Oct 312014
 

Tax implication in case of Medical Treatment at a Private Hospital

Who are treated as private hospital under income tax act?

An employee may sometimes be given treatment at a private hospital and not necessarily at a hospital maintained by the Government or any local authority, which may not be approved for the medical treatment of employees of the Government. Such a hospital is normally treated as a private hospital.

Tax implication in case private hospital is approved by Chief Commissioner:-

If Private Hospital is approved by the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, having regard to the prescribed guidelines for the purposes of medical treatment, any sum paid by the employer in respect of any expenditure actually incurred by the employee on his medical treatment or treatment of any member of his family is completely exempt from income tax under Clause (ii) of the proviso to Section 17 (2) of the I.T. Act.

Hence, proper planning should be adopted for getting an employee or a member of his family treated at a private hospital which is approved by the Chief Commissioner.

Documents required for claiming exemption:-

Attaching a certificate with the I.T. Return from the hospital specifying the disease and the amount paid to the hospital.

Indoor Medical Treatment at an Approved Hospital

The expenditure incurred by the employer on the indoor treatment at an approved hospital is not treated as a perquisite within the meaning of Section 17(2) of the I.T. Act.

Medical Treatment at Hospital: Allowance

If an employee instead of being provided free treatment in a hospital is given an allowance for hospital treatment, the allowance would not be liable to exemption under the Proviso to Section 17 (2) and would be taxed in the hands of the employee.

Note:- Tax planning should be adopted by the employee so that he does not receive any hospital treatment allowance as such but receives reimbursement of expenditure or payment for hospital treatment in full by the employer.

 Medical Treatment at Hospital: Reimbursement

Where an employee or any member of his family is provided with free medical treatment in any hospital maintained by the employer, the value of the perquisite is nil.

 The same is the case where free hospital treatment is either provided or is reimbursed by the employer for an employee or a member of his family in any hospital maintained by the Government or any local authority or any other hospital approved by the Government for the purposes of the medical treatment of its employee or any private hospital approved by the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax for the treatment of prescribed ailments and diseases. This is so under the provisions of the proviso to Section 17 (2) of I.T. Act, 1961.

Medical Treatment at Unrecognized Hospitals

If an employee or a member of his family is provided with free medical treatment in an unrecognized hospital, it is not exempt from income tax under the proviso to Section 17(2) of the I.T. Act.

 However, by various judicial decisions it has been held that the value of medical reimbursement facility provided by the employer to employee should not be treated as a taxable perquisite.

 Conclusions:

  1. On general grounds without resorting to the specific provisions of the proviso to Section 17(2) of the I.T. Act, the value of the medical treatment in unrecognized hospitals is also to be treated as tax-free. But this is likely to cause litigation.
  1. Employers and employees should avoid medical treatment of the employees in unrecognized hospitals or clinics.
  1. Up-to Rs. 15,000 p.a. medical treatment at unrecognized hospitals would also not be income.

 By: SensysTechnologies

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