Every December, plenty of parents log into their benefits portal and find a balance they forgot about. If your flexible spending account runs on the calendar year, whatever is still sitting there on December 31 may be gone for good.
FSA money covers far more than copays. Sunscreen, children’s allergy medicine, a backup pair of glasses, and a stocked first-aid kit can all qualify, so your leftover balance can set your family up for the next year of fevers, scraped knees, and pool days.
Check Your FSA Deadline Rules First
FSAs follow a use-it-or-lose-it rule, but employers can soften it. According to HealthCare.gov, your plan may give you a grace period of up to two and a half extra months to spend, or let you roll part of your balance into next year.
Plans can offer one of those options or neither, and the details live in your plan documents or your benefits portal. If you can’t find them, a quick email to HR will get you an answer.
For 2026 plan years, the IRS set the health FSA contribution limit at $3,400 and capped the rollover at $680. If your plan uses the carryover, anything above $680 still disappears at year end.
While you’re logged in, look up two more things. Many plans allow extra time into the new year to submit receipts for purchases made by December 31, so find that claims deadline. Also check whether you have a limited-purpose FSA, which usually pays only for dental and vision.
12 Smart Ways to Spend Your FSA Money
1. Restock the Medicine Cabinet
Over-the-counter medicine no longer needs a prescription to qualify. The IRS confirms that FSAs can pay for OTC drugs, so pain relievers, fever reducers, allergy medicine, antacids, and hydrocortisone cream all count.
Check the expiration dates on what you already own before you shop. Nobody wants to find out at 2 a.m. that the only bottle of children’s fever reducer expired last spring. Ask your pediatrician which medicines and doses fit your kids’ ages.
2. Build a Real First-Aid Kit
Bandages, gauze, medical tape, antibiotic ointment, and instant cold packs are all eligible supplies. Put together one kit for the house and a smaller one for the car or diaper bag, since scraped knees rarely happen near the bathroom cabinet.
Add an elastic bandage for sprained ankles and a box of kid-sized bandages in a few shapes. Small hands and knees need the small sizes, and those are the first ones to run out.
3. Stock Up on Sunscreen for Next Summer
Most FSA administrators treat sunscreen as eligible when it’s broad spectrum with SPF 15 or higher. Buy a few bottles now and tuck them in the pool bag so they’re ready in June. Some lip balms and moisturizers with SPF qualify too, so check your plan’s eligible list.
4. Cover Period Products for the Months Ahead
The CARES Act of 2020 added menstrual care products to the eligible list. Tampons, pads, liners, and menstrual cups all qualify, and they store well, so buying several months’ worth makes sense.
If you have a tween, this is a good time to put together a small starter kit for her backpack.
5. Get New Glasses, Contacts, or a Backup Pair
Eye exams, prescription glasses, and contact lenses are classic FSA expenses, as IRS Publication 502 spells out. If your child has ever sat on their glasses, a backup pair in the current prescription saves a frantic week. Prescription sunglasses and contact lens solution usually count as well.
6. Squeeze In a Dental Visit
Cleanings, fillings, X-rays, and braces all count as dental care. If your child’s six-month cleaning is due in January, ask the office whether they can fit you in before the year ends. Sealants and fluoride treatments for kids count too. Teeth whitening is cosmetic, so it won’t go through.
7. Book the Appointments You’ve Put Off
Copays, coinsurance, and deductible costs for doctor visits qualify, though insurance premiums don’t. December is a smart time for the dermatology appointment, the physical therapy follow-up, or the specialist visit that keeps sliding down your list. Sessions with a licensed psychologist or therapist count as medical care too.
If you’ve already met your insurance deductible this year, booking before January can also mean a smaller bill, since most deductibles reset when the new plan year starts.
8. Pick Up Breast Pump and Nursing Supplies
Breast pumps and supplies that help with lactation are eligible under IRS rules. If you’re nursing now, replace worn valves, membranes, and flanges, or pick up a second pump for work so you’re not hauling one back and forth every day.
9. Look Into Vitamins With a Letter of Medical Necessity
Vitamins are the trickiest category. The IRS says supplements count only when a medical practitioner recommends them for a specific diagnosed condition, so a regular multivitamin from the drugstore usually won’t qualify.
Some brands now work with Truemed. You order with your regular card, fill out a short health survey, and a licensed provider decides whether to issue a Letter of Medical Necessity.
You then send the receipt and letter to your FSA administrator for reimbursement. That takes a few steps, so order early if you want the purchase counted toward this year’s balance.
EllaOla is one example. According to ellaola.com, “EllaOla Multivitamins are HSA/FSA eligible when purchased through Truemed.” Their multivitamins come as unflavored powder stick packs, developed with pediatricians and pediatric dietitians, that mix into yogurt, oatmeal, or a smoothie.
For a child who eats the same five foods on rotation, a multivitamin can help fill everyday nutritional gaps. Food still comes first, so talk to your pediatrician about whether your child needs one.
10. Add a Thermometer or Home Health Monitor
Digital thermometers, blood pressure monitors, and other home diagnostic devices are eligible. A quick-read forehead or ear thermometer makes a middle-of-the-night fever check on a sleeping toddler much easier, and a good one lasts for years.
11. Shop Where FSA Items Are Labeled
Amazon, Target, CVS, and Walgreens flag FSA-eligible items online, and many store registers split them out automatically when you pay with your FSA card. Online stores that sell only eligible products are another option, since you can fill a cart without double-checking every item.
12. Don’t Forget a Dependent Care FSA
A dependent care FSA is a separate account with its own deadline. It covers care for kids under 13 while you work, including daycare, before- and after-school programs, and day camps. Overnight camp doesn’t count.
If your kids have a few days of winter break camp before December 31, that cost can help use up the balance. Starting in 2026, the annual household limit rose to $7,500, or $3,750 if you’re married and filing separately.
Ask the camp for a receipt with its tax ID number, since most administrators need the provider’s details before they’ll pay a claim.
Use This Year’s Receipts to Pick Next Year’s Amount
Once you’ve spent down this year’s balance, look at what you bought. Add up the medicine, glasses, dental visits, and sunscreen, and you’ll have a realistic number to elect during open enrollment, which means less money left stranded next December.
Keep every receipt in one folder or a photo album on your phone. Your administrator can ask for proof on any card purchase, and submitting your claims before the run-out deadline is how you get the rest of this year’s money back.