The timing, plainly
When does FSA money expire?
For most plans, December 31 — flexible spending accounts are use-it-or-lose-it by design. Some employers soften it with one (not both) of two options: a short grace period into the new year (often to mid-March), or a small carryover amount (a few hundred dollars — the exact cap changes with IRS updates). Everything above that vanishes. The move: check which rule your plan uses once, then put a reminder in early November while there’s still time to spend deliberately instead of panic-buying in the last week.
Eight weeks is enough to book the dental visit, order the glasses, and restock eligible supplies — the last week of December is not.
Where it sits in the year
Ordered from this month — this is the shape of it on a timeline.
What can FSA money buy at year end?
Beyond appointments: prescription glasses and contacts, dental work, and a long list of eligible health items (FSA-store categories track the IRS list). Receipts matter — keep them with the claim.
Grace period or carryover — which do I have?
Your plan documents (or HR) say — plans typically offer at most one of the two, and some offer neither. The difference is real money, so it’s worth the one-time check.
The date is the easy part. Remembering is the product.
Reviewal keeps windows like this on one page — the whole year of them — and emails you before each one opens. Your calendar handles what's today; this is the layer above it. Free to start: 40 events, 3 sections, reminders included.
Tracking this in a spreadsheet or calendar today? See exactly what changes: vs. a spreadsheet · vs. calendar reminders