You read it wrong.

Please post where you read that.... as it's so not true.

And ARE you using Lacerte???

I thought I saw it yesterday.  My barber had the latest edition of Guns and Ammo and I think it was on the back page.

Oh, then it 'must' be true.

This is part of the article from HSA America. How Much Can an HSA Save in Taxes? - HSA for America 

HSAs Reduce Social Security and Self-Employment Tax

It’s not just federal income taxes that are impacted. If you contribute to your HSA through a payroll deduction, those contributions are not subject to Social Security, Medicare, or unemployment taxes.

This is especially significant for self-employed individuals who are otherwise subject to a self-employment tax rate of 15.3%. By reducing your taxable income, you are effectively saving on multiple layers of taxation.

For example, suppose you’re married and file jointly with an income of $150,000 per year.

As of 2023, that puts you in the 22% federal income tax bracket.

For the purposes of this illustration, both of you are self-employed, so you are both subject to the self-employment tax of 15.3%.

Every dollar you can contribute to your HSA reduces your self-employment tax by 15.3 cents. So if you contribute the maximum $7,750 allowable pre-tax to the HSA, you save $1,185.75 in self-employment taxes.

That’s in addition to your income tax savings. By contributing the maximum allowable for a couple for 2023, you would save an additional $1,705.

So accounting for both potential income tax and self-employment tax savings, our notional couple earning $150,000 per year could realistically save a combined $2,890 in taxes just by taking full advantage of their allowable HSA contributions for the year.

And in 2024, HSA contribution limits are increasing – allowing you to save even more money in income and self-employment taxes.

Since employee contributions lower EE & ER taxable S.S. and Medicare income, it would make sense that it would also reduce S.E. income.  However, I have not been able to find this as a deduction in Lacerte.  I am guessing that the article is incorrect.  

LOL Susan....

Wonder what ChatGPT has to say?

But let's not end the guessing there.  Let's guess that retirement plan contributions will reduce SE tax.  Anyone else want to add to the guesses?  

Well, I know as a fact since I saw it here many years ago, dog food for gaurd dogs will reduce SE tax.

But, what 'color' dog food?

Obviously it has to be puce.

I can tell you with 100% certainty that drinking Fireball in excess reduces self-employment tax.  It is a fact.  As our former President would say, no joke.  There have been too many days than I care to count that I woke up in the morning and couldn't see straight after drinking Fireball to excess the night before while pondering the pile of unfinished tax returns on the desk.  Knowing I couldn't make it in to work, let alone do a tax return, I would talk to my phone and ask it to dial each of my appointments for that day.  I then told everyone of them that I thought it best that I don't do their taxes that day and told them to call Jim in OH, as he can complete their return before they can even take their coat off at the appointment..  At the end of that day, I realized I had no income.  And since I had no income, I had no self-employment tax.  I was so happy that drinking Fireball to excess saved me on my self-employment tax that I celebrated with more Fireball, resulting in the same thing happening the following day.

I never saved as much on taxes as I have since drinking Fireball!

I just saw a Fireball advertisement down at my local barbershop.  It said to check with your tax preparer on how to deduct Fireball on your tax return.  After reading your post I can see how it really can save you tax dollars.