Insurers may no longer give you your end-of-financial-year private health insurance statement straight at tax time. The information should be pre-filled on your tax return whether you do your taxes online or through an agent. If not, simply contact your health insurer for a private health insurance statement and fill in all pertinent information.
You can find the tax claim code and health insurance benefit codes below if you need to complete a tax return.
What are tax claim codes?
The amount of private health insurance refund you’ll receive is determined by your tax claim code and your specific circumstances. When applying for a rebate, you must choose a code that is appropriate for your situation.
What are benefit codes?
If you have private health insurance, your health fund may still send you a private health insurance statement each year, and you’ll need to fill out the private health insurance policy section and the Medicare levy surcharge items on your tax return. Each adult covered by your private health insurance policy gets their own statement.
On this document, the benefit code indicates which rebate percentage (based on the maximum policyholder’s age) applies to you and when the premium was paid. The following are valid benefit codes:
What is a Bupa benefit code?
Code for a benefit The age of the oldest individual covered by the policy determines the amount of your reimbursement. Benefit codes 30, 31, 35, 36, 40, and 41 are all valid.
How do I find my benefit code?
What exactly is the Australian Government Rebate, and how does it affect my private health insurance?
The rebate is good news: it’s a sum that the government contributes to the cost of your health-care premiums. However, it’s vital to note that your (and your family’s) income is a factor: the more you earn, the lower your rebate will be, and if you earn more than a specific amount, or threshold, you won’t be eligible for a rebate.
When it comes to filing your tax return, you’ll need your Australian Government refund information. When filing your tax return, you must utilize the rebate amounts precisely as they appear on the tax statement.
More information about the rebate can be found on our Private Health Insurance FAQs page.
The ATO uses your benefit code to compute your rebate amount. It is based on the age of the oldest insured person on your policy. This information can be found in the Benefit code column of your tax statement.
Should I claim my spouse’s share of the private health insurance rebate?
Most private health insurance policies in Australia are eligible for a rebate from the Australian government to help with the cost of the policy.
The refund is divided into four stages, each of which is determined by the taxpayer’s age and single/family income.
The following are the refund levels for the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018:
Family levels apply to single parents and couples (including de facto spouses).
The above thresholds are increased by $1,500 for each kid after the first for families with children.
You can claim the rebate you are entitled to on your private health insurance coverage either by claiming it directly from your insurer during the year in the form of lower premiums, or by claiming it when your tax return is filed.
If you choose to get your rebate in the form of lower premiums, you must inform your insurer of the tier you expect to fall into throughout the fiscal year.
Every year, your private health insurer sends you a statement detailing the amount you paid in premiums for your policy during the previous fiscal year, as well as the total rebate you received from the government on those premiums.
If the tier you have nominated with your private health insurance provider is different from the tier you were actually entitled to for the year, the adjustment to your rebate is paid or recouped via an adjustment to your income tax assessment upon lodgement of your income tax return.
- nominated to earn a tier 1 reimbursement from your private health insurer during the year;
- nominated to earn a rebate in the form of lower premiums throughout the year; and
If your taxable income puts you in the tier 2 rebate bracket when you file your tax return for the 2017 year, the reduced rebate percentage means $250 will be withheld from your tax refund or added to your tax payable for the year. If your tax return reveals that you were entitled to a base tier rebate (i.e. a greater rebate %), a $250 credit will be applied to your refund or reduced from your tax liability for the year.
It’s vital to know that the ATO does not impose any penalties on amounts over or underclaimed on your private health insurance refund when you file your tax return.
You must include your spouse’s portion of private health insurance policy payments and rebates in your income tax return if you and your spouse both have private health insurance but your spouse does not file a tax return.
This means that as part of your income tax assessment for the year, you will get your spouse’s share of underclaimed rebates or pay your spouse’s portion of overclaimed rebates.
How do I claim my BUPA rebate?
- Create an account with myBupa. Simply log in if you’ve already registered.
- Upload a copy of your health practitioner’s or service provider’s invoice and/or receipt.
- If you’re in the first 12 months of your policy, you’ll need to provide a copy of your completed medical certificate.
What is your premiums eligible for Australian government rebate?
You are eligible for the rebate if you earn less than $140,000 as a single person or $280,000 as a family (see chart below). For you to receive the rebate, all of the people listed on the health insurance policy must be qualified to claim Medicare.
How much is the rebate?
If you qualify for a refund, use the table below to determine which rebate you qualify for and how much of your premium the Australian government will cover.
What is Medibank benefit code?
J – Your share of Medibank-received premiums that are eligible for an Australian Government Rebate. L – The benefit code denotes the refund you are entitled to based on your age and household income*. Other adult policy beneficiaries the names of any other adults included on your policy.
Is OSHC private health insurance?
As a prerequisite of their student visa, international students must carry OSHC insurance. Because you are unable to use our public health system, you must get private health insurance to cover your medical expenses. This requirement is met by all of the OSHC providers we investigate and rate.
