Updated November 7, 2026. Quick answer: Box 5 of Form 5498-SA shows the fair market value of your HSA, Archer MSA or Medicare Advantage MSA at the end of the calendar year, and box 6 shows the type of account the form reports. A separate form is required for each type of plan, the form is for your records, and the participant copy says not to attach it to your income tax return.
What the participant copy says
“Box 5. Shows the fair market value of your HSA, Archer MSA, or MA MSA at the end of the calendar year shown on this form.” “Box 6. Shows the type of account that is reported on this Form 5498-SA.” The printed box 6 offers three choices: HSA, Archer MSA and MA MSA.
What the trustee reports
“Enter the FMV of the account on December 31 of the calendar year.” For box 6: “Check the box to indicate if this account is an HSA, Archer MSA, or MA MSA.” The account types do not share a form: “A separate form is required for each type of plan.” Someone with an HSA and an Archer MSA therefore receives two forms.
The earlier value statement and the no-contributions case
The trustee may send the value earlier: “You may, but you are not required to, provide the participant with a statement of the December 31 FMV of the participant’s account by January 31 of the subsequent year.” If it did and nothing was contributed, the trustee “must file Form 5498-SA with the IRS by May 31 of the subsequent year to report the December 31 FMV of the account”, and you may not receive a second form. Where an account was fully emptied during the year with no contributions, the instructions say the trustee “need not file Form 5498-SA nor furnish a statement to the participant to reflect that the fair market value (FMV) on December 31 was zero”.
What to do with box 5
Box 5 reports a value. The participant copy does not describe it as a tax amount, and it tells you “Don’t attach Form 5498-SA to your income tax return. Instead, keep it for your records.” It is useful for checking the year-end balance in your own account statement, and for seeing what the trustee has on file for the IRS. Contributions are in box 1 and boxes 2 and 3.
Boxes 5 and 6 on the 2025 form
The 2025 form words box 5 with the year: “Box 5. Shows the fair market value of your HSA, Archer MSA, or MA MSA at the end of 2025.” Box 6 reads the same on both forms.
Edition
This page reads Form 5498-SA and the Instructions for Forms 1099-SA and 5498-SA as revised December 2026, with the 2025 form for comparison, all files irs.gov served on November 7, 2026 (sha256 in the kit data). Check the year printed on your own copy before you follow a box reference.
Common mistakes
- Treating the box 5 balance as taxable income. It is a year-end value reported for information.
- Expecting one form for two account types. A separate form is required for each type of plan.
- Attaching the form to your income tax return. The participant copy says to keep it.
- Assuming a missing form means a missing account. A fully emptied account with no contributions may have no form.
Related: Form 5498-SA instructions, Form 1099-SA boxes, and HSA priority order.
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Answer againSources
- Form 5498-SA, HSA, Archer MSA, or Medicare Advantage MSA Information (Rev. December 2026): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f5498sa.pdf
- Instructions for Forms 1099-SA and 5498-SA (Rev. December 2026): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1099sa.pdf
- Form 5498-SA (2025 revision): IRS archived PDF (irs.gov)
Read from the IRS documents linked above on November 7, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer, the account provider or the IRS is the right place to confirm anything consequential.