Putting in a claim for your medical expenses can be tricky when filing your tax returns.
I’d like to know if one can claim for medical expenses:
1. If medical aid doesn’t cover for the expenses paid; and
2. What if medical aid is exhausted and I pay out of my pocket, can I claim for that as well?
Piet Nel from the SA Institute of Tax Professionals responds:
The issue is whether or not it is qualifying medical expenses as defined in section 6B for purposes of the medical rebate.
We accept that, if the individual was a member of a medical scheme, it may not have been covered in full. This may be because this is something which is elective and not usually covered by the medical schemes or because it exceeded the value of the amount covered by the scheme.
It may also not qualify as a “relevant health service” in terms of the definition in the Medical Schemes Act, 1998. The Income Tax Act, however, doesn’t refer to this.
The section
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