Tax Relief On Health Expenses After Insurance

Aurelian

Just doing my tax return.

If I've paid say 1,000 in 2023 on hospital visits etc. and received 500 back on insurance, can I claim relief on the remainder?

The Revenue form online seems to suggest you can put in the total and then what you've received from insurance to obtain relief on the remainder? I don't want to try claim this if I'm not eligible having received money from the health insurance.

Thanks!

Peregrinus

As you suspect, you can't claim tax relief for medical expenses for which you have received, or are entitled to receive, reimbursement or cover under an insurance policy.

You can claim tax relief for the amount of your medical expenses that is not covered by insurance — in your example, €500. You'll get a tax credit of 20% of that amount.

There are some medical expenses for which relief cannot be claimed - e.g. routine dental and ophthalmic care; cosmetic procedures; procedures not provided or advised by a registered medical practitioner. (That last one excludes a lot of alternative medical therapies.)

Aurelian

That's great thanks.

Do you have any idea on this one? To have broadband I had to rent a phone line for several months before I switched to fibre. The line had no phone and was exclusively used for the broadband. Do you think the line rental would be reckonable as a broadband cost for remote working relief? I don't see it in the documentation.

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121659043#Comment_121659043

This is in the context of relief for the costs of remote working? It should be deductible. What the legislation actually says is "expenses incurred and defrayed by the remote worker in respect of the provision of . . . an internet service in his or her qualifying residence". The explanatory material uses "broadband" as a shorthand for "the provision of an internet service", because that's what people mostly use. But if you had to rent a landline to get internet service, and if it was used exclusively for that purpose, it should be deductible. But you only get a deduction of 30% of the cost, because they assume that once you have an internet service you will use it for non-work purposes also, and even that 30% is apportioned by reference to the number of days you actually work remotely.

Calahonda52

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121659263#Comment_121659263

OP, this one is probably not with the trouble as iff queried, you will need to be able to prove that you were actually at home and working.

so say 70 a month for 3 months is 210 at 30% is 63

So 90 days of which you worked 20 at home leaves you with 14 at your top rate is 7

CWMMC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121659355#Comment_121659355

Claiming the remote working expenses is not worth the hassle at all, it's minimal for what you will get back in returns.

Aurelian

It may not have been worth it... I worked 160 days at home so will probably wind up with 50€ back. I probably wouldn't have done it if I'd stopped to think about it.