Quick Answer: After making your purchase, 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.
Before You Start
Make sure you have: - ✅ Your Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) from Crates (issued before your purchase date) - ✅ Your receipt showing the product, date, and amount paid - ✅ Your HSA/FSA admin login (HealthEquity, Optum, Fidelity, WEX, Navia, etc.)
Step-by-Step: The Reimbursement Process
Step 1: Make Your Purchase
Buy your product or service as you normally would - from the gym, Amazon, the brand's website, wherever. Use your regular credit or debit card (not your HSA/FSA card, since most wellness retailers don't accept them directly).
Step 2: Save Your Receipt
Make sure your receipt includes: - Date of purchase - Product or service description - Amount paid - Retailer/merchant name
A digital receipt (email confirmation, screenshot) works fine. The more detailed, the better.
Step 3: Upload Your Receipt to Crates
Log into your Crates Health dashboard, go to the Savings Tracker tab (where your LMNs are stored), click the "Receipts" button, then click "Upload Receipt" to upload your itemized receipt.
Step 4: Click "Start Reimbursement"
In your Crates dashboard, click the "Start Reimbursement" button to initiate the process.
Important: Simply uploading a receipt isn't enough — you need to actually click "Start Reimbursement" to begin the process. Until you do, nothing is submitted to your admin.
Step 5: Submit to Your HSA/FSA Admin
For supported admins (HealthEquity, Fidelity, Optum, HSA Bank, Bank of America, WEX, Navia, FSAFEDS): Crates submits the documentation directly to your admin on your behalf — one-click reimbursement. You'll set up your HSA/FSA admin information once, provide your signature, review the reimbursement details, and click submit. Our in-house claims team then reviews and finalizes the submission.
For all other admins: You'll need to download your LMN from Crates, get your itemized receipt from the purchase, and submit both through your admin's portal: 1. Log into your admin's website 2. Find the "Submit Claim" or "Request Reimbursement" section 3. Upload your itemized receipt and LMN together 4. Enter the amount and date of purchase 5. Submit the claim
Step 6: Wait for Processing
Your admin reviews and processes the claim. Once approved, the funds are returned to your HSA/FSA account or sent to your bank account (depending on your admin's process).
Most HSA admins process distributions in 1-5 business days. FSA admins may take 5-15 business days since they review documentation before releasing funds.
Important Tips
🕐 Timing Matters
Your LMN must be dated before your purchase — admins may deny claims where the LMN came after the purchase
HSA reimbursement has no time limit - You can reimburse yourself months or even years later
FSA reimbursement has a deadline - Usually by the end of your plan year (or grace period)
📄 Keep Everything
Keep your itemized receipts and LMN indefinitely or at least 10 years. The IRS can audit you up to 10 years after a transaction. Crates stores your LMNs and receipts on your dashboard for easy access.
💳 Why Not Use My HSA/FSA Card Directly?
Most wellness retailers (gyms, supplement brands, Amazon) don't accept HSA/FSA cards at checkout. Their merchant category codes (MCCs) don't match what your card processor expects for medical expenses. This is normal - the reimbursement path is the standard way to cover these purchases.
💰 Where Does the Money Go?
The reimbursed funds go back to your HSA/FSA account. When you mention adding bank information, that's your bank account connected inside your HSA/FSA admin's portal (like HealthEquity or Optum) — not within Crates.
What Counts as a Valid Receipt?
Your HSA/FSA admin typically needs: - Store/retailer name - Date of purchase - Itemized product description (not just a total) - Amount paid
Not usually accepted: Credit card statements (they don't show what was purchased), balance-forward statements, handwritten receipts without detail.
If your admin needs an itemized bill or more detailed receipt, contact us - we can help provide additional documentation.
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