Section 80D provides for tax deduction from the total taxable income for the payment (by any mode other than cash) of medical insurance premium paid by an Individual or a HUF. This tax deduction is available over and above the deduction of Rs. 1,00,000 under Sec. 80C.
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The deduction under Sec 80D is allowed for making a payment to effect or keep in force an insurance policy which:-
- In case of an Individual:- Is for the health of the assesse or on the health of the wife or husband, dependent parents or dependent children of the assessee, or
- In case of HUF: Is for any Member of the Family
Quantum of Deduction available under Section 80D
The Deduction that can be claimed under Sec. 80D at the time of filing of income tax return is the sum of the following:-
- In case the payment of medical insurance premium is paid by the assesse for himself, spouse, dependent children – Rs. 15000. In case, the person insured is a Senior Citizen, the deduction allowed should be Rs. 20,000
- In case the payment of medical insurance premium is paid by the assesse for parents, whether dependent or not – Rs. 15000. In case the parents of the Assessee are Senior Citizensthe deduction allowed under Section 80D should be Rs. 20,000
As the health insurance cover for elderly comes at a relatively higher price, it is necessary to encourage senior citizens to get themselves medically insured and accordingly, the quantum of tax deduction allowed under section 80D in case the person insured is a senior citizen is Rs. 20,000 as stated above.
Thus, the total maximum deduction that can be claimed under section 80D is as follows
| Description | Medical Insurance Premium paid in respect of | Total Deduction under Sec. 80D | |
| Self, Spouse & Dependent Children | Parents (whether dependent or not) | ||
| No-one has attained the age of 60 years | Rs. 15,000 | Rs. 15,000 | Rs. 30,000 |
| Assessee and his family is less than 60 years & parents are above 60 years of age | Rs. 15,000 | Rs. 20,000 | Rs. 35,000 |
| Assessee and his parents have attained the age of 60 years and above | Rs. 20,000 | Rs. 20,000 | Rs. 40,000 |
The balance income of the taxpayer after allowing deductions would be taxable as per the income tax slabs of the taxpayer.
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Illustrative example on Section 80D
An Individual Assessee pays during a financial year, medical insurance premium as under:-
- Rs. 14,000 as insurance policy premium on his own health &
- Rs. 19,000 as insurance policy premium on the health of his parents
In the above mentioned scenario the assesse would be allowed a deduction of Rs. 29,000 (Rs. 14,000 + Rs. 15,000) in case neither of his parents is a senior citizen. However, if any of his parents is a senior citizen, he will be allowed a deduction of Rs. 31,000 (Rs. 14,000+ Rs. 19,000)
Further in the above example, if the cost of insurance on the health of the parents is Rs. 30,000/-, out of which Rs. 17,000 is paid by the son and Rs. 13,000 is paid by the father (who is a senior citizen), out of their respective taxable income, the son will get a deduction under Section 80D of Rs. 17,000/- (in addition to Rs. 14,000 on his health) and the father will get a deduction of Rs. 13,000.
Service Tax on Medical Insurance Premium
Service Tax also is levied on the amount paid as Insurance Premium. However, the service tax paid on medical insurance premium wont be allowed as a deduction under section 80D. Deduction under section 80D can be only claimed on the amount paid as Medical Insurance Premium and not on the service tax levied thereon.
