💡 Quick Answer: Calm is HSA/FSA eligible because it helps prevent, manage, and treat a variety of mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, insomnia, PTSD, ADHD, and chronic stress. According to IRS Publication 502, all you need is a Letter of Medical Necessity.
Luckily, we make it ridiculously simple. Crates Health is the fastest way to get your personalized and compliant letter for Calm and thousands of other wellness products, plus we handle your reimbursements directly through our platform with just one click.
What is Calm
Calm is the world’s most downloaded meditation and sleep app, trusted by over 100 million users across 190 countries. Think of it as a pocket-sized mental health toolkit that goes wherever you go. The app offers guided meditations, breathing exercises, mindfulness programs, Sleep Stories narrated by celebrities like Matthew McConaughey and Harry Styles, and music designed to reduce stress and improve sleep quality.
The app is built for busy people who need quick, effective mental health tools. Sessions range from 3 to 30 minutes, making it easy to fit mindfulness into your morning commute, lunch break, or bedtime routine. The “Daily Calm” delivers a fresh 10-minute meditation every day, while Sleep Stories have helped millions fall asleep faster. Features like Calm Body offer gentle movement programs, and Calm Kids makes mindfulness accessible for the whole family.
Don’t let the gentle branding fool you. This is clinically validated mental health support that millions are already using to manage real conditions. The research backs it up.
The Science Behind Calm
This is not just another wellness trend. Research published in peer-reviewed journals demonstrates that meditation apps like Calm produce measurable improvements in mental health outcomes.
A randomized controlled trial published in JMIR Mental Health found that college students using Calm for 8 weeks showed significant reductions in perceived stress with effect sizes ranging from moderate (0.59) to large (1.24). The benefits were sustained at 12-week follow-up, and 85% of participants reported satisfaction with the app.
A 2021 study in PLOS ONE surveying nearly 10,000 Calm subscribers found that 44% of users had been diagnosed with at least one mental health condition including anxiety, depression, or PTSD. The majority reported that Calm helped them fall asleep, stay asleep, and get more restful sleep. Users also reported improvements in both anxiety and depression symptoms when using the meditation components.
An updated meta-analysis of 45 randomized controlled trials published in Clinical Psychology Review found that mindfulness apps produced significant effect sizes for both depression (g = 0.24) and anxiety (g = 0.28) compared to control groups. These effects remained stable when restricting analyses to lower risk of bias trials.
For sleep specifically, a systematic review and meta-analysis in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences found moderate strength of evidence that mindfulness meditation significantly improved sleep quality compared to non-specific active controls, with effects sustained at 5 to 12 month follow-up.
The science is clear: meditation apps are not a replacement for professional mental health care, but they are a clinically validated tool for managing symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, and insomnia.
Why Calm Qualifies for HSA/FSA
According to IRS regulations, wellness apps like Calm can qualify as eligible medical expenses with a Letter of Medical Necessity under specific circumstances outlined in Publication 502.
IRS Publication 502 states that medical expenses are “the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, and for the purpose of affecting any part or function of the body,” but “must be primarily to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental condition or illness.”
This means Calm can qualify for HSA/FSA reimbursement for prevention or treatment of:
- Anxiety Disorders Anxiety disorders affect 40 million American adults annually. Research shows mindfulness meditation reduces activity in the amygdala and increases prefrontal cortex activity associated with emotional regulation. A meta-analysis in JAMA Internal Medicine found mindfulness programs showed moderate evidence of improved anxiety.
- Depression and Mood Disorders The World Health Organization reports that 280 million people worldwide have depression. Meta-analyses consistently show mindfulness apps improve depressive symptoms, with multiple studies showing significant reductions in depression scores.
- Insomnia and Sleep Disorders Over 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep problems. A meta-analysis in Behavioral Sleep Medicine found mindfulness-based interventions showed significant improvement in insomnia as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Calm’s Sleep Stories and sleep meditations directly target these conditions.
- PTSD and Trauma Recovery Post-traumatic stress disorder affects approximately 6% of the U.S. population at some point in their lives. Mindfulness-based interventions have shown promise as adjunctive treatments for trauma-related symptoms.
- ADHD and Focus Disorders Adults with ADHD often benefit from mindfulness training to improve attention regulation and reduce impulsivity. Calm’s focus-oriented meditations can complement traditional ADHD treatment.
- Chronic Stress and Burnout Chronic stress contributes to conditions ranging from hypertension to immune dysfunction. The American Heart Association recognizes stress management as important for cardiovascular health.
- Postpartum Anxiety and Depression Approximately 1 in 7 women experience postpartum depression. Meditation apps offer accessible mental health support during a challenging transition period.
- Chronic Pain Management Mindfulness-based stress reduction has demonstrated efficacy for chronic pain conditions by changing the relationship to pain rather than eliminating it.
The key requirement is that your healthcare provider must note that mindfulness and meditation through Calm are medically necessary for managing your specific health condition, not just for general relaxation. This documentation comes in the form of a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN).
How to Assess Your Eligibility
Traditional Route: Schedule an appointment with your doctor or mental health provider, discuss your condition, and request a Letter of Medical Necessity. This typically requires an office visit, potential wait times, and can cost $50-100+ depending on your insurance.
Faster, Smarter Route: Use Crates Health to get your Letter of Medical Necessity online in just a few minutes. Our platform connects you with licensed healthcare providers who can evaluate your conditions remotely and issue the appropriate documentation if you qualify. No office visits, no waiting weeks for appointments, and no surprise medical bills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do other mindfulness apps qualify for HSA/FSA?
Absolutely! With the right medical documentation, you can potentially use HSA/FSA funds for other meditation apps like Headspace, Breathwrk, or other mindfulness subscriptions, as long as they are recommended for treating specific medical conditions.
Can I use HSA/FSA for Calm Premium?
Yes, both Calm Premium monthly and annual subscriptions qualify for HSA/FSA reimbursement with proper documentation. The Calm Family plan is also eligible.
How does reimbursement work?
Most app stores do not accept HSA/FSA cards directly. You need to pay with your personal card and then reimburse yourself. This means finding and storing receipts and then uploading them along with your LMN to your HSA/FSA admin portal. With Crates Health, we make this process simple: upload your receipt and get one-click reimbursements all from our platform.
What is a Letter of Medical Necessity?
A Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) is a document from a licensed healthcare provider that explains why a specific expense like your Calm subscription is medically necessary for treating a diagnosed condition. It is the official paperwork that proves your meditation app is not just for general wellness. Each LMN typically remains valid for 12 months from the date of issue.
Do I need a diagnosis to use HSA for Calm?
You do not need a formal diagnosis, but you do need a Letter of Medical Necessity connecting your Calm use to a medical purpose. Prevention of conditions you are at risk for counts. Subclinical symptoms count. Family history counts.
Will my claim get denied?
Every HSA/FSA admin is unique and may initially deny some claims. Usually, it is related to receipt format (must be itemized), LMN format, or other supporting documentation. With Crates Health, we will support you through this process and make sure you get your money back.
