Lifestyle benefits, built around your workforce.

A lifestyle spending account is an employer-funded, post-tax benefit that reimburses employees for eligible lifestyle and wellbeing expenses. Unlike FSAs and HRAs, LSA eligible expenses are not defined by the IRS — the employer determines what qualifies, how much to contribute, and how often funds are made available. LSAs are fully customizable, making them one of the more flexible tools employers have to support diverse workforce needs and differentiate their benefits offering.

Because LSA eligible expenses are employer-defined, they can cover a wide range of physical, financial, emotional, and professional wellbeing categories. Common examples include gym memberships, fitness equipment, student loan reimbursement, financial planning services, meditation and personal development classes, professional development courses, and recreational equipment or passes. The specific list of eligible expenses is determined by the employer when the plan is designed — WEX configures the platform to those parameters.

The key difference is in who defines eligible expenses and the tax treatment. FSA eligible expenses are defined by the IRS and are funded with pre-tax dollars. HRA eligible expenses follow IRS guidelines and are employer-funded. LSA eligible expenses are entirely employer-defined, and because LSAs are post-tax, employers have far greater flexibility in what the benefit can cover — including categories like fitness, financial wellness, and professional development that fall outside IRS-defined healthcare expense rules.

LSAs are funded entirely by the employer — employees make no contributions. Employers set the contribution amount and choose a funding schedule that works for their organization: annually at the start of the plan year, monthly, or at another interval. WEX supports multiple contribution frequency options so the timing can reflect both budget preferences and employee engagement goals.

It depends on the employer’s plan design. WEX supports both reimbursement-based LSAs (where employees submit claims for eligible purchases) and pre-funded card-based LSAs (where employees receive a funded benefits card to use directly). Substantiation requirements, if any, are configured at the plan level — employers decide what documentation is required, and WEX administers accordingly.

Yes. WEX supports stacked benefit accounts — participants enrolled in an LSA alongside an HSA, FSA, or HRA receive a single benefits card that draws from the correct account automatically. All accounts are visible and manageable through the same online account and mobile app, which simplifies the experience for employees and reduces administration questions for HR.

WEX offers LSA administration within a unified benefits platform — so employers aren’t managing a standalone lifestyle benefit tool separate from their other accounts. Flexible plan design tools, stacked benefits card support, 350+ payroll and HRIS integrations, and a simplified participant experience are all available in the same platform employers use for their HSA, FSA, HRA, and other benefit accounts. WEX is a publicly traded company (NYSE: WEX) with 40 years of stability and nearly 60% Fortune 1000 adoption.