[Dave]

Calling all parents… This week is my open enrollment period for things such as my FSA at work… My son is due to get braces sometime next year and I was wondering if is it a wise move to max out the FSA ($3,200 in 2024) to use for those orthodontist appointments?

Any info on how you paid for your kids braces would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[Connie]

We paid $4200 for our daughter. She had phase 1 work done at same place. We took the 5% discount for paying in one payment and then also took off $1000 for lifetime max for orthodontia.

We put it on a credit card for points.

I then applied for reimbursement through FSA.

[Elizabeth]

Yes, that’s SMART. You can probably do it a couple of years and get the tax break on the entire treatment.

[Lauren]

Our orthodontist offered like a 5% discount if we paid in full…we just maxed out our flex spending for two years to make the monthly payments.

Drove me nuts because I hate “owing” people money, but I know it was the better option.

[Mary]

Get an estimate from the orthodontist first – the cost will probably exceed $3200, but you want to be sure. Do you have dental insurance? Some insurances will cover a portion of the cost. We had insurance, and so the amount out of pocket was close to $3200.

We paid up front to get the discount, and then got reimbursed from the FSA.

You don’t need to have the full $3200 accrued in the account to be able to withdraw it all.

[Author]

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