TABLE OF CONTENTS


WHAT IS IT

  • If you weren’t eligible for Medicare, you may be exempt from paying the Medicare levy in your tax return - thereby, pay less tax or get more tax refund.
  • To do this, you need a MEDICARE ENTITLEMENT STATEMENT showing that you are exempt from Medicare levy.                           


WHO CAN GET THE MEDICARE ENTITLEMENT STATEMENT

  • You can get a statement if you weren’t eligible for Medicare for all or part of a financial year, ie:
    • an Australian permanent resident and lived outside Australia for 12 months or more
    • a temporary visa holder and you hadn’t applied for permanent residency, excluding temporary resident covered by a Ministerial Order
    • a temporary visa holder, and you’re not eligible for Medicare under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement
    • a New Zealand citizen who spent less than 6 months in Australia within a 12 month period
    • an Australian citizen living overseas for 5 years or more.


HOW TO GET THE MEDICARE  EXEMPTION STATEMENT

Mygov Online

If your IHI service is linked to myGov, sign in now to access your MES dashboard.


Read about how to link the IHI service to your myGov account on the myGov website.


If you can’t use the MES dashboard, you can apply using the Medicare Entitlement Statement online application.


Paper form

  1. Fill in a form “ Application for a Medicare Entitlement Statement form”
  2. Document required :
    • A certified copy of ALL the following :
      • photo page of your passport to prove your identitiy
      • current visa
  3. Emailing your form and supporting documents to MES@serviceaustralia.gov.auor by post to
    Services Australia
    Medicare Entitlement Statement Unit
    GPO Box 9822 ADELAIDE SA 5001


Additional documents required - Permanent residency and Health insurance

You may have to provide the following if you applied for permanent residency:

  • a letter from the Department of Home Affairs showing the date your application for permanent residency was received 
  • a letter from the Department of Home Affairs showing the date your application for permanent residency was approved, withdrawn or refused 
  • a letter showing you have appealed the decision to refuse your application for permanent residency • proof you have requested ministerial intervention 
  • a European letter from Department of Home Affairs showing evidence showing you had applied for permanent residency
  • If you are from one of these countries below, you need to provide proof of health insurance
    • Italy
    • the Netherlands
    • Norway
    • Belgium
    • Slovenia.


Notes:

  • If you have any dependants, you need to consider their circumstances as well as your own to determine if you qualify for an exemption ie , all your dependants were in a Medicare levy exemption category for that period
  • Dependants for Medicare levy exemption include:
    • your spouse
    • your child under 21 years old
    • your child, 21 to 24 years old receiving full-time education at a school, college or university whose adjusted taxable income for the period was less than the total of $282 plus $28.92 for each week you maintained them.

Reference: 

  1. Medicare Levy Exemption, ATO  < https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Medicare-levy/Medicare-levy-exemption/> 
  2.  Medicare Entitlement Statement , < https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/medicare/medicare-entitlement-statement> 
  3. Temporary resident covered by a Ministerial Order < https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/subjects/how-enrol-and-get-started-medicare/enrolling-medicare/if-youre-temporary-resident-covered-ministerial-order>