LSA for language courses

Learning a new language opens doors to career advancement, cultural understanding, and personal growth. Forma empowers organizations to support their employees' linguistic development through flexible Lifestyle Spending Accounts that make language education accessible and affordable.

LSA for language courses: unlock global communication skills for your workforce

A Lifestyle Spending Account for language courses gives employees the financial support they need to develop multilingual capabilities, whether for professional development, career advancement, or personal enrichment. This benefit directly impacts employee satisfaction while building valuable skills that benefit your organization's global competitiveness.

What is an LSA for language courses?

An LSA for language courses is an employer-funded benefit account that allows employees to use designated funds toward language learning expenses. This flexible benefit covers various language education options, including online courses, in-person classes, private tutoring, language apps with premium features, immersion programs, and certification exams.

Unlike traditional professional development budgets with strict approval processes, Lifestyle Spending Accounts give employees the autonomy to choose language learning methods that fit their schedules, learning styles, and career goals. Whether an employee wants to learn Spanish for client communications or Mandarin for international business opportunities, the LSA provides the financial flexibility to pursue these objectives.

Can I get an LSA for language courses with Forma?

Yes, language courses are typically eligible expenses under most LSA programs, making them an excellent addition to your benefits package. Forma specializes in creating customizable LSA solutions that can include language learning as part of professional development or personal enrichment categories.

Offering an LSA for language courses through Forma demonstrates your commitment to employee growth and global readiness. Our platform simplifies administration while giving your team access to a wide range of language learning options. With Forma's user-friendly interface, employees can easily submit reimbursements for approved language learning expenses, from online subscriptions to intensive weekend workshops.

The investment in language skills pays dividends through improved communication capabilities, enhanced cultural competency, and increased employee engagement. Forma's flexible platform allows you to set spending limits and eligible expense categories that align with your organizational goals.

Why choose an LSA for language courses?

Supports career advancement and mobility

Language skills open doors to new roles, international assignments, and leadership opportunities. Employees who can communicate in multiple languages become more valuable assets to your organization and feel more confident pursuing internal growth opportunities.

Enhances client and customer relationships

In today's global marketplace, employees who speak their clients' languages can build stronger relationships, close more deals, and provide superior customer service. This directly impacts your bottom line while improving customer satisfaction scores.

Builds cultural competency and inclusion

Language learning goes beyond vocabulary and grammar—it builds understanding of different cultures and perspectives. This cultural awareness creates more inclusive workplaces and helps teams collaborate more effectively across diverse backgrounds.

Increases employee engagement and retention

Professional development benefits like language learning LSAs show employees that you're invested in their long-term success. This investment in personal growth leads to higher job satisfaction and reduces turnover costs.

Provides flexible learning options

Unlike rigid corporate training programs, LSAs allow employees to choose learning methods that work for their schedules and preferences, whether that's evening classes, weekend intensives, or mobile apps during commutes.

How does an LSA for language courses work?

Step 1: Employer sets up the account

Your organization establishes the LSA program with Forma, determining the annual allocation amount per employee and defining eligible language learning expenses. This might include courses, materials, software subscriptions, and testing fees.

Step 2: Employees choose their language learning path

Team members select from approved language learning options based on their personal or professional goals. They might choose conversational Spanish classes, business German courses, or comprehensive Mandarin programs.

Step 3: Purchase and documentation

Employees pay for their chosen language learning services and save receipts or proof of enrollment. Forma's platform makes it easy to photograph receipts and submit reimbursement requests directly from a mobile device.

Step 4: Quick reimbursement process

Once submitted, reimbursement requests are processed quickly through Forma's streamlined system. Employees receive their funds back promptly, encouraging continued use of the benefit.

Step 5: Track progress and usage

Both employees and administrators can monitor LSA usage through Forma's dashboard, making it easy to see which language programs are most popular and track the benefit's impact on your workforce.

What are the benefits of an LSA for language courses?

Improved global business capabilities

Employees with language skills can participate in international projects, communicate directly with overseas partners, and help your company expand into new markets. This capability becomes increasingly valuable as businesses operate across borders.

Enhanced professional development ROI

Language skills are transferable assets that benefit employees throughout their careers while immediately adding value to your organization. Unlike technical training that may become obsolete, language abilities remain relevant and valuable long-term.

Stronger team collaboration

When team members can communicate in multiple languages, they can work more effectively with diverse colleagues, international partners, and global customers. This improved collaboration leads to better project outcomes and innovation.

Competitive talent attraction and retention

Offering language learning benefits sets your organization apart from competitors and appeals to ambitious professionals who value continuous learning. This unique benefit can be a deciding factor for top candidates choosing between job offers.

Cost-effective skill development

LSAs for language courses provide significant value compared to traditional corporate training programs. Employees can access high-quality language education at a fraction of the cost of corporate language training contracts.

Supporting your team's global communication goals

Language learning represents one of the most impactful investments you can make in your workforce. By offering an LSA for language courses, you're not just providing a benefit—you're building capabilities that strengthen your organization's global competitiveness while showing employees you value their professional growth.

The flexibility of LSAs means employees can pursue language learning that aligns with both personal interests and business needs. Whether someone wants to improve their Spanish for customer service roles or learn Mandarin for supply chain management, the benefit adapts to individual goals while serving broader organizational objectives.

Frequently asked questions about LSAs for language courses

What types of language learning expenses are typically covered?

Most LSA programs for language courses cover a wide range of learning options including online course subscriptions (Rosetta Stone, Babbel, Duolingo Plus), in-person classes at community colleges or language schools, private tutoring sessions, language learning materials and textbooks, certification exam fees (like DELE for Spanish or JLPT for Japanese), and immersion program costs. The specific eligible expenses depend on your organization's LSA policy, but Forma works with you to create comprehensive coverage that meets your employees' diverse learning preferences.

Can employees use LSA funds for business language courses specifically?

Absolutely. Business language courses are excellent LSA expenses because they directly support professional development goals. These might include industry-specific language training, business communication courses, presentation skills in foreign languages, or sector-specific vocabulary development. Many employees choose business language courses to prepare for international assignments, client meetings, or career advancement opportunities that require multilingual capabilities.

How do employees prove they're using LSA funds for legitimate language learning?

Forma's platform makes documentation simple and straightforward. Employees typically submit receipts from language schools, screenshots of online course purchases, invoices from private tutors, or proof of enrollment in language programs. For ongoing subscriptions or multi-session courses, employees might submit initial enrollment documentation and periodic progress reports. Our system is designed to make compliance easy while ensuring funds are used appropriately.

Is there a limit to how many languages an employee can study with their LSA?

Most organizations don't limit the number of languages employees can study, as long as they stay within their annual LSA allocation. Some employees might choose to study multiple languages simultaneously, while others prefer to focus intensively on one language. The beauty of LSAs is this flexibility—employees can structure their language learning journey based on their career goals, personal interests, and learning capacity. Forma's platform tracks all expenses regardless of how many different language programs an employee chooses.

Can LSA funds cover language learning for family members?

This depends on your organization's specific LSA policy design. Some companies choose to extend language learning benefits to immediate family members, recognizing that family language skills can support employee relocations, international assignments, or simply create more globally-minded households. Other organizations prefer to limit the benefit to employees only. Forma can help you design a policy that reflects your company's values and budget considerations while maximizing the benefit's impact on employee satisfaction and retention.