It may be possible to have your Massage therapy treatment as a qualified medical expense in which case you would be eligible to use your FSA or HSA spending account.
"Massage therapy can be a qualified medical expense," Curry says, as long as a physician recommends it with a written prescription. The IRS ruling states that medical care expenses must be primarily to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental ailment. Examples of illnesses that qualify include carpal tunnel syndrome, stress, back pain, arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression and pain management.
What to do?
Your physician will need to provide three pieces of information on the prescription:
- Medical necessity: why you need massage therapy (example: to relieve back pain)
- Frequency: number of sessions per month (example: minimum of two sessions per month)
- Duration: length of treatment (example: 12 months)
Once you've obtained the prescription, file it away in case you are ever asked to back up the expense. It's not necessary to bring the prescription to us, but you should bring your HSA debit card to pay for your next visit. If you don't have a HSA debit card, simply pay for our massages and turn in your receipts for reimbursement. Note that you can't include tips or pay for bulk pack specials with your HSA debit card.