HSA Calculator 2026 — Contribution Limits & Triple Tax Savings

A Health Savings Account carries a rare triple tax advantage: contributions are tax-deductible, growth is tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free as well. For 2026 the IRS sets the contribution ceiling at $4,400 for self-only coverage and $8,750 for family coverage, with an extra $1,000 catch-up allowed once you turn 55. Projecting your tax savings and investment growth from those limits shows what the account could be worth by retirement.

Growth is modeled with a compound interest formula that takes your chosen annual contribution, an estimated annual return, and the years remaining until retirement. The tax savings apply your federal bracket plus 7.65% for Social Security and Medicare to your own contribution each year, which assumes you contribute through an employer's cafeteria plan and that your bracket holds steady; money you deposit on your own saves income tax but not the 7.65%. State tax effects sit outside this projection and are worth weighing on their own.

Returns here are estimates, not promises, and past performance never guarantees what comes next. The account works best when contributions stay invested and withdrawals go only toward qualified expenses, because money pulled for anything else before age 65 owes income tax plus a 20% penalty. Nudging your contribution up each year helps it keep pace with rising healthcare costs.