Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

You can choose to enroll in one or both FSA accounts—the Healthcare FSA and the Dependent Care FSA—administered through Benefit Resource (BRI), USF’s FSA vendor. These accounts save you money by allowing you to set up regular pre-tax deductions from each paycheck. Your contributions are deducted before federal, state, and Social Security taxes are withdrawn, saving you money on your taxes. You may then use the accounts to pay for eligible healthcare and/or dependent care out-of-pocket expenses, as applicable, with your pre-tax dollars.

Healthcare Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) can be used for medical expenses not covered by your group plan.

Maximum annual contribution:

  • 2025 is $3,300
  • 2024 is $3,200

FSA Eligible Expenses List

FSA Online Store (Purchase eligible products online)

If you enroll in the Healthcare FSA, you are permitted to use the funds to pay for eligible healthcare expenses for you and your eligible Dependents. In general, an eligible Dependent is:

  • Your spouse
  • Your children under the age of 26
  • Other relatives that you claim as a Dependent on your federal tax return (such as an elderly parent that you care for)

A domestic partner, registered or unregistered, is not considered a spouse under federal law, so a domestic partner's medical expenses cannot be reimbursed using your Healthcare FSA account, unless the domestic partner is a Dependent that you can claim on your federal tax return. A qualifying spouse must be legally married.

Beniversal Debit Card

Keep your BRI Beniversal debit card for each plan year that you enroll in the Healthcare FSA. As a reminder, a BRI Beniversal debit card cannot be used for Dependent Care FSA.

If you enroll in Healthcare FSA, you can use your BRI debit card at participating pharmacies, hospitals, and doctors’ offices, including vision and dental clinics to avoid having to submit a claim form for reimbursement. Please note that not all merchants accept BRI debit cards – in these cases, you will need to submit a claim for reimbursement to BRI.

Merchants may decide to accept and/or reject the BRI Beniversal Debit Card at any time without notice to BRI and/or USF. If the merchant you previously used stops accepting the Beniversal card, you can pay upfront for the eligible healthcare expense(s) and then submit a claim for reimbursement to BRI.

Retain your receipts for both debit card purchases and claims for reimbursement in case BRI requires substantiation of a purchase or service. Learn more about substantiation.

Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) can be used for eligible adult or child daycare expenses. The maximum annual contribution for 2024 is $5,000 per household. Or, if you are married and filing separately, the maximum is $2,500; if this is the case, please inform the Benefits Team at benefits@usfca.edu.

You do not have immediate access to your full Dependent Care FSA amount for the year. Rather, the funds are deposited into your Dependent Care FSA on a per paycheck basis.

Please note:

If you are receiving the Childcare Subsidy, the subsidy funds are deposited into your Dependent Care FSA. Total Childcare Subsidy and your own Dependent Care FSA contributions may not exceed $5,000 per household in 2024. Or, if you are married and filing separately, this maximum is $2,500.

If you have a spouse who is also electing coverage, please consider this when making your election.

Unfortunately, no changes can be made once your election has been made.

It is recommended to consult with a tax advisor for tax implications arising from enrolling in Dependent Care FSA (either through your own contribution or the Childcare Subsidy).

  • For the Healthcare FSA, you can use your BRI Beniversal debit card or submit a claim for reimbursement to BRI.
  • For the Dependent Care FSA, you must submit a claim for reimbursement to BRI.

If submitting a claim for reimbursement, you will need to pay upfront.

You can find a step-by-step guide on how to submit a claim through your BRI online account here on BRI’s website. You will need to provide receipts for the expenses.

Retain all receipts

Retain your receipts in case BRI requires substantiation of a purchase or service. If applicable, BRI will send a notification to your email address on file.

Annual re-enrollment required

Please note that FSA elections do not automatically continue from year to year. You must actively enroll each year during Open Enrollment.

IRS regulations require that if, at the end of a plan year, the actual expenses you incur are less than the amount you contribute to an FSA, you must forfeit the excess amount. Therefore, it is important that you make your FSA elections carefully. The USF plan is a calendar year plan.

Healthcare FSA

2025 Plan Year

You have until March 15, 2026 to incur expenses on your 2025 Healthcare FSA. You will have until March 30, 2026 to submit all your claims for the 2025 plan year. Any money remaining in your account after the final claims deadline will be forfeited.

2024 Plan Year

You have until March 15, 2025 to incur expenses on your 2024 Healthcare FSA. You will have until March 30, 2025 to submit all your claims for the 2024 plan year. Any money remaining in your account after the final claims deadline will be forfeited.

Dependent Care FSA

2025 Plan Year

There is no grace period for incurring expenses on your 2025 Dependent Care FSA. The deadline to incur expenses on your 2025 Dependent Care FSA is Dec. 31, 2025. The deadline to file claims for your dependent care expenses incurred during 2025 is March 30, 2026.

2024 Plan Year

There is no grace period for incurring expenses on your 2024 Dependent Care FSA. The deadline to incur expenses on your 2024 Dependent Care FSA is Dec. 31, 2024. The deadline to file claims for your dependent care expenses incurred during 2024 is March 30, 2025.

Payroll deductions will begin on the first paycheck following the coverage start date*. For example, if you are hired on 1/16/2025, benefits would begin on 2/1/2025 and deductions would start with your 2/22/2025 paycheck; for monthly payroll it would be with the pay date for that month.

*If processing time permits, otherwise deductions will begin on the following paycheck and be retroactive.

Method 1 – Single Sign-On (SSO)

Once you have enrolled in an FSA account, you will be able to log in to your BRI account through Single Sign-On (SSO) on USFWorks:

  1. Click on View All Apps underneath Your Top Apps on the right menu of the home page.
  2. Click on the Benefits and Pay application on the left side menu.
  3. Under Suggested Links, click Benefit Resource (FSA).

Method 2 – Log in through BRI

An alternative is to log in on the BRI website. If you wish to log in this way and have never set up a BRI account, click Login, select Employees, and then Register an Account. Otherwise, click Login and enter your login credentials.

For further information, please see:

BRI Welcome Letter and Login Instructions

Please note: If you are a new hire and elect to enroll in Healthcare and/or Dependent Care FSA, it will take a few days for your BRI account to be created.

Benefit Resource (BRI) contact information

If you are no longer employed at the University or cease to be eligible for an FSA:

  • For the Healthcare FSA, you have 60 days from your termination date or ineligibility date to submit your healthcare claims for eligible expenses incurred before termination, up to, but not including, the termination date.
  • For the Dependent Care FSA, you have until the end of the 90-day run-out following the end of the plan year (typically March 30) to submit claims for expenses incurred between your effective date in the plan and the end of the plan year. For example, if you are enrolled in the Dependent Care FSA (whether through the University-funded Childcare Subsidy and/or through your own contributions) as of Jan. 1, 2025 and you terminate employment Sept. 3, 2025, then you may continue to incur eligible expenses through the end of the plan year (Dec. 31, 2025) for any funds that you already have in the account. You have until March 30, 2026 to submit the expenses for reimbursement.