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Flexible Spending Accounts for New Federal Employees
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
You have 60 days from your entry on duty to sign-up for Flexible Spending Account(s), or until October 1, whichever comes first. Applications for the current calendar year are not accepted from October 1 through December 31. If you wish to enroll after October 1 you will need to do so during open season for the following year.
The Federal Flexible Spending Accounts Program (FSAFeds) allows you to pay for certain health and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars. You may choose to make a voluntary allotment from your salary to your FSAFEDS account(s). You will not pay employment or income taxes on your allotments and your employing agency also avoids paying employment taxes.
FSAs are not carried over from one Plan Year to the next, so each fall during the annual open season, you must make a new election for the upcoming Plan Year.
Two FSAs are being offered to eligible employees:
A Health Care FSA (HCFSA), through which you may use pre-tax allotments to pay for certain health care expenses that are not reimbursed by FEHB or any other source and not claimed on your income tax return. The maximum amount you may set aside in any tax year is $4,000 and the minimum is $250.
A Dependent Care FSA (DCFSA), through which you may use pre-tax allotments to pay for eligible dependent care expenses. The maximum amount you may set aside in any tax year is $5,000 ($2,500 if you are married and filing a separate income tax return) and the minimum amount is $250.
