grr

[mamajoan]

So, my company is instituting this new Flexible Spending Account (FSA), which is a thingie where you can deduct money from your paycheck pre-tax to pay for medical expenses or childcare. It's a good thing. Today, HR distributed a little brochure about it. The brochure contains a chart showing the IRS-mandated maximums of how much you can put into an FSA in any year.

The situations for which maximums are shown are:
* you and your spouse file separate tax returns
* your spouse also participates in an FSA
* you or your spouse have an earned income of less than $5,000
* your spouse is a full-time student
* your spouse is physically or mentally disabled

Notice a problem with the above? That's right. There is no option for "you do not have a spouse." Hello!!! Is this the fucking year 2004 or what, people???

So I called the 800-number and was on hold for about ten minutes and gave up. Later, I tried again. The guy I finally got on the phone had a lot of trouble understanding what I was saying.

Me: Your little chart thingie doesn't have an option for "if you don't have a spouse."
Him: The limit is $2500.
Me: Well, that isn't shown on the chart.
Him: So your question is what is the limit?
Me: Partly my question is what is the limit, and partly I'm just commenting, or complaining if you will, that the chart doesn't SHOW a limit for single people.
Him: Hold please.
(a minute or two of muzak)
Him: Ma'am, the limit is $5,000.
Me: Okay, thanks.

I would have stayed on to bitch him out some more about the fact that this info isn't SHOWN on the damn pamphlet, but a) he was clearly not getting me and b) it would violate my policy of not yelling at the people who answer the phones, because this stuff is almost never under their control.

I'm still considering sending the company a nasty letter, though.

Comments

[munoz.livejournal.com]

Why did he say $2500 at first? Did he think you'd said "there's no option for people with facehuggers"?

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

I have no idea. $2500 is the listed maximum for "if you and your spouse file separate tax returns," so maybe he thought that when I said "I have no spouse" I meant "I have no spouse with whom I file a joint tax return"???? Beats me.

[lightningrose.livejournal.com]

Is the problem with HR? Or the IRS? I would guess its a problem with whoever wrote the pamphlet -- the IRS has been happily taking the $$$ from single people AND parents for quite some time, I doubt it would just forget them with this one set of rules. I'd write the letter detailing your situation and a mild rebuke that you are doubtless not the only single mom who may want to take advantage of this.

(head still woozy from trying to cram self-employment tax rules today)...

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

No, the problem is quite obviously with whomever wrote the pamphlet. The IRS would never be so silly as to forget such a large demographic as single parents. ;)

[jrosehale.livejournal.com]

Yeah, take 10 minutes and write the letter. People (who make sense) don't write nearly enough letters, and it's ridiculous to waste your time on hold (and all the other single folks') when it's a matter of adding a line item.

Re: Flex, yes, I started doing Medical Flex two years ago, and I'm a big fan. They just started accepting over-the-counter medications, so I now can send in receipts for Benadryl and my contact lens solution. That is sweet. I just sent in a claim for $50, and it's January!

I probably should have upped my account amount, actually. Ah, well.