Model a 2026 HSA contribution within the official coverage and age limits, then project the balance using your own return assumption. The result is a planning estimate, not tax advice.
HSA balance at retirement
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Annual tax savings (this year)
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Based on the tax rate and contribution method selected.
Lifetime tax savings (contributions)
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Your breakdown
Updates live as you type| Item | Amount |
|---|
Official 2026 HSA and HDHP limits
IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-19 sets the 2026 HSA contribution limit at $4,400 for self-only coverage and $8,750 for family coverage. An eligible individual who is age 55 or older at the end of the tax year may add a $1,000 catch-up contribution. Employer contributions count toward the same annual limit, and partial-year eligibility can reduce the allowable amount.
| 2026 HDHP threshold | Self-only | Family |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deductible | $1,700 | $3,400 |
| Maximum in-network out-of-pocket expenses | $8,500 | $17,000 |
Meeting those dollar thresholds alone does not establish HSA eligibility. Other coverage, Medicare enrollment, dependent status, statutory exceptions, and the months you were eligible can change the allowed contribution. This calculator caps the input by coverage and age but does not implement the monthly limitation or last-month-rule testing period.
State treatment is not uniform. California specifically does not conform to the federal HSA rules, so do not include a California HSA deduction in the income-tax-rate input; California may also tax HSA earnings that are federally tax-free. Check your state's current instructions.
Worked example
Suppose you start with a $5,000 HSA balance, contribute $8,750 a year through payroll, earn 7% a year, sit in a 32% marginal tax bracket, and let it grow for 30 years. Each year the tool adds your $8,750 and grows the balance by 7%, the same triple-tax-advantaged compounding that makes the HSA so powerful: money goes in pre-tax, grows tax-free, and comes out tax-free for medical costs. After 30 years the account reaches about $922,450. The yearly tax saving on a payroll contribution is the contribution times your marginal rate plus the 7.65% FICA you also avoid when you contribute through payroll, so $8,750 times 39.65% is about $3,469 a year. Over 30 years those upfront tax savings add up to roughly $104,081, on top of about $262,500 of contributions. That combination of immediate tax savings and decades of untaxed growth is why many savers treat a maxed HSA as a stealth retirement account.
How it is calculated
The balance projection runs year by year. Each year it adds the contribution allowed by the selected 2026 coverage and age limit, then multiplies the whole balance by one plus your assumed return, so contributions and prior growth both compound. The tax savings figure reflects the deduction on the way in. A contribution made through payroll avoids federal income tax, state income tax only where it applies, and generally the 7.65% employee Social Security and Medicare payroll tax, so the tool adds 7.65% only when you select a payroll contribution. Contributions made outside payroll, by contrast, still save income tax but not the FICA portion. The growth shown assumes you invest the HSA rather than leave it in cash, and the projection ignores account fees and any withdrawals for current medical expenses, which would lower the ending balance. It also holds the selected 2026 contribution constant for every projected year rather than guessing future indexed limits. Used for qualified medical costs, withdrawals are federally tax-free.