Can I claim medical tax credits if I am not on a medical aid?

The Section 6A credit is only available to taxpayers registered on a qualifying medical aid scheme. However, if you pay out-of-pocket medical expenses, you may still be able to claim a Section 6B credit on those costs once they exceed the relevant threshold. Taxpayers aged 65 or older can claim 33.3% of all qualifying medical costs regardless of medical aid membership. Always keep supporting documentation — invoices, prescriptions, and proof of payment — as SARS may request these during an audit or verification process.

Medical Tax Credit Calculator (South Africa)

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When to use this calculator

Before accepting a pay change, bonus or contribution arrangement.
When you want a simple take-home or conversion estimate before payroll or filing.
When you need to convert between hourly, monthly and annual pay.
When you want to compare two pay scenarios using the same assumptions.

A worked example

These are the example figures the calculator opens with.

A worked example
Input	Value
Number of Medical Aid Members (including yourself)	1
Monthly Medical Aid Contribution (R)	3 500
Annual Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenses (R)	0
Annual Taxable Income (R)	400 000

For those figures the calculator returns:

Medical tax credit (Section 6A): R4 512,00
Additional med credit (Section 6B): R5 988,00
Total medical tax credit: R10 500,00
4× MTC threshold: R18 048,00
Qualifying excess expenses: R23 952,00

How to read your results

Medical Tax Credit (Section 6A)

Review this figure alongside gross income and the local tax rules that apply to you. It is a planning estimate, not a filing result.

Total Medical Tax Credit

Review this figure alongside gross income and the local tax rules that apply to you. It is a planning estimate, not a filing result.

Common mistakes

Using an assumption that is not supported by a current local quote, bill, statement or official source.
Treating a generic estimate as a lender, provider, payroll or tax authority decision.
Mixing monthly and annual inputs without converting them consistently.
Testing only one scenario instead of checking how a cautious assumption changes the result.

What to do next

Run a second scenario with a cautious assumption so you can see the downside clearly.
Compare the result with the related calculators below before making a decision.
Check current local rules, eligibility and provider terms before applying or committing money.
Keep a record of the assumptions so you can update the estimate when a quote, bill or pay figure changes.

Questions people ask

Section 6B provides relief for out-of-pocket medical costs that exceed a threshold set at four times your annual Section 6A credit. For taxpayers under 65, a 25% credit applies to qualifying expenses above that threshold. For taxpayers aged 65 or older, the credit is more generous — 33.3% applies to all qualifying medical contributions and out-of-pocket expenses with no lower threshold. Qualifying expenses include medical aid contributions not covered by the Section 6A credit and approved medical costs not reimbursed by your medical aid scheme.