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Work benefits · 2027 HSA limits

Compare the cost.
Then check the cash.

Compare two health plans over a year, then explore HSA tax assumptions, bill timing, and a separate long-term balance illustration.

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PPO or HDHP? Compare the whole plan.

Enter the two plans

Use 2027 calendar-year U.S. dollars, except premiums (per month) and rates (percent). A blank means unknown and cannot be calculated; enter 0 only when you know the amount is zero. This estimate includes covered in-network care only. For family coverage it combines everyone into one total—check how your plan applies each person's deductible.

Who needs coverage? Choose the coverage tier shown in your benefits enrollment page. This affects the HSA contribution limit; family care is modeled as a combined total.

Plan A is the PPO. Plan B is the high-deductible health plan (HDHP) with an HSA.

Plan A · PPO Monthly premium USD / monthYour share for one month, not the full premium. Find it in the benefits guide or paycheck portal; turn a per-paycheck deduction into a yearly total, then divide by 12. Annual deductible USD / yearFind the in-network individual or family amount in the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC). This is the plan-year amount before this estimate applies coinsurance. Your coinsurance after deductible %Your share after the deductible, from the in-network SBC. Enter 20 for 20%; this simple estimate does not include separate copays or service-specific rules. Annual in-network out-of-pocket maximum USD / yearFind the in-network limit in the SBC. It generally excludes premiums and some noncovered or out-of-network bills; confirm the plan's rules.

Plan B · HDHP/HSA Monthly premium USD / monthYour share for one month, not the full premium. Find it in the benefits guide or paycheck portal; turn a per-paycheck deduction into a yearly total, then divide by 12. Annual deductible USD / yearFind the in-network individual or family amount in the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC). This is the plan-year amount before this estimate applies coinsurance. Your coinsurance after deductible %Your share after the deductible, from the in-network SBC. Enter 20 for 20%; this simple estimate does not include separate copays or service-specific rules. Annual in-network out-of-pocket maximum USD / yearFind the in-network limit in the SBC. It generally excludes premiums and some noncovered or out-of-network bills; confirm the plan's rules. Employer HSA contribution for the year USD / yearUse only the employer's confirmed 2027 deposit from your benefits guide or HSA schedule. This is separate from your own payroll deductions and bank transfers.

Estimate a year of covered care

Full plan-approved price of covered in-network care before insurance shares it USD / year Use the allowed amount before your share is calculated, from an insurer estimator or claim/EOB. This is not a sticker charge, deductible, or amount you owe. Estimate covered in-network care for everyone on the selected tier; enter 0 only if you are modeling no covered care.

Optional: add your own HSA deposits and tax assumptions

Employer HSA money and your own deposits are separate. Your deposits remain your money; this comparison does not count them as another medical expense.

I confirmed I can contribute to an HSA for all of 2027. Check the plan and IRS rules. An HDHP label alone is not enough; other coverage, Medicare, dependent status, and eligibility by month can matter. This tool handles full-year eligibility only.

The estimate uses the rates you enter. Actual tax treatment depends on your situation and may differ; leave it off if uncertain.

Optional: check whether one bill could be paid when due

This is a cash-timing check, separate from the annual estimate. Count only money available by the bill's due date.

Check one bill using money available by its due date. Use the bill after insurance has processed it. This check does not change the annual care estimate.

Optional: model an HSA balance over 10, 20, and 30 years

This is a separate illustration, not part of the yearly plan-cost estimate. Use money you could actually leave invested after paying medical costs. This field does not check contribution limits: compare total deposits from all sources with current IRS limits and your eligibility; future limits and eligibility can change. Starting balance is already in the account and is not a new contribution.

Starting HSA money already invested USDUse the amount currently invested, not cash you need for near-term bills. Check the HSA provider's account view. New HSA money left invested each year USD / yearEstimate deposits from your benefits election/payroll portal and employer HSA policy, then subtract money spent on care. Do not count the same dollar more than once. Assumed yearly investment return before fund fees %Choose a hypothetical rate for exploration, not a forecast. Published fund returns may already include fund expenses; check before subtracting them again. Investments can lose value; use a negative number to explore a loss case. Fund expense ratio per year %Find the fund's annual expense ratio in the HSA investment menu or fund prospectus. Percentage account fee per year %Check the provider's investment-fee schedule. Enter 0 only if you know there is no percentage-based fee. This is separate from the fund expense ratio. Annual cap on the percentage fee USD / yearEnter the percentage fee's annual dollar cap from the provider schedule. If there is no cap, select the box below instead of entering 0. The percentage fee has no annual dollar capSelect only when the provider schedule confirms there is no annual cap. This makes the cap field unnecessary. Fixed account fee per year USD / yearFind fixed fees in the provider's fee schedule. For a monthly fee, multiply by 12; enter 0 only if there is no fixed account fee.

This model repeats the entered annual amount unchanged, assumes deposits arrive at year-end, keeps the return constant, and assumes no withdrawals or inflation. It assumes account fees come from the invested balance and counts only fees the balance can cover; fees you pay separately from cash are not modeled. It does not assume you keep the same health plan or remain eligible for contributions for 30 years. Use your benefits guide and current IRS rules.

The calculator uses your entries only for the calculations shown here. It makes no network requests with those values and writes no calculator entries to browser storage.

Your estimate

Compare the year

Enter the plan numbers and care estimate, then choose “Compare these plans.”

Before choosing, check that the doctors and facilities you use are in-network, how prescriptions and visits are covered, whether you could handle the bill before savings build up, and the HSA's eligibility and investment fees. The lower cost estimate alone does not decide plan fit.

Plan A · PPO estimated net yearly cost

Plan B · HDHP/HSA estimated net yearly cost

Annual cost comparison

Both bars use the same zero-centered scale; values below zero remain visible as negative.

What is included in each yearly estimate
Amount	Plan A · PPO	Plan B · HDHP/HSA
12 monthly premiums
Estimated covered-care share
Employer HSA contribution (subtracted once)
Estimated tax savings on your deposits (subtracted once)
Estimated net yearly cost

Your own HSA deposits are not treated as a medical expense. Employer HSA money and any tax estimate are shown as separate offsets; do not add those same amounts again.

Tax estimate breakdown

No tax estimate is included. Open the optional tax assumptions and enter rates if you want to explore this.

The estimate shown here is already included once in Plan B above. It is not an extra discount to add again.

Estimated savings from the rates you entered
Tax category	Estimated amount
Federal income tax
State income tax
Payroll tax on eligible paycheck deposits
Estimated total

How the estimate is calculated

Estimated net yearly cost = 12 monthly premiums + your estimated share of entered covered care − employer HSA deposits − (only when enabled) estimated tax savings on your own HSA deposits. The cost share uses the entered deductible, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket maximum. It is a simplified estimate, not an enrollment recommendation.

The HSA projection below is separate. It does not change the yearly result, and its ending balance is not another discount to subtract from that result.

HSA balance illustration · 10, 20, and 30 years

Estimated HSA balance under the entered assumptions
Time	Deposited principal	Investment gain or loss after fees	Estimated account fees actually collected	Estimated ending balance

This is a hypothetical HSA account balance, not a comparison against investing with a PPO. You may be able to save or invest with either plan. Do not add this balance to the yearly estimate or subtract it as a plan discount. Returns can be negative; future limits, eligibility, fees, and care costs can change.

This visual is a reading guide, not another input or step: it separates yearly premiums from in-network cost sharing, then shows why HSA eligibility and deposit timing need their own checks.

A diagram of yearly premiums, deductible and coinsurance, out-of-pocket limits, and separate HSA eligibility and timing checks — **How to read the comparison:** the visual explains the order of the questions. It does not repeat your result or ask you to enter another value.

Paul On Money · published video

Watch the walkthrough

HDHP vs PPO: Is the Cheaper Plan Really Cheaper?

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Limits, assumptions, and sources

For 2027, federal HSA contribution limits are $4,500 for self-only coverage and $9,000 for family coverage, including employer deposits. A qualifying person age 55 or older may have a separate catch-up contribution. Check current IRS rules and your plan. The limit changes over time.

Source: IRS Revenue Procedure 2026-24, published June 15, 2026; checked October 17, 2026.

HSA contribution eligibility, qualified medical expenses, and the tax treatment of account earnings depend on IRS rules. See current IRS Publication 969; checked October 17, 2026. The investment illustration is a hypothetical calculation, not a forecast or promise.

This tool does not account for every plan rule, copay, prescription, out-of-network amount, noncovered bill, family-member deductible, investment return, account fee, tax situation, or eligibility exception. For family coverage it treats the family as one total. Check your benefits guide, IRS guidance, and payroll treatment.

Educational information only, not financial, tax, legal, or medical advice.