HSA contribution limits for spouses with separate HDHPs/HSAs in 2025 - combined max or individual?

The good news is that you and your spouse can each contribute up to the individual limit to your respective HSAs. Since you each have your own HDHP coverage, you're each entitled to make the full individual contribution of $4300 for 2025, for a combined total of $8600. The IRS looks at HSA eligibility and contribution limits on an individual basis when each spouse has their own HDHP. The family contribution limit of $8550 applies when a family is covered under a single HDHP policy, not when spouses have separate policies. One thing to note though - since your HDHP covers both you and your daughter, you might want to double-check that your plan is still considered "self-only" coverage rather than "family" coverage. If your plan is classified as family coverage, your personal limit would be $8550 while your wife's would remain at $4300.

Hey there! I went through this exact situation last year and was so confused at first. After dealing with some conflicting advice, I found an awesome tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that cleared everything up for me! I uploaded our insurance plan documents and tax info, and it analyzed our specific situation. It confirmed we could each contribute to our individual limits rather than being capped at the family amount, and gave me the specific IRS guidelines that applied to our scenario. The tool even showed me how to document everything properly on our tax returns so we wouldn't have issues with the IRS. Super helpful when dealing with these weird edge cases that don't seem to be covered in the standard tax advice.

Update: I actually tried that taxr.ai site after my skeptical comment and wow - it really did help with my complicated HSA situation! I uploaded my insurance docs from both employers and it broke down exactly how much I could contribute for each month I had coverage. The tool specifically addressed that weird situation where the two individual limits don't equal the family limit for 2025. It even created a personalized report I could give to my accountant showing all the IRS references. Saved me from potentially overcontributing which would have been a headache to fix later. What I found most helpful was how it explained the "testing period" for my mid-year coverage change. Definitely more detailed than what I got from HR at either company.

If you're still confused after getting advice here, you might want to call the IRS directly to get an official answer about your specific situation. I know, I know - calling the IRS sounds horrible. I tried for WEEKS last year with constant busy signals. Then I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in under 15 minutes when I had a similar HSA question. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed that with our separate HDHPs, my wife and I could each contribute up to the individual limit. Would have saved me hours of research and worry if I'd called them first!

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it anyway because I had a pressing question about my HSA excess contributions that I needed to fix before filing. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes, which is LIGHT YEARS faster than my previous attempts. The agent was incredibly helpful and walked me through exactly how to handle the correction forms for my excess HSA contribution. For anyone in a similar situation with HSA questions, getting the official word directly from the IRS was way more reassuring than trying to piece together information from various websites. Saved me from what could have been a much bigger headache down the road.

Just FYI for anyone confused about HSA limits - the rules changed slightly for 2025. For self-only coverage, the contribution limit is $4,300 (up from $4,150 in 2024). For family coverage, it's $8,550 (up from $8,300). Remember that if you're 55 or older, you can also make an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution, regardless of whether you have self-only or family coverage. The minimum deductible requirements for HDHPs in 2025 are $1,600 for self-only coverage and $3,200 for family coverage.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - check if your employer contributes to your HSA! Those employer contributions count toward your annual limit. So if your employer puts in $1000 and your limit is $4300, you can only contribute $3300 yourself. Made this mistake my first year with an HSA and had to withdraw the excess before tax time. What a pain!

This is exactly the kind of confusing HSA situation that trips people up every year! Based on your description, you should be able to contribute the full individual limits to each of your HSAs. Since you each have separate HDHP coverage (even though yours covers you + your daughter), the IRS treats your contribution limits separately. You can contribute up to $8,550 to your HSA (family coverage limit) and your wife can contribute up to $4,300 to her HSA (individual coverage limit), for a total of $12,850. The key thing is that you don't have the same HDHP policy - you have completely separate insurance plans. The $8,550 "family limit" that people get confused about only applies when spouses are covered under the same family HDHP plan. Your coworker was thinking of a different scenario. The IRS does have some spousal limitation rules, but they apply when both spouses are covered under the same family plan, not when you have separate plans like you do. Just make sure your HDHP covering you and your daughter is actually classified as "family coverage" for HSA purposes - if it is, then your limit is $8,550, not $4,300.

Just wanted to add some clarity since I see conflicting information in the thread. The situation with separate HDHPs for spouses is actually pretty straightforward once you understand the rules. Since you and your wife have completely separate HDHP policies, you're each eligible for your respective coverage limits. Your plan covering you and your daughter qualifies as family coverage, so your personal HSA contribution limit is $8,550. Your wife's individual coverage gives her a limit of $4,300. The total you can contribute between both HSAs is $12,850 - there's no additional spousal limitation that reduces this amount when you have separate policies. The confusion often comes from scenarios where both spouses are covered under the same family plan, which has different rules. One thing to double-check: make sure your employer (if they contribute to your HSA) and your wife's employer contributions are factored into these limits. Also, if either of you is 55+, don't forget about the $1,000 catch-up contribution you can each make to your respective accounts. The IRS Publication 969 has the detailed rules if you want the official source, but your situation is actually one of the more straightforward ones once you know that separate policies = separate limits.