutes - the service called me when they had an agent on the line. The agent transferred me to their HSA specialist who laid out EXACTLY what forms I needed, the specific procedure for multiple years of corrections, and confirmed I could avoid most penalties if I corrected everything properly. They even emailed me the relevant IRS publications with the exact sections highlighted. I went from complete panic about an audit to having a clear, IRS-approved plan to fix everything. Cannot believe how much stress this saved me after spinning my wheels for months.
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StarGazer101
I think everyone's overcomplicating this. I made the same mistake a couple years ago and just took the money out of my HSA and reported it as income for the year I withdrew it. Paid regular income tax on it and moved on with my life. No amended returns, no 6% penalties, no stress. The HSA provider issued a 1099-SA and I just included it with my taxes for that year. Maybe not technically perfect but the IRS got their money and I've never heard anything about it. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one.
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Keisha Jackson
•This is terrible advice. What you're describing will absolutely trigger issues if you're ever audited. By not amending the original return where you claimed the HSA deduction, you effectively took a tax deduction you weren't entitled to. Just because you haven't been caught doesn't mean it's the right approach. Plus, the 6% excise tax DOES apply regardless of whether you report it or not. The IRS may eventually catch up to this and issue a notice with penalties and interest. Proper correction requires both removing the excess contribution AND amending the return where the deduction was taken.
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StarGazer101
•Look, I'm just sharing what worked for me. I checked with the HSA administrator before doing this and they said it was a valid approach. When you withdraw the funds, you're paying taxes on them as income. I didn't claim an HSA deduction on my original return because my contributions were pre-tax through my employer. The money showed up on my W-2 as having been contributed to the HSA, and then when I withdrew it, it showed up on the 1099-SA. The 6% excise tax is for excess contributions that remain in the account. Since I took the money out, it didn't apply once it was removed. Obviously everyone should do what they're comfortable with, but not everyone has the time or money to file amended returns and deal with multiple years of tax forms for what might be a relatively small amount of money.
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Paolo Romano
Just checking - are you SURE you're actually ineligible for HSA contributions? Being on your parents' plan doesn't automatically disqualify you if that plan is an HDHP that meets the requirements for HSA eligibility. The IRS rules state you can contribute to an HSA if: 1. You're covered by an HDHP 2. You have no other health coverage (with some exceptions) 3. You aren't claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return 4. You aren't enrolled in Medicare If your parents' plan is an HDHP that meets the deductible requirements ($1,400+ for individual coverage in 2022), and you meet the other criteria, you might actually be eligible! Worth checking the details of your parents' plan before going through all this trouble.
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Dylan Hughes
•Thanks for pointing this out. I actually confirmed with my parents that their plan is NOT an HDHP - it's a PPO with a $500 deductible. So unfortunately I am definitely ineligible for the HSA contributions I made. I appreciate all the help from everyone! I think I'm going to request the excess contribution withdrawals from both HSA administrators, file an amended return for 2022, and report the distributions on my 2023 return. Seems like the most straightforward approach that avoids future headaches. Good news is I finally got a decent night's sleep after reading all these responses - at least I know there's a clear path forward now!
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