Medical aid tax credits explained
If you pay for a medical scheme, SARS gives you a fixed monthly tax credit for it. Not a deduction that shaves a bit off your taxable income, a credit that comes straight off the tax you owe, rand for rand.
The 2026/2027 amounts
| Who | Credit per month |
|---|---|
| Main member | R376 |
| First dependant | R376 |
| Each additional dependant | R254 |
The amounts are the same whatever you earn. Someone on R400,000 and someone on R2,000,000 get exactly the same credit for the same family.
A worked example
Take a family of four on one medical scheme: you, your spouse, and two children.
- Main member: R376
- First dependant: R376
- Two additional dependants: R254 + R254 = R508
- Total: R1,260 a month, or R15,120 for the year, straight off your tax bill.
How you get it
If your employer runs your medical scheme off your payslip, the credit is usually built into your monthly PAYE already, so your take-home is a little higher. If you pay the scheme yourself, you claim the credit when you file your income-tax return, and it reduces the tax you owe or grows your refund.
The extra credit for big medical bills
There's a second, less-known credit: the additional medical expenses tax credit. It helps with out-of-pocket costs the scheme didn't cover, and with scheme contributions above a set multiple of the credit above. The rules differ for people 65 and older, and for taxpayers with a disability, who get a more generous version. If you had large medical costs in a year, it's worth checking whether you qualify.
Related guides
- 2026/2027 SARS tax brackets: how credits and rebates fit into your overall tax.
- Your payslip: PAYE, UIF, SDL: where the medical credit shows up in your monthly deductions.