The Income Tax Act allows individuals to claim various tax deductions and tax exemptions. A prominent exemption pertains to medical expenses incurred by an individual, for self and family, during a given financial year. Medical bills of salaried employees, reimbursed by employers, are not taxable. You do not have to pay tax on up to Rs.15,000 in a financial year if you submit medical bills for the same amount to the employer. The main conditions for claiming this exemption are:
- Medical bills incurred for self, spouse and children can be submitted for reimbursement. Medical bills of parents and siblings who are wholly dependent on the employee can also be claimed as reimbursement.
- These bills could be for the purchase of medicines from pharmacies and medical shops, or medical treatment taken at public or private hospitals and clinics.
- Medical bills should be reimbursed by the employer. You cannot submit medical bills to the IT department to claim reimbursement during the income tax return-filing process.
Medical Reimbursement Versus Medical Allowance:
Medical expenses of a salaried employee are generally covered by a company in 2 ways:
- Reimbursement
- Fixed medical allowance
Medical Reimbursement:
Many companies allow employees to submit their medical bills and reimburse the expense incurred by them. Some companies even have tie-ups with hospitals and clinics where the employees can get medical treatments done and then reimburse the expenses. It is this reimbursable amount, submitted to the employer with bills and receipts, which is tax-free. Key points are:
- You can claim tax exemption only up to Rs.15,000 per year.If you have spent more than Rs.15,000, the excess amount is taxable (even if the company reimburses the excess amount). If you have spent less than Rs.15,000 then only the incurred expense is tax-free. E.g. if your medical expense in a year, with supporting bills, was Rs.9,000, you will get a tax exemption of Rs.9,000 only out of the Rs.15,000 allowed.
- If you do not produce any medical bills to support your claim for reimbursement, the entire Rs.15,000 is taxable.
Medical Allowance:
Some companies give medical allowance to its employees. This is a fixed regular benefit that an employee gets every month. If you are being paid a medical allowance, you cannot claim reimbursement from the company to reduce your taxable income. This medical allowance is fully taxable under the head ‘income from salaries.
Benefits of Medical Reimbursement:
The main benefit of medical reimbursements is that it helps reduce taxable income of employees. The downside, though, is that in order to avail the tax benefits, medical bills worth Rs.15,000 need to be submitted.
