Spending Accounts

Health and wellness spending accounts are offered at the request of employers as a flexible complement to your regular group benefits. If you’re unsure whether you have a health and/or wellness spending account or what package you’re enrolled in, check your Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan (ASEBP) ID card on My ASEBP or the My ASEBP Mobile App.

To get you started, watch this short video learn how to make the most of your spending accounts.

Benefit Inquiries

English

Email benefits@asebp.ca

Fax 780-438-5304

Toll Free 1-877-431-4786

Online Booking video meeting or phone call

What's not covered?

The following are a number of products and services not covered under the plan. Note that this list isn't exhaustive. 

HSA

Under the Income Tax Act of Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) provides a list of eligible medical expenses based on their interpretation of the Act on their website. If you’re curious about a particular expense and can’t find it listed, please contact the CRA to confirm its eligibility.

WSA

  • Computer and video game consoles, games, and accessories
  • Cosmetic services
  • Expenses that would be covered under your HSA
  • Food or supplements designed for weight loss/management (unless it is submitted with a weight management program or purchased in consultation with a dietician)
  • Kitchen appliances
  • Shipping and handling fees
  • Sanitizers
  • Toiletries
  • Tools
  • Vehicle maintenance, fuel, parts, etc.
  • Weapons: including, but not limited to*, sporting equipment (for activities such as archery, fencing, shooting, etc.) that could be used as a weapon.

*ASEBP reserves the right to decide what sporting equipment may classify as a weapon.

Additional Information

00Credits and Expense Payments

HSA and WSA credits are deposited into your account at a frequency determined by your employer (e.g. monthly, quarterly, etc.). Eligible expenses will be processed every two business days and, under normal circumstances, you can expect payment within a week of your claim submission as long as you have enough credits available to cover the expense.

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01HSA/WSA Credit Allocation

If you have both an HSA and WSA, you’ll receive a fixed credit amount each plan year, as determined by your employer, which you’ll need to allocate between your HSA and WSA (e.g. you can allocate 50 per cent to your HSA and 50 per cent to your WSA or 100 per cent to your HSA and zero per cent to your WSA, etc.).

In June, when it comes time to allocate your credits, you’ll receive an email from ASEBP to the email address associated with your My ASEBP account. This notification will also include the deadline for submitting your allocation to us. If you aren’t registered for My ASEBP, you’ll receive this notification by mail. You can complete your allocation by clicking on your Spending Account information on the homepage of My ASEBP.

You must complete your credit allocation by the deadline and, once it’s been submitted, it can’t be changed. If you miss the deadline, all credits will be automatically allocated to your HSA as this is the most tax-effective option.

If you are a new employee, you’ll have 90 days from your date of enrolment to make your credit allocation, with subsequent allocations due during the summer allocation period for upcoming years.

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02Monitoring your Balances

You can track your current HSA/WSA balance and activity (i.e. employer credits, expenses and payments) on My ASEBP or the My ASEBP Mobile App.

Approximately 90 days after the end of the plan year, an annual statement will be available on My ASEBP, summarizing your HSA/WSA activity for the entire plan year. If you need help understanding the number of credits that are in your HSA or WSA, or if you feel that there are credits missing, please contact your employer.

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03Receipt Requirements

Ensure your receipts include the necessary information to help avoid reimbursement delays.

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04Spending Accounts While on Leave

For information about your Spending Accounts while you’re on leave, please see While on Leave.

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05Submission Deadlines

At the end of the plan year, which runs from September 1 to August 31, you have an additional 60 days (September 1 to October 30) to submit any expenses to your spending account that were incurred during the previous plan year (e.g. if you have an expense from September 1, 2022, you’ll have until October 30, 2023, to submit it to your HSA or WSA.). This additional 60 days is called the run-off period.

Additionally, if your employment ends, you will also enter a similar 60-day run-off period, which provides you with 60 days from when your benefits terminate to submit any previously incurred spending account expenses for the current plan year (e.g. if you have an expense from September 1, 2022, and your benefits agreement ends on June 25, 2023, you’ll have until August 24, 2023, to submit it).

Please note: Eligible expenses include those incurred while your benefits are active. Expenses incurred during the run-off period are not eligible.

Once this 60-day run-off period has ended, you can no longer submit any expenses to your spending account for that plan year as expenses cannot be carried forward into subsequent plan years.

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06Unused Credits

After the October 30 submission deadline, any unused HSA/WSA credits will be carried forward for one plan year. If you do not use these credits in the second plan year, they will be forfeited back to your employer. HSA/WSA credits are tracked on a ‘first in, first out’ basis to minimize the risk of forfeiting credits for the upcoming year.

When you view your account balances on My ASEBP, any unused credits from the previous year are identified as “Credits Carried Forward from Previous Year” and will only become available after the 60-day run-off period is over and your eligible expenses have been paid for the previous year (usually by November 30). Note that you will not see your forwarded credits in My ASEBP until the 60-day run-off period is over.

Credits will be carried forward in the account in which they have been allocated—HSA credits carry forward to your HSA and WSA credits to your WSA—and cannot be transferred to another account. Note that expenses can only be claimed in the plan year in which they were incurred and cannot be carried forward if there aren’t enough credits available to pay them in full.

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HSA and WSA credits are deposited into your account at a frequency determined by your employer (e.g. monthly, quarterly, etc.). Eligible expenses will be processed every two business days and, under normal circumstances, you can expect payment within a week of your claim submission as long as you have enough credits available to cover the expense.

If you have both an HSA and WSA, you’ll receive a fixed credit amount each plan year, as determined by your employer, which you’ll need to allocate between your HSA and WSA (e.g. you can allocate 50 per cent to your HSA and 50 per cent to your WSA or 100 per cent to your HSA and zero per cent to your WSA, etc.).

In June, when it comes time to allocate your credits, you’ll receive an email from ASEBP to the email address associated with your My ASEBP account. This notification will also include the deadline for submitting your allocation to us. If you aren’t registered for My ASEBP, you’ll receive this notification by mail. You can complete your allocation by clicking on your Spending Account information on the homepage of My ASEBP.

You must complete your credit allocation by the deadline and, once it’s been submitted, it can’t be changed. If you miss the deadline, all credits will be automatically allocated to your HSA as this is the most tax-effective option.

If you are a new employee, you’ll have 90 days from your date of enrolment to make your credit allocation, with subsequent allocations due during the summer allocation period for upcoming years.

You can track your current HSA/WSA balance and activity (i.e. employer credits, expenses and payments) on My ASEBP or the My ASEBP Mobile App.

Approximately 90 days after the end of the plan year, an annual statement will be available on My ASEBP, summarizing your HSA/WSA activity for the entire plan year. If you need help understanding the number of credits that are in your HSA or WSA, or if you feel that there are credits missing, please contact your employer.

Ensure your receipts include the necessary information to help avoid reimbursement delays.

For information about your Spending Accounts while you’re on leave, please see While on Leave.

At the end of the plan year, which runs from September 1 to August 31, you have an additional 60 days (September 1 to October 30) to submit any expenses to your spending account that were incurred during the previous plan year (e.g. if you have an expense from September 1, 2022, you’ll have until October 30, 2023, to submit it to your HSA or WSA.). This additional 60 days is called the run-off period.

Additionally, if your employment ends, you will also enter a similar 60-day run-off period, which provides you with 60 days from when your benefits terminate to submit any previously incurred spending account expenses for the current plan year (e.g. if you have an expense from September 1, 2022, and your benefits agreement ends on June 25, 2023, you’ll have until August 24, 2023, to submit it).

Please note: Eligible expenses include those incurred while your benefits are active. Expenses incurred during the run-off period are not eligible.

Once this 60-day run-off period has ended, you can no longer submit any expenses to your spending account for that plan year as expenses cannot be carried forward into subsequent plan years.

After the October 30 submission deadline, any unused HSA/WSA credits will be carried forward for one plan year. If you do not use these credits in the second plan year, they will be forfeited back to your employer. HSA/WSA credits are tracked on a ‘first in, first out’ basis to minimize the risk of forfeiting credits for the upcoming year.

When you view your account balances on My ASEBP, any unused credits from the previous year are identified as “Credits Carried Forward from Previous Year” and will only become available after the 60-day run-off period is over and your eligible expenses have been paid for the previous year (usually by November 30). Note that you will not see your forwarded credits in My ASEBP until the 60-day run-off period is over.

Credits will be carried forward in the account in which they have been allocated—HSA credits carry forward to your HSA and WSA credits to your WSA—and cannot be transferred to another account. Note that expenses can only be claimed in the plan year in which they were incurred and cannot be carried forward if there aren’t enough credits available to pay them in full.