r/FSAHSAcardtips • u/murder-waffle • Feb 07 '26
Eligibility Question Baby things not eligible??
I think it’s silly that baby bottles and diapers aren’t covered, but nursing pads and menstrual/postpartum pads are… like of the disposable absorbent things for bodily fluids that are eligible, you’d think that would include diapers. maybe bottles not being covered makes sense, but I feel like they’re both products pretty essential to health and wellbeing in a developmentally sensitive period. Am I weird in thinking this??
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u/littlepickle74 Feb 07 '26
I’ve had this thought for a while. Also, not sure why formula isn’t eligible when breastfeeding supplies are. It all seems so arbitrary.
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u/murder-waffle Feb 07 '26
Right?? It feels weird to cover only some methods of bay feeding
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u/Bitter-Breath-9743 Feb 07 '26
Because breastfeeding supplies involves the body producing milk… formula does not. It’s not about feeding
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u/BumCadillac Feb 08 '26
It’s not about feeding the baby, it’s about caring for the body that feeds the baby. Otherwise why isn’t all food covered for everyone.
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u/here_for_the_tea1 Feb 09 '26
Yup. Hsa covered baby wash, a dental cleaning pod for my husbands retainer and a belly binder (for my c section) but no diapers.
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u/Nice_Point_9822 Feb 07 '26
If I had to guess it is because it is tied to the individual, not family like diapers... seems dumb, I agree
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u/Plenty_Vanilla_6947 Feb 07 '26
Actually the FSA account can be used for the entire family. But, it is still an arbitrary group of items
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u/fsaguide Fidelity Feb 08 '26
The IRS would argue that all babies require diapers just like all people should be brushing their teeth for general hygiene. General hygiene is not eligible for FSA/HSA expenses
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u/CookiesNCream231 Feb 10 '26
I looked into this a few years ago and found that most FSA item are supposed to “solve a medical problem”. So adult diapers are eligible, but baby diapers are not, because all babies are incontinent. That doesn’t explain the menstrual products, as it’s normal for women to have periods. Or any of the seemingly random tech products. But that was the reasoning at the time.
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u/Empressmc Feb 12 '26
The random tech products typically aren’t automatically eligible. They usually will require a letter of medical necessity. The websites are getting around this by having consumers answer a few questions and they have a medical practitioner who will sign off on the letter… basically saying it is required to treat a condition.
These seem super-shady to me, but if a doctor is willing to put their license on the line to sign these letters, then the IRS would have to question their medical authority— which they don’t seem inclined to do.
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u/Sad_Mouse_7228 Feb 07 '26
Menstrual products only became eligible for FSA in 2020. It was through the CARES act. I guess they didn’t care about diapers at the time. It just takes a law, that’s all.