17 Best Ways To Spend Your Health and Wellness Stipend

Looking for easy ways to spend your health and wellness stipend from your employer in 2023? With so many options out there and a global pandemic in the rear view mirror, figuring out how to spend your health and wellness benefit each month can be tricky. That’s why we’ve developed this comprehensive list of health and wellness products that you can cash in on today.

ATTENTION: Before making a purchase, it’s a good idea to ask your company if the item is covered by your company’s health and wellness reimbursement policy.

What is a Health and Wellness Stipend?

Let’s start with a definition:

A health and wellness stipend is a sum of money provided by companies to its employees to spend on health and wellness related expenses. These are typically given out on a monthly basis for employees to expense and range from $20-$100 per month.

Health and wellness stipends for employees are a popular benefit in the red-hot competitive job market these days. It’s easy to overlook the importance of health and wellness in one’s professional career, so you might overlook spending this valuable benefit. From the gym rat, to the workout virgin, here are 12 great ideas for spending your wellness benefit provided to you by your company.

17 Health and Wellness Stipend Ideas For You

1. Gym Memberships

Ok, this one’s a little boring. A gym membership is obviously an eligible expense for your wellness stipend. Keep scrolling – we have 15 more exciting ways for you to spend your health and wellness stipend on.

Price Range: $10-$100 per month

2. Fitness Classes

10x Challenge Online Class – Enroll through MindValley

Fitness Classes are another fun and effective way to spend your health and wellness stipend. If you’re looking for a way to meet people and sweat it out together, you may want to use your wellness expenses on in-person group fitness classes. Class Pass (starting at $45/month for 2-4 classes) is a monthly subscription that gives you discounted credits to hundreds of fitness classes near you.

Nowadays, there are also more ways to get fit from the comfort of your own home than ever before. Online fitness platforms deliver fat-blasting content directly to your TV for a fraction of the cost of a gym membership.

3. Fitness Apps and Subscriptions

Name	Pricing	Description
Peloton	$12.99+ per month	Indoor cycling workouts on-demand
Strava	$5.00+ per month	Run and cycling tracking software
Nike Training Club	$10+ per month	Home based workout games
Aaptiv	$8.33+ per month	High quality fitness and audio workouts
My Fitness Pal	$4.17+ per month	Best in-class diet and exercise tracker
Zwift	$14.99 per month	Video game like cycling workouts

If you have less than $50 to spend with your health and wellness stipend per month, fitness apps and subscriptions can be a great option. Fitness apps have exploded onto the scene as the latest and greatest way to improve fitness from anywhere. Home workouts, social fitness networks and data-tracking are among the hottest categories. Most fitness apps are monthly subscriptions that are covered by your health and wellness benefits offered by your employer. 

Price Range: $5 to $39.99 per month (Based off most popular subscriptions and our research)

4. Yoga Classes

Online Yoga Classes – Take them at YogaDownload.com

Yoga classes are a fun and healthy way to stay in shape. YogaDownload is a very popular website with online yoga classes on demand for just a few dollars a month. Find your inner peace and gain back flexibility. It’s time to touch your toes again!

Pricing: $20+ per class

5. Meditation

Try Guided Meditations on Headspace

Meditation isn’t just for gurus in temples on top of mountains. You can choose to spend your health and wellness stipend on meditation classes, apps and subscription. The health benefits of meditation include increased energy, clarity and focus. Guided meditations can be purchased as standalone classes or through subscription products like Headspace, Calm and Unplug. Similar to wellness subscription boxes, there are also meditation boxes that you can spend your wellness funds on.

Pricing: $10+ per month

6. Wearable Devices

Apple Watch Series 6 – Get it on Amazon

Wearable devices with heart rate monitors can help track and monitor health and exercise. The are hundreds of apps that you can download onto an apple watch to help you live a healthy life. Plus, you can finally go on a run without your phone! Use your wellness stipend to take a hefty chunk out of the cost of these pricey pieces of technology.

Price Range: $100+

7. Fitness Equipment

Shop Fitness Products on Amazon

If your company provides a stipend for health and wellness, fitness equipment might be a great one-time way to spend your money. The possibilities are really endless here so check out our store for all the fitness related items you can buy with your wellness stipend.

Looking for all the latest and greatest home gyms items to spend your health and wellness stipend on? Read this article.

Pricing: $5+

8. Massages and Chiropractic Care

Shiatsu Back Massager with Heat – Get it on Amazon

If you’re like me, you spend all day slumped over in a chair with horrible posture. Your employer is partly to blame, so why not spend their money on a remedy. Massages are a great way to spend your health and wellness reimbursement on some R&R. Groupon and Yelp are great resources for finding massages and chiropractors near you at a discount.

Pricing: $30+

9. Healthy Meal Kits and Dietary Supplements

Nutrisystem Weight Loss Kit – Get it on Amazon

A good diet is equally as important as a good workout routine. One option to spend your stipend on is a healthy meal-kit service, subscription box or nutrient supllements. These can be delivered straight to your door, are great for you, and covered by your health and wellness stipend! Green Chef, Blue Apron and Sun Basket are some of the most popular names in the meal kit space. Grocery delivery services such as Instacart may also qualify under your Wellness Stipend if you ask politely.

Price Range: $10+

10. Healthy Lifestyle Magazines, Newsletters and Books

Healthy, Lean & Fit by Gordon Ramsey – Get it on Amazon

If you rather be stimulated intellectually, you can think of purchasing magazines, newsletters or books related to health and wellness. Technology is great, but often times knowledge and information is the foundation for living a long and healthy life.

Pricing: $5+ per month

11. Personal Trainer

Hiring a personal trainer is another way to spend your health and wellness funds from your employer. Whether you’re an athlete or a first-time gym goer, a personal trainer is a great way to keep you accountable and achieve fitness results. 

Pricing: $25-$200 per session

12. Health and Wellness Coach

If you don’t know where to start in your health and wellness journey, a health and wellness coach may be a good option for spending your wellness stipend. Similar to a personal trainer, a professional health coach will have 1:1 sessions with you to focus on all aspects of health and wellness such as diet, mental well-being, and physical fitness. 

Pricing: $25-$75 per session

13. Fitness Events

More interested in creating memories than pumping weights in the gym? Fitness events such as marathons and races are eligible to be covered by your company’s health and wellness benefit. Who knows, maybe you could get a music festival approved with your wellness benefit. Dancing is an exercise right?

Pricing: $50-$300

You can find a list of popular fitness events here.

14. Recreational Sports Leagues

Sport enthusiast? There are likely dozens of sports leagues you can join near you. Most recreational sports leagues cost between $50-$140 per season (typically 3 months). Convince your coworkers to also spend their stipends to join your team and you won’t have to play with strangers. If not, joining an adult league with free money could be a fun and healthy way of meeting new people and getting active. If the cost is greater than your wellness stipend for a month, you can use the same receipt in consecutive months.

Pricing: $150+ per season (3 months or more)

15. Physical Therapy

Theragun Pro – Get it on Amazon

Injuries are a part of getting older – and getting older sucks. Your body is essential to your well-being, so physical training or medical care for body-related injuries, aches and pains should be eligible to be expensed as a part of your health reimbursement. Pro tip: this could be a sneaky way of saving on medical related expenses. Reasons for doctor’s visits aren’t usually included on billing invoices.

Pricing: $20+

16. Self-Care

Did someone say pedicure? Health and Wellness is a broad category. Services and products for beauty, relaxation and stress-relief are valid ways of spending your health and wellness stipend. Lasik surgery, tanning salons and sleeping apps might be worth considering if you can get them approved too. You can find hundreds of curated wellness subscription boxes online to use the money. Again, there may be a bit of gray area on this one, so please be sure to ask your employer before purchasing!

Pricing: $20-40 per month

17. Addiction Assistance

The Addiction Recovery Skills Workbook – Get it on Amazon

Everybody has their vices. It might seem awkward to spend your health and wellness stipend on services to cure your addictions, but it’s a lot more common than you think. According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, roughly 37% of adults are faced with substance abuse addiction. Addictions can take less lethal forms like biting your finger nails, but either way, addiction can have huge negative impacts on your life. There may not be a better investment in your life than overcoming your battles with addiction.

Are Health and Wellness Stipends Taxable?

As a general rule of thumb, stipends provided to employees by employers are considered taxable income. So if you receive a health and wellness stipend, you should set aside money to pay taxes at the end of the year. However, Social Security and Medicare taxes do not need to be paid because stipends are not wages earned.

How to Get Reimbursed for Health and Wellness Expenses?

Be sure to refer to your company’s health and wellness stipend policy for information on how to get reimbursed for your purchases. Make sure you keep good records of your expenses in the form of e-receipts, e-mails or pictures of physical receipts.

Why do Companies Offer Health and Wellness Stipends for Employees?

Although you probably won’t get hired for your six-pack abs or itty-bitty waist, feeling fresh every day is key to consistently performing at work. After all, a company is nothing without their employees, so investing in the health and wellness of their employees will actually provide a positive return on investment for them. Increased productivity, more days in the office, and better relationships with employees are among the top benefits of providing a health and wellness benefit for an organization’s most valuable assets.

Health and wellness is a broad category with plenty of products and services for anyone’s needs. With all of the ideas above, hopefully you’ll be able to find something to spend your reimbursement on at your company’s expense. Last but not least, your well-being should be a core focus in your life. The 15 ideas above are not only a great way to spend your stipend, but a great way to stay in control of your health.

Still looking for ideas, you can check out our store to shop all health and wellness products. And as always, please comment and share below what you’re spending your health and wellness stipend on!