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, the way it would look on your 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