HSA Contribution Limits and HDHP Rules for 2026 and 2027

The IRS sets the HSA limits each year, and the 2027 figures came out in Revenue Procedure 2026-24 in May 2026. For 2027 the contribution limit is $4,500 for self-only coverage and $9,000 for family coverage, up from $4,400 and $8,750 in 2026 under Revenue Procedure 2025-19. The age 55 catch-up stays at $1,000 because it is set by statute and not indexed. The table on this page shows every figure side by side. The 401(k) and IRA limits for 2027 have not been announced as of early October 2026 and are expected in November. For the 2026 versions of those numbers, see the 2026 retirement contribution limits and 2026 retirement tax limits reference pages on this site.

Contribution eligibility starts with the plan. A high-deductible health plan for 2026 must have a deductible of at least $1,700 for self-only coverage or $3,400 for family coverage, and an out-of-pocket maximum of no more than $8,500 or $17,000. For 2027 those become $1,750 and $3,500 for the deductible, and $8,700 and $17,400 for the out-of-pocket maximum. The out-of-pocket maximum excludes premiums. A plan that looks like a high-deductible plan but has a lower deductible, or copays that kick in before the deductible for non-preventive care, may not qualify. The plan documents decide, and the insurer or your employer's benefits team can confirm.

Eligibility is tested month by month. You can contribute for a month only if you are covered by a qualifying plan on the first day of that month. Someone who is covered all year can contribute the full annual limit. Someone who starts coverage on July 1 can contribute for six months at the monthly rate, which is one-twelfth of the annual limit per month, unless the last-month rule applies. Employer contributions, including seed money and payroll contributions, count toward the same limit as your own. Payroll contributions through a cafeteria plan avoid income tax and FICA tax. Contributions you make directly to the custodian are deductible above the line, which means you get the deduction even if you do not itemize, but they do not avoid FICA.

The last-month rule lets someone who is eligible on December 1 contribute the full-year limit as if eligible all twelve months. The price is the testing period: you must stay eligible through December 31 of the following year. If you fall out of eligibility during that window, the extra amount you were allowed only because of the last-month rule becomes taxable income, plus a 10% additional tax. This catches people who switch to a non-qualifying plan, or who enroll in Medicare, shortly after taking the full-year contribution. Check where you will be in the following year before you rely on it.

Medicare ends your ability to contribute. Once you are enrolled in any part of Medicare, including premium-free Part A, you can no longer make HSA contributions, though you can keep spending the balance. The trap is the backdate. If you apply for Part A or Social Security after age 65, Part A coverage is backdated up to six months, though not earlier than the month you turned 65. Contributions made during those backdated months become excess contributions. If you plan to apply after 65, stop contributing six months before the month you apply. The related page on enrolling in Medicare while still working at 65 covers the employer-coverage side of that decision.

Married couples have a few specific mechanics. If either spouse has family coverage, the family limit applies to both spouses combined, and the couple can split it any way they choose between their two HSAs. The age 55 catch-up is different: each spouse's catch-up must go into that spouse's own HSA. So a couple with family coverage, both 55 or older, can contribute the family limit plus $2,000 in total, with each $1,000 catch-up in the account of the person who is 55 or older. A spouse who is not 55 does not generate a catch-up.

Deadlines and corrections matter as much as the limits. You can make contributions for a tax year until the filing deadline for that year, without extensions. For 2026 that is April 15, 2027. If you contribute more than the limit, the excess is subject to a 6% excise tax every year it stays in the account. You avoid it by withdrawing the excess and any earnings on it by the filing deadline. Qualified medical expenses are tax-free. Non-qualified withdrawals before 65 are taxed plus a 20% additional tax, and after 65 they are taxed as ordinary income without the additional tax. For the retirement-spending strategy, see the page on using an HSA in retirement.

If you are still working with a qualifying plan, the first decision is how much to contribute for the year. The ceiling is the limit for your coverage type plus any catch-up, minus anything your employer contributes. Pull your most recent pay stub or HSA statement to see the employer total, then set the payroll election so the full year adds up to your target. If you are within a few years of Medicare, the contribution window is closing, and the Medicare cutoff date is the real deadline for planning, not December 31.

If you are retiring before 65 and buying coverage on the marketplace, the 2026 changes help. Bronze and catastrophic marketplace plans are treated as HSA-compatible starting in 2026, and IRS Notice 2026-05 says they need not be purchased through an Exchange. That gives early retirees a route into HSA eligibility that did not exist before, although eligibility still depends on the specific plan. Singh PWM is not a benefits administrator, so plan eligibility is decided by the plan documents and a tax preparer.

The ACA tie-in is where this gets valuable for early retirees. A deductible HSA contribution lowers modified adjusted gross income, and under the 400% of federal poverty level cliff that returned in 2026, the premium tax credit disappears completely once income crosses the line. For 2026 coverage, that line is roughly $84,600 for a two-person household. Illustratively, a married couple with a MAGI of $88,000 who make a $9,000 direct HSA contribution would bring MAGI to $79,000, under the cliff. That fits within the 2026 family limit of $8,750 plus one $1,000 catch-up. The subsidy actually depends on the plan, the ages, and the county, so run the real numbers before planning around it. It also requires an HSA-eligible plan.

If you have a spouse, decide which account receives the family contribution and which receives each catch-up. Put each catch-up in the right person's own account, and track both spouses' Medicare dates, because each person's own enrollment affects that person's ability to contribute. Your tax preparer can confirm how the family limit applies once one spouse is on Medicare and the other is not.

Treat this page as a reference, and check back each fall. The 2027 limits are confirmed, but the 2027 401(k) and IRA limits, Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, and Medicare premiums are still pending as of early October 2026. The year-end money moves page for pre-retirees in their 60s covers where the HSA fits alongside the other year-end decisions.

• Contributing for months in which you were not covered by a qualifying plan on the first day, then discovering the excess when the tax return is prepared.
• Taking the full-year contribution under the last-month rule and then leaving the plan or enrolling in Medicare within the testing period, which makes the extra amount taxable plus a 10% additional tax.
• Forgetting the Part A backdate. Applying for Medicare or Social Security after 65 can push the Medicare start date back up to six months, and any contributions in those months are excess.
• Counting only your own payroll deferrals and ignoring employer contributions, which count toward the same limit and can push the total over it.
• Putting both spouses' catch-up contributions into one account. Each catch-up has to go into the 55-plus person's own HSA.
• Assuming a bronze or catastrophic marketplace plan, or a direct primary care arrangement, automatically works with an HSA without confirming the plan documents and the fee terms first.
• Leaving an excess contribution in place past the filing deadline. The 6% excise tax applies every year until it is removed.