The end of the 2025 calendar year is approaching, and it’s a good time to review your benefits. Remember, some of your benefits are “use it or lose it” and reset in January, while some unused benefits stack year-to-year. See the quick overview below:
Medical Claims: Your allotment for various medical claims through SunLife renews on January 1st of the new year, and any unclaimed amounts cannot be carried over to the next calendar year.
This includes paramedical benefits, like massage therapy, counselling, and chiropractor (note that vision care is a bit different and renews on the second year following a claim). For more information about your SunLife Plan follow this link to your SunLife Plan.
Flexible Spending Program: For your Flexible Spending Program benefits (i.e., the Health Spending Account or Personal Spending Account), the annual amount of $900 carries forward for 1 calendar year. If you have any amounts left from 2024, you need to use them by December 31, 2025. If unspent, this amount cannot be carried over and used towards eligible future purchases (although you can still submit claims after January 1st). The taxable Personal Spending Account benefit can be used on a wide variety of expenses, including online music subscriptions, traditional medicine, transit passes, pet care, and even RRSP/TFSA contributions! For more information follow this link to the flexible spending program information.
Also, remember that your choice of allocation for 2026 under the Flexible Spending Program needs to be made before the end of the year. Choose to allocate your funds between the Health Spending Account (HSA, non-taxable) and/or the Personal Spending Account (PSA, taxable). More information can be found at how to allocate flexible spending program funds.
Personal/Family Days: ASPA members are entitled to three (3) Personal/Family Days per calendar year. These are for emergent, personal or family situations, and do not roll over from one calendar year to the next. Your Personal Days reset to three (3) on January 1st, 2026, and do not stack. Any unused days from 2025 will not carry over to 2026. See Section 20.9 in the ASPA Collective Agreement.