A 2019 ruling by the Internal Revenue Service* means that you should be able to use funds set aside in either a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) to cover all or a portion of the medical care costs of the following 23andMe services:
- Health + Ancestry Service
- Upgrade to Health + Ancestry Service (for customers who originally purchased the 23andMe Ancestry Service)
- Health + Ancestry Service lab fee (for customers who purchased their saliva collection kit from an authorized retailer, such as CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, but who purchased the Health + Ancestry Service from 23andMe)
- Health + Ancestry Service Chip Upgrade (for customers who purchased a new kit to be genotyped on the latest platform)
Check with your FSA/HSA benefits coordinator or your tax professional for confirmation on the specific requirements for individual eligibility and reimbursement, including usage, procedures, and qualifications.
The Health + Ancestry Service can be purchased through our online 23andMe store.
Common Questions
How much of my Health + Ancestry Service purchase is FSA/HSA eligible?
For purchases of the Health + Ancestry Service prior to Oct. 1, 2019:
In general, the Health component of the Health + Ancestry Service should be eligible as medical care covered by your FSA/HSA benefit. The Health component of the Health + Ancestry Service consists of testing services and reports subject to FDA jurisdiction, including the Health Predisposition, Carrier Status and Wellness Reports. The Health Predisposition, Carrier Status and Wellness Reports should be eligible as medical care covered by your FSA/HSA benefit. 23andMe does not charge separately for Traits Reports, but provides them as part of the Health component.
If you purchased the Health component of the Health + Ancestry Service for the purpose of receiving the Health Predisposition, Carrier Status and Wellness Reports, and you did not view the Traits Reports as having any independent value, then ~$117 + shipping and tax (where applicable) should be eligible as medical care (based on regular price of $199).
For purchases of the Health + Ancestry Service on or after Oct. 1, 2019:
In general, the Health component of the Health + Ancestry Service should be eligible as medical care covered by your FSA/HSA benefit. The Health component of the Health + Ancestry Service, as of Oct. 1, 2019, consists of testing services and reports subject to FDA jurisdiction, including the Health Predisposition, Carrier Status and Wellness Reports. The Health component, valued at ~$117 + shipping and tax (where applicable) should be eligible as medical care covered by your FSA/HSA benefit (based on regular price of $199).
What if I purchased the Health + Ancestry Service at a discount? How much of my purchase is eligible?
The simplest way to determine the amount that should be eligible as medical care is to use the 23andMe FSA/HSA calculator.
For a discounted Health + Ancestry Service kit, our calculator will take the same percentage of the full Health + Ancestry Service kit price (retail $199) from what you otherwise would have been able to claim as eligible medical care on the full price service.
For example, if you paid $149 for the Health + Ancestry Service, then up to $88 + shipping and tax (where applicable) should be eligible medical care. This reflects application of the percentage discount off the Health + Ancestry Service to the amount that is eligible medical care where a customer pays the retail price of $199.
For the VIP Health + Ancestry Service, please contact Customer Care to determine the amount that should be eligible as medical care.
Can I use my FSA/HSA funds to buy the Health + Ancestry Service for someone else?
Generally, FSA and HSA funds can be used by the account owner for eligible medical care expenses for him/herself and his/her eligible dependents. If you are the account owner, eligible medical care expenses typically include those incurred by the following persons:
- You and your spouse
- Dependents you claim on your tax return
I bought my Health + Ancestry Service kit in January 2019. Can I use FSA/HSA funds for this past purchase?
While the IRS ruling was issued in May 2019 to an individual taxpayer who requested it, the ruling provides helpful indication of the IRS’s view of the medical nature of a portion of the costs associated with the Health + Ancestry Service. Based on the rationale in the IRS ruling, a taxpayer that made a purchase of a qualifying 23andMe service any time in 2019 - even before the ruling date - should be eligible to submit their qualifying purchase to their FSA/HSA benefits coordinator for reimbursement as eligible medical care.
I bought a saliva collection kit in a store and then paid the lab processing fee separately online at 23andme.com to receive the Health + Ancestry Service. What is FSA/HSA eligible?
If you purchased the saliva collection kit - or have received such a kit as a gift - separate from selecting your service and paying a lab processing fee online, 23andMe can only provide you with a receipt for the lab processing fee as potentially eligible as medical care.
The simplest way to determine the amount that should be eligible as medical care is to use our 23andMe FSA/HSA calculator.
In general, the Health component of the Health + Ancestry Service lab processing fee should be eligible as medical care covered by your FSA/HSA benefit.
For purchases prior to October 1, 2019, the Health component of the Health + Ancestry Service consisted of testing services and reports subject to FDA jurisdiction, including the Health Predisposition, Carrier Status and Wellness Reports, as well as Traits Reports. The Health Predisposition, Carrier Status and Wellness Reports should be eligible as medical care covered by your FSA/HSA benefit. 23andMe did not charge separately for Traits Reports, but provided them as part of the Health component. If you purchased the Health component of the Health + Ancestry Service for the purpose of receiving the Health Predisposition, Carrier Status and Wellness services, and you did not view the Traits Reports as having any independent value apart from the other services, then $100 of the Health + Ancestry Service lab processing fee (based on regular price of $169) should be eligible as medical care.
For purchases on or after October 1, 2019, the Health component of the Health + Ancestry Service consists of testing services and reports subject to FDA jurisdiction, including the Health Predisposition, Carrier Status and Wellness Reports. $100 of the Health + Ancestry Service lab processing fee (based on regular price of $169) should be eligible as medical care.
If I upgrade my 23andMe account from Ancestry-Only Reports to receive the Health Reports, what amount is FSA/HSA eligible?
Where you already have the 23andMe Ancestry Service and upgrade to receive our health reports, all or a portion of your upgrade fee should be considered eligible medical care.
The simplest way to determine the amount that should be eligible for medical care is to use our 23andMe FSA/HSA calculator. In general, the Health component of the Health + Ancestry Service should be eligible as medical care covered by your FSA/HSA benefit.
For upgrades prior to October 1, 2019, the Health component of the Health + Ancestry Service consisted of testing services and reports subject to FDA jurisdiction, including the Health Predisposition, Carrier Status and Wellness Reports, as well as Traits Reports. The Health Predisposition, Carrier Status and Wellness Reports should be eligible as medical care covered by your FSA/HSA benefit. 23andMe did not charge separately for Traits Reports, but provided them as part of the Health component. If you purchased the Health + Ancestry Service upgrade for the purpose of receiving the Health Predisposition, Carrier Status and Wellness services, and you did not view the Traits Reports as having any independent value apart from the other services, then the full amount (regular price $125) of your Health + Ancestry Service upgrade fee should be eligible medical care.
For upgrades on or after October 1, 2019, the Health component of the Health + Ancestry Service consists of testing services and reports subject to FDA jurisdiction, including the Health Predisposition, Carrier Status and Wellness Reports. The full amount (regular price $125) of your Health + Ancestry Service upgrade fee should be eligible medical care.
How do I get a receipt to submit to my FSA/HSA benefits administrator?
We’ll email you a receipt with your purchase confirmation. Include a copy of your calculation from the 23andMe FSA/HSA Calculator that details the amount that should be eligible medical care based on your valuation (as applicable for purchases prior to Oct. 1, 2019) of the health reports and medical information included in the 23andMe service you purchased.
*Ruling available here.