Quick answer: After you receive your LMN, purchase your product normally with any payment method, then upload your itemized receipt to your Crates dashboard and click "Start Reimbursement." For supported admins, our in-house claims team handles submitting the documentation. For other admins, download your LMN and submit to your admin's portal yourself.
The Full Process
Step 1: Make Sure You Have Your LMN
Before purchasing anything, confirm your Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) is ready in your Crates dashboard. Your LMN needs to be dated on or before your purchase date.
Step 2: Buy Your Product Like Normal
Purchase from wherever you normally would - Amazon, your gym's website, in person, wherever. Use your regular credit card, debit card, or any payment method. You are not able to purchase products via the Crates application today, so you shop where you normally would.
Important: You do not need to use your HSA/FSA card at checkout. In fact, most wellness retailers (gyms, supplement stores, wearables, etc.) won't accept HSA/FSA cards anyway because of how their merchant category codes are set up. Paying out of pocket and reimbursing is the standard path.
Step 3: Save Your Receipt
Keep your receipt from the purchase. It should show: - The product or service name - The date of purchase - The amount paid - The merchant/store name
A screenshot, photo, or PDF all work fine.
Step 4: Upload Your Itemized Receipt to Crates
Log into your Crates Health dashboard and upload your itemized receipt. You can upload a photo, screenshot, or PDF.
Step 5: Store Your Receipt or Reimburse Now
Once you've uploaded your receipt, you have two options:
Store it for later. You can keep your receipt in the Crates dashboard and reimburse yourself whenever you're ready - for example, while the money inside your HSA account continues to grow.
Reimburse now. Click the "Start Reimbursement" button whenever you're ready to reimburse yourself.
For your first reimbursement with Crates, we'll ask for some information about your HSA or FSA account. Once you've provided that, we'll save it to your profile, and from that point forward you'll have access to one-click reimbursements.
Until you click that reimbursement button, nothing gets submitted to your HSA/FSA admin. You can use our dashboard as a place to store your itemized receipts for future reimbursement, or reimburse yourself immediately — it's up to you.
Step 6: Crates Submits Your Claim
After you initiate the reimbursement, our in-house claims team reviews and finalizes the submission to your HSA/FSA admin. We automatically select EFT (electronic funds transfer) on the reimbursement form, so the reimbursement goes back to the bank account linked to your HSA/FSA account.
Note: This one-click reimbursement is available for our 8 supported admins: HealthEquity, Fidelity, Optum, HSA Bank, Bank of America, WEX, Navia, and FSAFEDS. For all other admins, download your LMN from your Crates dashboard and submit it along with your itemized receipt through your admin's own portal.
Typical timeline: Reimbursements usually process within 3-10 business days, depending on your specific HSA/FSA admin. Some are faster than others.
Important Things to Know
Where Does the Money Go?
The reimbursement goes through your HSA/FSA admin, not through Crates. You may need to have your bank account connected inside your HSA/FSA admin's portal (like HealthEquity, Optum, or WEX) for the funds to reach your bank. This is set up on their end, not within Crates.
Do I Need to Add Bank Info to Crates?
No. When we talk about connecting bank information, we mean inside your HSA/FSA admin's portal. Crates doesn't hold or transfer your reimbursement funds directly.
What If My HSA Had Insufficient Funds?
If your HSA didn't have enough funds at the time of purchase, you can still submit for reimbursement later. There's no time limit on HSA reimbursements - as long as the expense happened after your HSA was opened, you can reimburse whenever your account has the funds.
Note: FSA rules are different. FSAs typically have a plan-year deadline, so check with your FSA admin about their submission window.
What Counts as a Valid Receipt?
Your receipt should include the product name, date, amount, and merchant. If your receipt is vague (just shows a total with no product details), your HSA/FSA admin might ask for an itemized version. See our article on getting an itemized receipt if you run into this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I shop through Crates? No. You shop wherever you normally would. Crates provides the LMN and handles the reimbursement documentation - we're not a store.
Can I reimburse purchases I already made? There are two types of HSA-eligible expenses: those that require a Letter of Medical Necessity and those that don't.
Products requiring an LMN: Yes, as long as you had a valid LMN dated before the purchase.
Products that don't require an LMN (like OTC medications, sunscreen, first aid supplies, etc.): These are eligible and reimbursable from the date your HSA account was established through any point in the future. For example, if you opened your HSA in 2010 and had eligible purchases in 2011, 2012, or any year since, you can still reimburse yourself for those today in 2026 - as long as you have the receipts.
For FSA accounts, reimbursements must be submitted within your plan year. Check with your FSA admin about their specific submission deadlines.
How long do reimbursements take? After you click "Start Reimbursement" in your dashboard, most HSA/FSA admins process claims within 3-10 business days. Some (like Fidelity) can be even faster.
What if my reimbursement is denied? Check out our article on what to do if your claim is denied. We're here to help you through the appeal process.
Still Need Help?
If you're stuck at any step, chat with us or email [email protected]. We'll walk you through it.