HSA money not deposited into account last year.
We are a small business that recently started using a healthcare plan with a Health Savings Account (HSA) due to rising costs. For the past 20 years, we did not utilize this type of plan and were unfamiliar with how it works. Our benefits provider recommended the plan but did not fully explain the details. As a result, it was not set up properly, and now we are facing issues.
All the HSA money withheld from our paychecks in 2025 was not deposited into our newly set up Optum accounts, so technically, the company still retains that money. Since the tax deadline has passed (although our accountant filed for an extension), it seems we are unable to correct this problem by moving the funds into the Optum accounts now. From what I understand, that would mean correcting our W2's for last year, which would solve that problem.
But the other issue is that the total from last year is still showing in our 2026 YTD HSA withheld deductions, and now that 2026 is halfway over, we have met our deduction total for 2026 due to the 2025 funds. Is that because the 2025 funds were never moved to the Optum account and are still accumulating for 2026? I am having a very hard time finding any answers on what to do from our accountant or our payroll company.
Here is an example:
Total withheld in 2025: $5,590.45
1st paycheck of 2026 YTD withheld total: $5919.30
Current YTD withheld total: $8750
The total we can withhold for the year is $8750 and we have supposedly met that goal for 2026, even though we can no longer move the 2025 money into Optum.