The medical expense tax offset only applies if your net medical expenses exceeds $5,000 excluding contributions to private health insurers, travel or accomodation expenses associated with medical treatment or inoculations for overseas travel.
You can claim medical expenses for:
- yourself
- your spouse (married or de facto)
- your children aged under 21 years
- a student aged under 25 years whom you maintainted & whose income was less than $1,786
Claimable Medical Expenses
- to dentists, orthodontists or registered dental mechanics
- to opticians or optometrists, including for the cost of prescription spectacles or contact lenses
- for therapeutic treatment under the direction of a medical practitioner
- for medical aids prescribed by a medical practitioner
- for artificial limbs or eyes and hearing aids
- to keep a trained guide dog for guiding or assisting people with a disability
- for laser eye surgery, and
- for treatment under an in-vitro fertilisation program.
Non-Claimable Expenses
- cosmetic operations for which a Medicare benefit is not payable
- dental services or treatments that are solely cosmetic
- therapeutic treatment where the patient is not formally referred by a doctor
- chemist-type items, e.g. tablets for pain relief, purchased in retail outlets or health food stores
- inoculations for overseas travel
- non-prescribed vitamins or health foods
- travel or accommodation expenses associated with medical treatment
- contributions to a private health insurer
- purchases from a chemist that are not related to an illness or operation
- life insurance medical examinations
- ambulance charges and subscriptions, and
- funeral expenses.
Calculator Medical Expenses
Total net medical expenses 2017
To be eligible to claim this offset you must have either:
- received an amount greater than zero on your 2012-13 and 2013-14 notices of assessment for this offset; or
- paid for medical expenses relating to disability aids, attendant care or aged care.
Contact an RDL Tax Accountant for professional financial advice or call (03) 9878 1477
Please note: these calculators are only estimates and should be used only as a guide.
