Treasury Department -

Dec. 6, 2005: The Treasury Department and IRS today issued new guidance on the maximum contribution levels for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and out-of-pocket spending limits for high deductible Health Plans (HDHPs) that must be used in conjunction with HSAs. These amounts have been indexed for cost-of-living adjustments for 2006 and are included in Revenue Procedure 200r-70, which announces changes in several indexed amounts for purposes of the federal income tax. The new levels are as follows:

New Annual Contribution Levels for HSAs:
* For 2006, the maximum annual HSA contribution for an eligible individual with self-only coverage is $2,700. (Note: for any individual, the maximum contribution is the lesser of the indexed amount or the deductible of the HDHP.)

* For family coverage the maximum HSA contribution is $5,450.
* Catch up contribution for individual who are 55 or older is increased by statute to $700 for 2006.

* Both the HSA contribution and catch up contribution apply pro rate based on the number of months of the year a taxpayer is an eligible individual.

New Amounts for Out-of-Pocket Spending on HSA-Compatible HDHPs:

* The maximum annual out-of-pocket amounts for HDHP self-coverage increase to $5,250 and the maximum annual out-of-pocket amount for HDHP family coverage is twice that, $10,500.

Minimum Deductible Amounts for HSA-Compatible HDHPs:

* For 2006, the minimum deductible for HDHPs increases to $1,050 for self-only coverage and $2,100 for family coverage.