The 2027 limits
| Coverage under a high-deductible plan | 2026 | 2027 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-only | $4,400 | $4,500 | +$100 (2.3%) |
| Family | $8,750 | $9,000 | +$250 (2.9%) |
| Catch-up, age 55 or older | $1,000 | $1,000 | None: set by statute |
The limit counts everything that goes into the account for the year: your own contributions, your employer's, and anything a relative puts in for you. If your employer adds money, your own room shrinks by that amount. Spread evenly over the year, the 2027 limit is $375 a month for self-only coverage and $750 a month for family coverage.
If you are 55 or older
From the year you turn 55 you can add $1,000 on top: $5,500 with self-only coverage, $10,000 with family coverage. The catch-up belongs to the person, not the plan. When both spouses are 55 or older each can make one, for $11,000 between them, but the second catch-up has to go into that spouse's own HSA, because an HSA has one owner and there is no joint account.
What counts as a high-deductible plan in 2027
You can only contribute for months in which you are covered by a high-deductible health plan. For 2027 that means a plan whose annual deductible is at least $1,750 for self-only coverage or $3,500 for family coverage, and whose out-of-pocket costs (deductibles and co-payments, not premiums) are capped at $8,700 or $17,400. Having other health coverage that is not a high-deductible plan, being enrolled in Medicare, or being claimed as a dependent on someone else's return ends eligibility even if the plan qualifies.
The same revenue procedure carries a newer rule. A direct primary care arrangement, where you pay a doctor's practice a flat monthly fee, no longer blocks HSA contributions as long as the fees stay at or under $150 a month, or $300 when the arrangement covers more than one person.
What the contribution is worth
Take a family that puts the full $9,000 in through payroll and sits in the 22% federal bracket. The contribution never enters taxable wages, so it saves $1,980 of income tax. Payroll contributions also skip Social Security and Medicare tax, 7.65% between them, which is another $688.50. The total is $2,668.50 of federal tax not paid on money that can still be spent on medical costs. Money you deposit yourself, outside payroll, gets the income-tax deduction on your return but not the payroll-tax saving. Our HSA tax savings calculator runs the same sum on your own figures.
If you are covered for only part of the year
The limit is earned month by month. Someone with self-only coverage for 7 months of 2027 can contribute 7/12 of $4,500, which is $2,625. There is one exception, the last-month rule: if you are eligible on December 1, you may contribute the full year's limit, provided you stay eligible through the end of the following year. Fail that test and the extra amount is added back to income with a 10% additional tax.
Deadlines and mistakes
Contributions for 2027 can be made until the federal filing deadline in April 2028, and an extension to file does not extend it. Tell the custodian which year a deposit made between January and April is for. Putting in more than the limit costs a 6% excise tax on the excess for every year it stays in the account, so withdraw an excess and its earnings by the due date of your return, including extensions.
Key takeaways
- 2027 limits: $4,500 self-only and $9,000 family, up $100 and $250 from 2026.
- Age 55 or older: add $1,000. Two spouses each need their own HSA for their own catch-up.
- A qualifying plan has a deductible of at least $1,750 / $3,500 and an out-of-pocket cap of $8,700 / $17,400.
- Employer money counts toward the limit.
- Partial-year coverage means a partial limit, unless the last-month rule applies.
Sources
- Rev. Proc. 2026-24: 2027 inflation-adjusted amounts for Health Savings Accounts (section 3.01): the 2027 limits and plan definition
- Rev. Proc. 2025-19: the 2026 amounts: the comparison column
- IRS Publication 969: Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans: eligibility, the last-month rule, excess contributions