Are Office Chairs HSA/FSA Eligible? Yes, Here's How!

Why office chairs qualify for HSA/FSA

If sitting at your desk hurts, a chair's lower-back support, adjustable seat height or armrests can help you manage that pain while you work. A Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) puts that in writing, linking the chair to your health condition.

IRS Publication 502 defines medical expenses to include the “diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease”. Once a licensed provider connects the chair to your condition in that letter, it's HSA/FSA eligible.

It doesn't matter whether the chair goes in your home office or at work. Eligibility turns on how the chair supports your condition, not on whether the store calls it an office chair, desk chair or gaming chair. Our standing desk HSA/FSA guide covers the desk side of your setup.

Do ergonomic chairs help with back pain?

They can help. A supportive chair makes it easier to sit the way back-care guidance recommends. OSHA's guidance on computer workstation chairs says the backrest should follow the natural curve of your spine and give your lower back adequate support. It also warns that working in poorly supported postures may lead to back pain and fatigue.

A 2012 review in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders looked at five chair studies, and in all five, people rated their own musculoskeletal pain lower right after the change. And not just office workers: the studies also included garment workers and university students.

Which health conditions can support a chair LMN?

Which features matter comes down to what hurts: lumbar support is for your lower back, while armrests let sore shoulders relax. These are some of the common conditions, and a provider can document any of them for an office chair:

• Chronic low back pain. Mayo Clinic recommends seating with good lower-back support, armrests and a swivel base as part of back care. An adjustable office chair can provide that support while keeping your knees and hips level.
• Chronic neck pain. Cleveland Clinic's ergonomics guide links a flawed desk setup to neck pain and calls getting your chair right a top priority, because it determines the position of the rest of your body. An adjustable chair lets you set its height so your back is supported without slouching.
• Sciatica. Mayo Clinic's sciatica guidance recommends a seat with lower-back support, armrests and a swivel base. An office chair with those features gives you that support through long hours of sitting.
• Shoulder pain. Mayo Clinic's office-ergonomics guide names sore shoulders among the problems of seated work and says to position armrests so your arms sit gently on them, with your elbows close to your body and your shoulders relaxed. Adjustable armrests let you set that position at your desk.
• Back pain during pregnancy. Mayo Clinic advises choosing a chair that supports your back when managing pregnancy-related back pain. An office chair with lumbar support gives you that back support while you work.

These five aren't the only ones. When your LMN shows how a chair's support helps with a condition not listed here, the chair is eligible too.

How to get your Letter of Medical Necessity for an office chair

There are two ways to get a Letter of Medical Necessity for your office chair:

• Through Crates, typically in under 24 hours. The short online health assessment takes about 2 to 3 minutes to fill out. A licensed provider reviews it and, if you qualify, issues your letter for the office chair. Your letter is good for 12 months, and it renews every year.
• Through your own doctor, a few days to a few weeks. A provider who already treats your condition can write it, too. Book a visit, say you want to buy an office chair with HSA/FSA funds, and ask them to document how it helps prevent, manage, or reverse your condition. Check for a signature and date on the finished letter. The visit could come with a copay.

How to buy an office chair with HSA/FSA funds

Shop anywhere, online or in person, from a furniture store to a big online marketplace, then get your money back in three steps:

1. Get your LMN first. Use either route above, Crates or your own doctor, so the letter is ready before you buy.
2. Buy the chair anywhere. Pay with your personal card and keep the itemized receipt showing the chair and amount paid.
3. Get your funds back. Have Crates file the claim with one-click reimbursement, or upload the letter and receipt yourself. If you pay from an HSA, keep the letter and receipt with your tax records.

Our HSA vs. FSA guide explains how the two accounts handle your funds and reimbursement.

Which office chairs can you buy with HSA/FSA?

A chair's category doesn't settle anything on its own. Ergonomic office chairs, everyday desk chairs, gaming chairs and kneeling chairs all qualify when they're recommended for your health condition.

The same chair can fall into more than one row: a gaming chair can also be ergonomic, and an ergonomic chair can be your everyday desk chair. Whichever row it lands in, the paperwork is the same: one letter tying the chair to your health condition.

Office-chair brands

Herman Miller, Secretlab and Anthros are brands people search for with HSA eligibility in mind. Their office and ergonomic chairs qualify the same way, with an LMN.

Eyeing a Secretlab? Our Secretlab HSA/FSA guide goes deeper on that brand. Other chair brands work the same way: your provider writes up the medical purpose, and you buy from whichever store you like.

How much can you save on an office chair?

On a purchase this size, pre-tax money makes a real difference: HSA or FSA funds can save you as much as 30%. With a combined rate around 30%, a $500 chair saves you $150 in taxes, so you're effectively paying $350. The store still charges $500; the reimbursement just comes out of your own account.

Each column multiplies the purchase price by the illustrated tax rate:

These prices are examples, not current offers. Combined rates can include federal income tax, state income tax and payroll taxes where applicable. IRS Publication 969 explains the accounts' tax advantages; your own taxes and how you contribute set the real savings. Provider or LMN fees are separate from the chair prices shown.