- Health Savings Account (HSA)
- A tax-advantaged account paired with a high-deductible health plan. Contributions are tax-deductible or made pre-tax through payroll, investment growth is not taxed, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free. Unused money rolls over every year, which is why this calculator can treat it as a long-term investment account.
- Future HSA value
- The projected balance at the end of the years you enter: the starting balance grown at your annual return, plus each year’s contributions grown for the years remaining. It is a nominal figure, not adjusted for inflation, and assumes no withdrawals along the way. Actual balances depend on markets, fees and spending.
- Annual contribution
- What you deposit into the HSA each year. Your and your employer’s contributions together cannot exceed the IRS limit — for 2026, $4,400 self-only or $8,750 family, plus $1,000 at age 55+ (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-19; Pub. 969). This calculator assumes each year’s contribution is made and invested at year-end.
- Employer contribution
- Money your employer puts into your HSA each year. It grows the same way as your own deposits and is not taxed as income to you, but it counts toward the same annual limit. This calculator adds it to your contribution to get the total annual contribution invested each year.
- Annual return
- The average yearly growth rate you assume on the invested balance. Many HSAs hold part of the balance in cash and let you invest the rest in funds; cash earns less. This calculator applies one constant rate every year, while real returns vary, can be negative, and are reduced by account and fund fees.
- Total growth
- The part of the future value that comes from investment returns rather than deposits: future value minus the starting balance and all contributions. Because returns compound, growth accelerates in later years, so the years-to-grow input usually moves this number more than a modest change in the contribution does.
- Compound growth
- Earning returns on previous returns as well as on the money you deposited. At 6% a year, $10,000 becomes about $10,600 after one year and about $32,070 after 20 years. Inside an HSA, compounding is not reduced by yearly taxes on dividends or gains, which is the main advantage over a taxable account.
- Qualified medical expenses
- Health costs the IRS allows you to pay from an HSA tax-free, such as deductibles, copays, prescriptions, dental and vision care. Money withdrawn for other purposes is taxable and can also carry an additional penalty depending on your age. The tax-free outcome this calculator implies depends on spending the balance on qualified expenses.