Use your HSA or FSA for personal training.

HipTrain works with Truemed so members who qualify can be reimbursed from their HSA or FSA. This page explains how that works, when personal training qualifies, what paperwork your plan may ask for, and the deadlines. It is general information, not tax advice, so check with your plan administrator or a tax professional about your situation.

The short answer

You can generally use HSA or FSA money for personal training only when the training treats a specific medical condition a doctor has diagnosed, such as obesity, high blood pressure or heart disease. Spending that is merely good for your general health does not count. Most plans ask for a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN). With HipTrain, Truemed handles that step after you pay: a licensed provider reviews a short health survey and can issue an LMN if you qualify, and then you submit your purchase for reimbursement.

How to use your HSA or FSA: pay, then get reimbursed

HipTrain works with Truemed in reimbursement mode. These steps follow Truemed's page for HipTrain.

1. Check your plan. Log in to your HSA or FSA account and search for "exercise," "fitness" or "letter of medical necessity." If you have an FSA, note your deadline.
2. Pay for HipTrain with a regular card. Do not use your HSA or FSA card at checkout. After you pay, look for the link to the Truemed survey.
3. Take Truemed's health survey the same day. It is a private online survey, and it must be taken on the same day as your purchase. A licensed provider reviews your answers.
4. If you are eligible, get your letter. Truemed says a Letter of Medical Necessity arrives in 1 to 2 days. If you are not eligible, you keep training as usual; there is just no letter.
5. Submit for reimbursement. Follow the guide that comes with your letter to submit your purchase to your HSA or FSA. Truemed says claims are usually paid in 2 to 4 weeks. Check your plan; approval is not guaranteed.
6. Keep your records. Save the letter, your receipts and your session dates with your tax records, in case your plan asks.

Coming from Truemed? See the Truemed member offer: 50% off for three months with your HSA/FSA card.

Does personal training qualify?

HSAs and health FSAs pay for "medical care" as the tax code defines it. IRS Publication 502 is the guide most administrators point to:

• What medical care is. Pub 502 describes medical expenses as "the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease."
• General health is out. It excludes expenses that are "merely beneficial to general health," and says you cannot include health club dues.
• A diagnosed disease can be in. It allows amounts paid to lose weight "if it is a treatment for a specific disease diagnosed by a physician," with obesity, hypertension and heart disease as examples.
• A doctor's suggestion alone may not be enough. The IRS FAQ on wellness expenses says exercise for general health does not qualify even if a doctor recommends it.

So the real question is not "Is personal training eligible?" It is "Is this training part of treating my diagnosed condition, and will my plan accept the paperwork?" Reimbursement is never guaranteed.

The Letter of Medical Necessity

An LMN is a note from a licensed provider that connects your diagnosis to the treatment, in this case supervised exercise. It usually covers your diagnosis, the recommended training, how often and for how long. Benefits administrator WEX says most LMNs are valid for about a year. You can get one through Truemed's online survey, or ask your own doctor, who knows your history. HipTrain does not issue LMNs itself. Our LMN guide explains what a letter should say.

HSA vs FSA: the timing rules

The last row trips people up. A session in January is a January expense, even if you paid in December. If you have FSA money left this fall, plan sessions that happen before your deadline.

FSA money left? Use the FSA deadline calculator to see how many days you have and how many sessions your balance covers.

Using HSA money on something that turns out not to qualify has a cost. IRS Publication 969 says it is taxed as income plus a 20% additional tax, though the extra 20% does not apply once you are 65 or older. One more reason to get the letter and keep your receipts.

What HipTrain costs

Your first session is free with no credit card, so you can make sure you like your coach before you spend any HSA or FSA money.

What we do not do

Our coaches are certified personal trainers, not doctors or physical therapists. HipTrain does not issue Letters of Medical Necessity, does not bill insurance, and cannot promise any plan will approve a claim. If you need physical therapy, start there, and check with your doctor before you begin any new exercise program.

Guides

• Can you use an HSA for a personal trainer?
• Using your FSA for personal training (before it expires)
• Letter of Medical Necessity for personal training
• Are gym memberships HSA eligible?
• FSA deadline calculator

Why members train with HipTrain

Questions

Is personal training HSA or FSA eligible?

It can be, when the training treats a specific medical condition a doctor has diagnosed. Training for general fitness usually does not qualify. Expect to need a Letter of Medical Necessity, and check your plan.

How do I pay for HipTrain with my HSA or FSA?

Through Truemed, by reimbursement: you pay for HipTrain with a regular card (not your HSA or FSA card), take Truemed's private health survey the same day, and a licensed provider reviews it. If you are eligible, you get a Letter of Medical Necessity in 1 to 2 days, then submit your purchase to your HSA or FSA for reimbursement. Truemed says claims are usually paid in 2 to 4 weeks. Check your plan.

Does HipTrain issue Letters of Medical Necessity?

No. HipTrain does not issue letters or bill insurance. Through Truemed, an independent licensed provider decides whether to issue one. You can also ask your own doctor.

Is HSA / FSA reimbursement guaranteed?

No. No trainer or app can promise it. It depends on your health, your paperwork and your plan.

Does online personal training count, or only in person?

IRS rules look at what the expense is for, not where the coach is. Online training follows the same rules as training in a gym.

When does my FSA money expire?

Most health FSAs are "use it or lose it" at the end of the plan year, December 31 for calendar-year plans, unless your plan has a grace period or a carryover. Sessions count when they happen, not when you pay. Try our FSA deadline calculator.

Can I use my HSA for a gym membership?

Usually not. IRS Publication 502 says health club dues are not medical expenses. See are gym memberships HSA eligible?

Sources

• IRS Publication 502: medical and dental expenses
• IRS Publication 969: HSAs and other tax-favored health plans
• IRS: FAQs about medical expenses related to nutrition, wellness and general health
• IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments)
• Healthcare.gov: using a flexible spending account
• WEX: what is a letter of medical necessity
• Truemed: HipTrain

We checked these IRS rules and figures in October 2026. Rules and plan terms change, so confirm with your HSA or FSA administrator.