How senior citizens can save tax with medical bills u/s 80D?
Elderly can enjoy lucrative tax saving options under section 80D of Income Tax Act, 1961. Let us discuss the various benefits that senior citizens can avail with medical bills and health premiums u/s 80D, in this post.
Many taxpayers are unaware of the fact that medical bills can be claimed u/s 80D. However, when you buy a medical policy for a senior citizen or an elderly above the age of 60 years, it attracts tax deduction on the premium paid as per section 80D of Income Tax Act. Hence, the medical or health insurance policies bought for your parents or bought by the elderly allow tax benefits of up to INR 50,000 per financial year. So, as compared to tax benefits earned by non-senior citizens who are below 60 years, the medical expense deductions under the income tax act for senior citizens is better.
In this post, let us discuss the tax benefits received under 80D medical expenditure in detail.
Table of Content
Visual Stories by PayBima
Tax Deductions Under Section 80D
Here’s a table to make you understand the tax deductions under section 80D better:
| Premium paying person | Tax Deduction u/s 80D
(Individuals below 60 year) |
Tax Deduction u/s 80D
(For Senior Citizens) |
Total Tax Saving u/s 80D (Maximum Deduction) |
| Elderly/Senior Citizens (themselves) | Not Applicable | INR 50,000 | INR 50,000 |
| Individuals paying separately for own health plans and parents | INR 25, 000 | INR 50,000 | INR 75,000 |
| Senior citizens paying for themselves and their super senior parents | INR 50,000 | INR 50,000 | INR 1,00,000 |
Also Read: Senior Citizens Can Avail Tax Break on Interest Income Under Sec 80TTB
Limit of Tax Deduction u/s 80D in Different Scenarios
Tax deductions of up to INR 50,000 is available under medical expenditure 80D section for the elderly. This amount can be claimed under various health treatments including preventive health check-ups and health insurance premium payment etc. However, in case of preventive health check-up, the maximum deduction is limited to INR 5000 per financial year, which is included under the overall tax deduction limit of INR 50,000 for senior citizens. The table below shows different scenarios of tax deduction limits under section 80D.
Maximum Tax Deduction Limit Under Section 80D (FY 2022-23)
| Category | Maximum Deduction Limit u/s 80D | Maximum Deduction Limit u/s 80D | Maximum Deduction Limit u/s 80D |
| Premium paid for insured, spouse, dependent children & parents (all non-senior citizens) | Premium Paid for insured, spouse and dependent children (non-senior citizens) & parents (senior citizens) | Premium paid for insured, spouse and dependent parents (all senior citizens) | |
| Premium paid towards Health Insurance (insured, spouse & children) including INR 5,000 towards preventive health check-up | INR 25,000 | INR 25,000 | INR 50,000 |
| Premium paid towards Health insurance and Preventive Health Check-up (parents) | INR 25,000 | INR 50,000 | INR 50,000 |
| Medical bills of insured, spouse and dependent children | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | Comes under the maximum tax limit of INR 50,000 |
| Medical bills for parents | Not Applicable | Comes under the maximum tax limit of INR 50,000 | Comes under the maximum tax limit of INR 50,000 |
| Maximum Tax Deduction Limit u/s 80D | INR 50,000 | INR 75,000 | INR 1,00,000 |
Also Read: Health Insurance Plans for Senior Citizens
Medical Expenses Eligible for Tax Savings u/s 80D
A taxpayer can avail tax deductions for the premiums paid for health insurance under section 80D for him/herself and other family members including spouse, children and parents. Hence, these people are eligible for tax deductions under section 80D medical expenditure .
Besides Section 80D, some medical conditions are covered under Section 80DDB. Under this section, the individuals below 60 years can avail a deduction of up to INR 40,000, while the senior citizens can claim tax deductions of up to Rs 1,00,000.
How to Pay Premium to Avail Tax Deduction on Medical bills?
Paying premiums online makes it easy to claim medical expense deduction on your health insurance plan. Try not to use cash payments for paying off premiums. You may use debit or credit card, UPI, net banking, wallets or even cheque to pay off premiums or to pay medical expenses.
In case of preventive checkups, the payment can be done in cash. These checkups are done periodically to stay protected from diseases. Hence, if a medical condition is diagnosed under a preventive health check-up, the right treatment can be availed to cure the condition.
Documents required for Tax Benefits
There is no such specific list of documents mentioned by the Income Tax Act that is required to claim tax benefits under Section 80D.
However, as a safe practice it is good to save and document every piece of evidence such as medical bills and invoices, diagnostic test reports, documents regarding medical history, doctor’s prescription, etc. for reference purposes.
Hence, you are required to keep the bills and reports of medical expenditure for senior citizen parents safely to avail tax deductions.
Read More: Best Health Insurance Plans for Senior Citizens in India
To Sum Up
So, as seen in the post above, the tax benefits received under section 80D for senior citizens can be availed to save enough on tax each financial year. Hence, the next time you file for income tax returns, don’t forget your medical bills. Moreover, if you have parents who are senior citizens or you yourself is a senior citizen paying health insurance premium, you can claim for such expenses while filing for income tax returns.
Found this post informational? Browse PayBima Blogs to read interesting posts related to Health Insurance, Car Insurance, Bike Insurance, Term Life Insurance and Investment section. You can visit PayBima to Buy Insurance Online.
View this post on Instagram
FAQs on How senior citizens can save tax with medical bills u/s 80D?
Can medical costs be claimed under section 80D?
Yes. Section 80D allows the policyholder to have tax benefits by claiming health expenses incurred on insured, spouse, dependent children and parents.
How to claim medical expenses under the 80D section of Income Tax?
Under Section 80D, the policyholder gets a deduction for preventive health check-ups of up to INR 5,000. This deduction is included within the total limit of INR 25,000 for policyholders below 60 years. In case of senior citizens, the deduction available is INR 50,000 on medical expenses.
The policyholder can claim this deduction on medical treatments incurred on the policyholder, spouse, dependent children and parents.
How do senior citizens claim medical bills?
The highest deduction that can be claimed by senior citizens in a fiscal year is INR 50,000. To avail tax deduction, it is better not to pay medical bills using cash as cash is not evaluated or taken into consideration by insurance providers. Hence, it is better to pay via card, online wallets or net-banking etc.
How to claim medical bills for tax deduction?
The medical bills are applicable for tax deductions. Thus, the taxpayer can directly make a claim by filling up the tax deduction form for medical exemptions.
How can I prove medical expenses?
To prove your medical expenses, keep a record of receipts of medical expenses, hospital bills, other medical documents and bills which you can show as proof of medical expenses. Further, you must also keep record of the health insurance premium receipts that you are paying towards your as well as your parents health insurance to claim under Section 80D.
Do I have to prove medical expenses?
Section 80D allows the policyholder to save tax by claiming medical insurance premium and other medical expenses incurred on self, spouse, dependent children and parents. If you are willing to claim for medical expenses under this section for elderly above 60 years old, you have to give proof of the person's age to be eligible to claim the medical expenses.
The post How senior citizens can save tax with medical bills u/s 80D? appeared first on Paybima Blogs.
No comments