Flexible Spending Accounts

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

ASI Flex is the third party administrator for the State Plan’s Medical and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).

Also known as Flexible Spending Arrangement, FSAs are one of a number of tax-advantaged financial accounts that can be set up through a cafeteria plan of an employer. A FSA allows an employee to set aside a portion of earnings to pay for qualified expenses (visit irs.gov for details) as established in the cafeteria plan, most commonly for medical expenses but often for dependent care or other expenses. Money deducted from an employee's pay and put into an FSA is not subject to payroll taxes, resulting in payroll tax savings.

Retirees and Legislators are not eligible to participate in Flexible Spending Accounts.

  • If you enroll in a Medical or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA), your account(s) becomes effective the first day of the month following your eligibility date.
  • If you enroll during Open Enrollment, your FSA becomes effective January 1 of the next calendar year.

FSA funds may only be used for claims incurred on or after your FSA effective date. Contributions are taken out of each paycheck (before taxes) in equal installments throughout the Plan Year (January 1 - December 31). You must re-enroll each year during Open Enrollment in the Medical and Dependent Care FSA's to continue contributions each Plan Year. See the Wrap Plan Document for more details about Flexible Spending Accounts. 

Create an Account

  1. Go to ASIFlex.com, click "Employee Login"

  2. Click "Create an Account" and follow instructions

Online Account Features

  • View Available Accounts - Review your account statement(s) and dashboard, including contributions, claims and payments.
  • Notifications - Read secure messages sent to you from ASIFlex and take action if necessary.&
  • Participant Services - Submit claims or documentation online and obtain other information.
  • Account Settings - Manage and update your personal preferences for login credentials, email, phone number for text alerts, and banking information for direct deposit.&

The Medical Flexible Spending Account (FSA) enables the employee to pay for expenses allowed under Sections 105 and 213(d) of the Internal Revenue Code, and which are not fully covered by the group benefit plan, with pre-tax dollars. The Medical FSA allows the employee to be reimbursed for expenses incurred by the employee and the employee's dependents. Visit irs.gov or ASIFlexfor a full list of qualified medical expenses. The State Plan's Medical FSA is administered by ASI Flex.

For plan year 2026, the annual maximum contribution per employee is $3,300.

Medical FSA Can Be Used For:

Other Restrictions:

  • $120 per year minimum contribution
  • $2.16 per month fee for one or both types of FSA
  • Contribution amounts may forfeited to the State of Montana if the employee does not fully use the contributions that have been made.
  • $660 of unused contributions at the end of Plan Year 2025 will be allowed to rollover to Plan Year 2026. (Please note this amount may be adjusted based on IRS determination, which is usually announced in the fall.)
  • If an employee qualifies for rollover but has not elected to contribute to Medical FSA for the current Plan Year, a monthly administration fee of $2.15 will be applied to the rollover balance each month there is a qualifying balance.

The employee may forfeit amounts to the State of Montana if the employee does not fully use the contributions that have been made. It is important the employee decide how much to place in their Medical FSA account before the Plan Year begins. See the medical flex calculators on the ASIFlex website for assistance in determining your appropriate contribution amount.

During the course of the Plan Year, the employee may submit requests for reimbursement of expenses the employee or their eligible dependents have incurred. Expenses are considered "incurred" when the service is performed, not necessarily when it is paid. The entire yearly Medical FSA contribution may be used starting on the FSA effective date.

For the Medical FSA, the employee must submit claims no later than 120 days after the end of the Plan Year. Rollover funds become available for the new Plan Year on January 1, however those funds cannot be used for prior year services after the 120 day claim submission deadline. Claims for previous Plan Year must be submitted no later than April 30.

A terminated employee has 120 days from date of termination to submit claims for eligible services incurred prior to the terminate date. Failure to submit claims within 120 days will result in any available contributions being forfeited. In some circumstances an employee may have the ability to elect COBRA for Medical FSA due to termination.

A terminated employee has 120 days from date of termination to submit claims for eligible services incurred prior to the terminate date. Failure to submit claims within 120 days will result in any available contributions being forfeited. In some circumstances an employee may have the ability to elect COBRA for Medical FSA due to termination.

Learn more about COBRA.

The Dependent Care FSA is to reimburse for work related dependent daycare expenses. It is not for reimbursement of medical expenses.

Overview

The Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) enables the employee to pay for out-of-pocket, work-related dependent day-care expenses for tax qualified dependent(s) with pre-tax dollars. If the employee is married, the employee may use the account if the employee and their spouse both work, or in some situations if the employee's spouse goes to school full-time. Single employees may also use the account. Visit irs.gov or ASIFlex for additional information.

The annual maximum contribution for Plan Year 2026 is per household is $7,500 ($3,750 if married filing separately).

Funds May be Used for:

  • Childcare (age 13 and under) 
  • Disabled dependent care
  • To see a complete list of qualified dependent care expenses visit ASIFlex

Important Timelines:

  • Employees have 120 days after the end of the Plan Year to submit claims for dependent care expenses.
  • A terminated employee has 120 days from date of termination to submit claims for eligible daycare expenses incurred prior to the termination date
  • Failure to submit claims within 120 days will result in any available contributions being forfeited.

Guidelines:

  • Funds available only as contributed
  • $120 per year minimum contribution
  • $2.16 per month fee for one or both types of FSA
  • Unused funds will be forfeited at the end of the Plan year. Rollover is not allowed for Dependent Care FSA.

Employees must decide how much to contribute to their Dependent Care FSA before the Plan Year begins. The employee may forfeit amounts to the State of Montana if the employee does not fully use the contributions that have been made.

During the course of the Plan Year, the employee may submit requests for reimbursement of expenses the employee has incurred. Expenses are considered "incurred" when the service is performed, not necessarily when it is paid. The employee may only be reimbursed from the Dependent Care FSA to the extent that there are sufficient contributions in the FSA to cover the expense.

To be reimbursed for an eligible expense, employees may submit individual requests as they occur, complete the automatic reimbursement request form for reoccurring expenses or sign up for the recurring direct pay program (see below).

Recurring Direct Pay Program

With Recurring Direct Pay, employees no longer need to submit a claim for every payment. This is a free service with a one-time initial set up between you, your provider, and ASIFlex. After set up, ASIFlex will pay your dependent care provider directly from your ASIFlex account on the schedule you and your dependent care provider choose. Notification is sent to both you and your provider when payment is made. You may stop or change your payment schedule at any time. Any remaining balance due to your dependent care provider will be paid from your personal bank account.

How to Setup Recurring Direct Payments
  1. Login to the Employee Portal at asiflex.com.
  2. Under "Participant Services", click on "Schedule a Recurring Direct Payment."
  3. Select your plan year and "Dependent Care" as the provider type.
  4. Select the participating provider* that you wish to authorize for direct payment from your ASIFlex account.
    • If your dependent care provider is not listed, select “Recruit a Provider” and enter your daycare provider’s information.
  5. Schedule your recurring direct payment and Submit.
  6. ASIFlex will reach out to the provider for approval to complete the set-up process.

See the Wrap Plan Document for more details. Contact ASIFlex if you have any questions regarding eligible expenses, recurring direct payment program, or how to submit a claim for reimbursement.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are administered by ASI Flex. Contact ASIFlex if you have any questions regarding eligible expenses, recurring direct payment program, or how to submit a claim for reimbursement.

Debit Card - For Use with Medical FSA Only

Debit cards can only be used for current year transactions.

Participants who have elected a Medical FSA will automatically receive two ASIFlex Debit Cards. It's valid for a five year period as long as you are an active employee. Employees will automatically receive a new debit card upon expiration. The ASI Debit Card will remain in effective through the expiration date regardless of current enrollment. If you terminate your medical FSA and later re-enroll you will not receive a new debit card if the card has not expired.

The ASIFlex debit card is a limited-use card and can be used for purchases at known health care providers (such as health clinics, physician offices, hospitals, etc.) and retailers that have implemented an appropriate IIAS management system. At the point-of-sale, the ASIFlex debit card confirms the merchant is an eligible merchant according to the merchant category code (MCC) coded into the merchant’s credit card processing system and/or the individual merchant identification number.

After a debit card transaction is processed, ASIFlex will attempt to retroactively match the purchase amount with known copay amounts for the medical and prescription drug plans. If ASIFlex is unable to match the debit card transaction amount with a known copay amount, ASIFlex will notify the employee that substantiating documentation must be submitted within six weeks.

Click to view and print the ASI debit wallet card. This wallet card has a checklist of items needed when using a debit card.

Online Submission

You may submit your reimbursement requests online by signing into your account at ASIFlex.com. Click on File a Claim and follow the prompts.

If you file your claim form online or via the mobile application, you will be provided with a confirmation number after you submit the claim. This number indicates that your claim was received by ASIFlex.

Mobile App

You may submit your reimbursement requests with your smartphone or tablet. Download the ASIFlex Self Service app in the Google Play or Apple App store. Sign into your account, snap a photo of your documentation, complete a few questions, and submit your claim.

If you file your claim form online or via the mobile application, you will be provided with a confirmation number after you submit the claim. This number indicates that your claim was received by ASIFlex.

Mail*

Mailing Address:
ASIFlex
PO Box 6044
Columbia, MO 65205-6044
Physical Address (Use if using a courier service such as UPS or FedEx):
ASIFlex
201 West Broadway
Building 4 Suite C
Columbia, MO 65203

Fax*

You may fax your claims to ASIFlex's toll-free claims submission line at (877) 879-9038.

* If you plan to mail or fax your FSA claim, you will need to include the ASIFlex General FSA Claim Form

If you file your claim form online or via the mobile application, you will be provided with a confirmation number after you submit the claim. This number indicates that your claim was received by ASIFlex.

Visit the ASIFlex website website for more information regarding reimbursement options or claims submission.

Recurring Direct Pay Program - Dependent Care FSA Only

ASIFlex now offers a convenient Recurring Direct Pay program for payments to dependent care providers. With Recurring Direct Pay, you no longer need to submit a claim for every payment. This is a free service with a one-time initial set up between you, your provider, and ASIFlex. After set up, ASIFlex will pay your dependent care provider directly from your ASIFlex account on the schedule you and your dependent care provider choose. Notification is sent to both you and your provider when payment is made. You may stop or change your payment schedule at any time. Any remaining balance due to your dependent care provider will be paid from your personal bank account.

How to Setup Recurring Direct Payments
  1. Login to the Employee Portal at ASIFlex.com.
  2. Under "Participant Services", click on "Schedule a Recurring Direct Payment."
  3. Select your plan year and "Dependent Care" as the provider type.
  4. Select the participating provider* that you wish to authorize for direct payment from your ASIFlex account.
    • If your dependent care provider is not listed, select “Recruit a Provider” and enter your daycare provider’s information.
  5. Schedule your recurring direct payment and Submit.
  6. ASIFlex will reach out to the provider for approval to complete the set-up process.