You can claim a private health insurance tax offset if you paid a premium for a complying private health insurance policy or your employer paid this premium on your behalf.

Your health insurance policy is complying if:

• it is provided by a registered health insurer
• it provides hospital or general (also known as 'extras') cover or combined hospital and general cover, and
• it meets other complying private health insurance policy requirements.

If you are not sure, your health insurer can tell you whether your policy meets these conditions. The Private Health Insurance Administration Council website at www.phiac.gov.au can tell you whether your insurer is a registered health insurer.

Did you, or your employer on your behalf, pay a premium for a complying private health insurance policy?
No	go to question T6 Education tax refund, or   return to main menu Tax return for individuals instructions.
Yes	Read below.

Check the statements from all of the health insurers you paid premiums to. If the amounts at G on your statements are $0, you have already received your full entitlement and you do not need to complete this item. Go to question T6.

If you have an amount greater than $0 at G, read below.

Answering this question

You will need a statement from your registered health insurer.

If you did not receive a statement, contact your insurer. If you do not have a statement because your employer paid the premium, contact your insurer or employer.

If you cannot get a statement from your health insurer, or if your statement shows a total amount expected to be paid during the year which is different to the total amount actually paid (for example, you did not make one of the expected payments), you will need to calculate your tax offset yourself. Go to the two worksheets to help you work out what you can claim.

You cannot claim this tax offset for premiums paid if you have already claimed a private health insurance rebate for them, either as reductions in your premiums through the health insurer or as cash or cheque rebates from Medicare.

Completing your tax return

Step 1

Add up all the amounts shown at G on your statements.

Step 2

Deduct any cash or cheque rebates you received from Medicare for your private health insurance premiums.

Step 3

If the result from step 2 is $0 or a negative amount, you have already received your full entitlement.

If the result from step 2 is greater than $0, that amount is your tax offset. Write the amount at G item T5.

If you and another person made payments for the same policy (for example, from a joint bank account) you can each claim the proportion of the amount you worked out at step 2 that reflects the amount of the premiums that you paid.

Where to go next continue to question T6 Education tax refund   return to main menu Tax return for individuals instructions, or   go back to question T4 Australian superannuation income stream.

Read further information about question T5.