How to claim the Health Insurance Rebate

While neither a direct payment nor a tax offset can be claimed if the rebate has already been received as a reduced premium, it is possible to change during the year from the direct payment to tax offset or vice versa. However, an individual cannot claim the tax offset in respect of premiums which have been reduced by the premium reduction scheme or for which a direct payment has been claimed.

Premium Reduction

Members can register under the premium reduction scheme by completing the "Application to Receive the Federal Government Rebate as a reduced premium" form and forwarding it with your application to HICA, or by applying directly to your underwriting health insurance fund.

The reduced premium claim form can be downloaded and is available from any Medicare Office or health fund.

Tax rebate

Members can claim the Federal Government Rebate on Private Health Insurance at the end of the financial year in their tax return. The rebate is also available as a refundable tax offset where any surplus above an individuals tax liability can be refunded to the taxpayer. This facility makes the rebate available through the tax system equally to both lower and higher income earners.

Direct Payment

Direct payment is available through Medicare offices as a one-off payment or as periodic payments. If, for example premiums are taken out of your Bank account each month the options for receiving the rebate are to either:

• apply each month for a direct rebate. This would require a claim form to be completed each time; or
• save the entitlements and then apply on say a quarterly or half-yearly basis to receive the rebate. A claim form needs to be completed each time.

The direct rebate payment claim form can be downloaded and is available from any Medicare Office. Members will need to produce an approved Health Fund receipt to claim at a Medicare office.