Medical allowance is a fixed amount paid to the employees as an allowance. This money is paid to the employees irrespective of whether they submit the necessary bills to prove there was an expenditure. This fixed pay every month is taxable.
Latest Update: The standard deduction under the Income Tax Act was reintroduced in the budget for the financial year 2018-19. It was reintroduced after removing the medical allowance and travel allowance. However, the medical allowance is part of the standard deduction now which is capped at Rs.50,000 p.a., effective FY 2019-20.
What is Medical Allowance?
Medical allowance is a fixed allowance paid to the employees of a company every month irrespective of whether they submit the bills to substantiate the expenditure or not. However, medical reimbursement is a payment made to employees against specific medical bills submitted by them, subject to entitlement. If employees want to claim tax benefits, they should submit bills for the corresponding amount every month under medical reimbursement. Under the IT Act 1961, medical allowance is not categorized as an allowance that bears exemption. Medical allowance is, therefore, a fixed pay provided by an employer every month, which is fully taxable. Employees can claim a tax benefit of up to Rs. 15,000 under medical reimbursement (payments for bills or supporting documents).
Medical Allowance and Medical Reimbursement
Many often use the words ‘medical reimbursement’ and ‘medical allowance’ interchangeably assuming that they mean the same. However, the terms encompass different tax treatments as per IT Act,1961. According to experts, the correct nomenclature vis-a-vis the medical component of an employee’s salary should be ‘medical reimbursement’ and not medical allowance since allowance is taxable in several cases, except specifically exempted.
Medical reimbursement comes under Section 80D, wherein the maximum limit prescribed is Rs. 15,000 p.a. If bills regarding medical reimbursement are not submitted on time by an employee, 30% of Rs. 15,000 will then become the taxable amount. However, while filing tax returns, employees can reclaim 30% of the amount. Medical reimbursement is open to scrutiny by auditors and IT department sleuths. It is the employers’ responsibility to pay medical reimbursement after employees produce authentic bills to claim tax exemption. If an employer is not deducting taxes on the amount (for which no bills are submitted), it could result in TDS-related penalties.
Medical Allowance Exemption
While medical allowance is fully taxable, no tax on medical reimbursement is levied up to Rs. 15,000. The exemption vis-a-vis medical expenses should be granted even if the payment preceded the incurrence of expenditure. If an employee is provided an allowance instead of reimbursement for medical treatment abroad, it will be considered as part of the taxable component of the salary of the employee.
Medical Reimbursement Rules
No tax is levied on medical reimbursement up to Rs. 15,000 if all bills are furnished by an employee to his or her employer as per clause (b) of Section 17 (2) of the IT Act, 1961. The amount of Rs.15,000 is, therefore, the cumulative exemption provided in a financial year for expenses incurred by an employee during medical treatment of self or any of his family members. Family for the purpose of reimbursement includes spouse and children (dependent or independent, single or married) or parents and siblings (wholly or mainly dependent) of an employee. As per clause (VI) of Section 17 (2) of the IT Act, 1961, medical expenditure incurred by an employee or any of his family members outside India is fully tax-exempt. There are no restrictions in terms of Allopathic, Homeopathic, or other forms of treatment to claim exemption.
Medical reimbursement is not taxable if the treatment of an employee or his family member is undertaken in any of the following hospitals:
- Hospital maintained by Employer
- Hospital maintained by Central Government/ State Government/ Local Authorities
- Hospital approved by government
- Hospital approved by the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax
Medical Allowance Calculation
The maximum tax benefit which can be claimed by an employee for medical expenditure is Rs. 15,000.
For instance,
- Ram, a 31-year-old IT engineer is eligible for medical reimbursement of Rs. 30,000.
- Ram, therefore, has to produce medical bills worth Rs. 30,000 to claim reimbursement.
- The tax benefit, would therefore, be Rs. 15,000, even if he produces bills worth for Rs. 30,000.
