Use Vision Insurance Before the End of the Year: Exams and Frame Allowances
Use vision insurance before the end of the year only if your plan resets on January 1. Many plans count every calendar year, others count 12 or 24 months from your last visit. Check yours, then book the exam.
Whether you should use vision insurance before the end of the year depends on one line in your plan. Some plans count benefits by calendar year: one eye exam every calendar year, frames every one or two calendar years, and an unused allowance does not wait for you in January. Others count 12 or 24 months from the date you last used the benefit, so December changes nothing. Find out which kind you have, see what is left, and book the visit if the clock really ends on December 31.
Why most "use it before December 31" advice is half right
Most pages about this topic are written by eyewear sellers, and they say the same thing: your benefits reset on January 1, so book now. For a lot of people that is true. For others it is not, and booking an exam in December just to "use it" can mean you are not eligible for the next one until next December.
Vision plans count their benefits in one of two ways.
By calendar year. The benefit is available once every calendar year (or every two calendar years) and resets on January 1. Two university plans run by EyeMed show what this looks like. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga lists a routine eye exam every calendar year and lenses or contacts once every calendar year. Austin Peay State University's basic plan makes frames available once every two calendar years, and its expanded plan once every calendar year.
From your last use. The benefit is available once every 12 months or 24 months, counted from the date you last used it. If you had an exam in March, the next one opens in March. December 31 means nothing for this kind of plan.
How to tell which kind you have
Open the benefits summary from your employer or your vision plan's member site and look for the frequency line. The wording gives it away:
- "every calendar year" or "once per calendar year" means a January 1 reset.
- "every 12 months" or "every 24 months" usually means it counts from your last service date.
- "every other calendar year" for frames means the allowance is available in alternating calendar years.
If the summary is unclear, the member site usually shows "next eligible date" for each benefit. That date is the one that matters.
What to use before it resets
If your plan resets on January 1, here is what usually goes unused.
The eye exam
The routine exam is the cheapest benefit to use and the one people skip most. The American Optometric Association recommends regular eye exams for adults and children, with schedules that depend on age and risk. If your plan covers one per calendar year and you have not had it, book it now. December appointments can fill up as other people do the same thing.
Lenses or contacts
Many plans let you choose glasses lenses or a supply of contact lenses once a period, not both. If you wear contacts, check whether this year's allowance is still there.
The frame allowance
Frames often come with a set dollar allowance and a longer cycle, such as once every two calendar years. If this is your year and you have not used it, it does not wait.
Your FSA money, if you have some left
A health FSA can pay for eye exams, glasses and contact lenses: IRS Publication 502 lists eye exams, eyeglasses and contact lenses as medical expenses. If you have FSA money that runs out at the end of the plan year, glasses beyond your vision allowance are a common way to use it. HealthCare.gov's page on FSAs explains grace periods and carryovers, and our guide to the FSA deadline has the rest.
Book now, or wait?
Two simple cases:
- Calendar-year plan, benefit unused this year. Book before December 31. Ask the office to confirm the visit date, because the date of service is what counts.
- Months-from-use plan. Book on or after your next eligible date, whenever that falls. Booking early can mean the plan does not cover the visit.
Dental benefits are worth the same check: look at whether your dental plan counts by calendar year. Our list of renewal dates to keep track of covers the other dates in this category.
Let Tracy keep the reset date
The problem is not knowing the rule. It is remembering, in November, that this year's exam is still unused. Tracy, the assistant in dEssence, can hold that for you.
Take a screenshot of the benefits page on your vision plan's site, or of the frequency line in your benefit summary, and send it to Tracy in Telegram, Chrome or on the web. She reads what is listed: the exam, the frame allowance, the next eligible dates. Ask her to remind you a month before the reset, and she does. Ask "when can I get new frames?" and she answers from the screenshot you sent.
She does not log into your insurance account, and she does not book appointments. She keeps the dates you gave her and brings them back in time.
Frequently asked questions
Do vision insurance benefits reset at the end of the year?
Some do and some do not. Plans that count by calendar year reset on January 1. Plans that count 12 or 24 months from your last visit reset on your own date. The frequency line in your benefit summary says which kind you have.
Does unused vision insurance roll over?
Usually no. An unused exam or frame allowance in a calendar-year plan does not carry into the next year. Check your plan summary, since terms differ.
How often does vision insurance cover new glasses?
It depends on the plan. Many cover lenses once a year and frames once every one or two years, either by calendar year or counted from your last purchase.
Can I use my FSA for glasses?
Yes. IRS Publication 502 lists eyeglasses, contact lenses and eye exams as medical expenses, so a health FSA can usually pay for them, including the part your vision plan does not cover.
Is it worth getting an eye exam in December?
Yes, if your plan resets on January 1 and you have not used this year's exam. If your plan counts 12 months from your last exam, wait until your next eligible date.