Usually, doctors and pharmacies submit your claims automatically. But the moment you pay out of your own pocket, that automated process stops.
And if your day-to-day benefits are already finished for the year, you might think there is no point in sending the bill to your medical scheme at all.
That is a missed opportunity that could cost you when tax season rolls around.
The Hidden Value of Unpaid Claims
If you pay cash for a specialist visit, acute medication, blood tests, or X-rays because your savings are depleted, you should still submit those invoices to your medical scheme.
Here is why: even if the scheme rejects the claim for payment because your benefits are exhausted, they still log the transaction.
Every single claim you submit accumulates on your account. At the end of the tax year, your medical scheme issues your tax certificate, which reflects your total medical spend—both what the scheme paid and what you paid out of pocket.
The Golden Rule: If it’s a medical expense, send it in. Let your scheme reject it on paper so that SARS can recognize it for your pocket.
Do you regularly submit your claims to your scheme when you pay for them yourself, or have you been letting these tax savings slip through the cracks?