What are expiring and maximum balances?
Depending on your employer’s program policy, some of your spending accounts have limitations on whether or not you get to keep unused balances the next time your employer makes a deposit into your account.
Benefits with expiring balances don’t roll over when you get your next benefit, and you lose any money you didn’t spend.
For example, imagine that your employer gives you $30 on the first day of each month for work-from-home expenses, and this month you’ve spent $20. You still have $10 left you can use, but if that account has an expiring balance, at the beginning of the next month when you get your next $30 benefit, you lose the $10 you didn’t use and the balance resets to $30.
Benefits with maximum balances do keep unused balances when you get your next benefit, up until a preset maximum balance. Then your account is capped at that amount.
For example imagine that your employer gives you $50 a month for gym and fitness memberships, with a maximum balance of $200. If you don’t spend the full amount after each employer deposit, it will keep accumulating money until the account reaches $200 — then it's capped and you won’t get any more until you spend down the balance.
The best way to take advantage of your benefits is to use the entire amount each time. You can check if any of your accounts have expiring or maximum balances in your employer’s program policy and eligibility requirements.
Each spending account can have different limitations on keeping balances — or no limitations at all! Check your employer’s program policy for more info.