Can I claim medical tax relief for parent's visit

I notice the Med1 form now says you may claim a refund of tax on medical expenses paid or incurred by you:

- From 2007 and subsequent years on behalf of any other person (no restrictions)

My parents do not have health insurance and one of them has an upcoming medical procedure. They're currently on the public list but depending on the waiting time we may opt to go private. They're not paying tax as they are retired and pension is under the income tax threshold.

- If we do go private and I pay the costs, does this mean I can claim tax relief?
- If so, will revenue ask questions as to why my parents didn't pay themselves? Any idea what proof revenue might require that I paid (vs. parents)?
- Also if so, is this not some sort of loophole? Theoretically couldn't I claim all of parents' GP visits etc.

Well, a family member (or anyone else for that matter) can get relief for nursing home expenses, but I'm not sure about general medical expenses - best give revenue a call to get the definitive answer.

Sprite

Thanks Sprite for the quick reply.

I may have found the answer to part of the question on these earlier posts:

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=80870
http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=71384
http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=53932

So it looks like I will be able to claim once I pay.

However I'd still be interested to hear if anyone has done this and what sort of evidence was required for proving I'm the payer.

Just on the nursing home/care point again - all you need is the invoice addressed to you. It's possibly different for doctors' visits. If it's a significant procedure, I'm sure you can ask the medical professionals to bill you directly. I think what you will want to avoid is a bill addressed to your parents and a reimbursement from you because, as you say, there will be no paper trail.

Sprite

WaterSprite said:

Well, a family member (or anyone else for that matter) can get relief for nursing home expenses, but I'm not sure about general medical expenses

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure that anybody paying otherwise unreimbursed qualifying medical expenses on behalf of anybody else can now claim relief. I believe that this change came into effect from 2007 onwards. Before that it may have been restricted to payments on behalf of yourself, spouse, dependents etc.

As previously stated as long as receipts are in your name i.e the invoice can be in your parents name you can claim for expenses. In prior years, If you claimed Dependent Relative allowance and were granted same you could always claim Medical Expenses. Changes now just incorporate anyone that you pay medical expenses for.