Does HSA cover contacts?
Prescription contacts — plus the solution and supplies to maintain them — are qualified HSA expenses; purely cosmetic colored contacts are not.
What flips the answer
- Covered when
They're prescription corrective contacts, including the eye exam that produces the prescription.
- Covered when
You're buying the solution or supplies needed to maintain prescription contacts.
- Not covered when
The contacts are cosmetic — colored lenses with no vision correction.
IRS Publication 502 counts contact lenses needed for medical reasons as a qualified expense, together with the materials to maintain them, like saline solution and cleaner.
The requirement is that the contacts correct vision. Corrective contacts and the eye exam behind the prescription are eligible for tax-free HSA payment.
Colored contacts worn only to change eye color, with no corrective power, are cosmetic and don't qualify.
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