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Tax claim codes and benefit codes

Understand the key details of the private health insurance benefit code and the tax claim code.

Who is this cover for?

The Australian Government offers a tax rebate on private health insurance which is worked out depending on how much you earn. In order to be eligible for the tax rebate, you'll often be asked for a code.

There two codes you'll need are as follows:

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The tax claim code

This is the code that matches your situation e.g. your relationship status and any dependents you might have.

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The private health insurance benefit code

This is the benefit code you will need based on your age.

When it comes to tax time, insurers may no longer send your end-of-financial-year private health insurance statement directly to you. If you do your tax online or through an agent, the information should be pre-filled on your tax return. If not, just contact your health insurer so that you can get a private health insurance statement and fill in all the relevant details.

If you need to complete a tax return, you can get the tax claim code and health insurance benefit codes below.

What are tax claim codes?

Tax claim codes indicate the amount of private health insurance rebate you'll receive in line with your particular circumstances. When claiming a rebate, you must select a code that matches your situation.

The following are the tax claim codes used by the ATO to determine your rebate:

CodeDefinition
Tax code AYou are a single adult on 30 June.
Tax code BYou are a single adult on 30 June and you have a dependent child or children.
Tax code CYou have a spouse on 30 June (including if your spouse died during the tax year and you did not have another spouse before 30 June).
Tax code DYou have a spouse on 30 June and they have agreed that you should claim their share of the rebate because they aren't claiming it themselves.
Tax code EYou have a spouse on 30 June and you have agreed that they should claim your share of the rebate because you aren't going to claim it yourself.
Tax code FYou are covered as a dependent child on a private health insurance policy and are not entitled to receive the rebate.

What are benefit codes?

If you have private health insurance, you may still receive a private health insurance statement each year from your health fund and you will need to complete the private health insurance policy section and Medicare levy surcharge items on your tax return. Each adult covered by your private health policy receives their own health insurance statement.

The benefit code is listed on this document and indicates which rebate percentage (based on the maximum policyholder's age) is applicable to you and when the premium was paid. The valid benefit codes are:

Age groupsCodes for premiums paid between 1 July and 31 MarchCodes for premiums paid between 1 April and 30 June
Under 65Benefit code 30Benefit code 31
65 to 69Benefit code 35Benefit code 36
70 or olderBenefit code 40Benefit code 41

Finder survey: What are the main reasons people have hospital insurance?

ResponseMaleFemale
Peace of mind37.5%32.76%
To avoid public surgery waiting lists24.17%22.99%
For tax reasons17.29%11.49%
To get better health care as I get older14.17%11.3%
To have a private hospital room12.29%8.81%
To get better health care for my family9.58%9.96%
To pick my own surgeon6.88%6.9%
To cover a specific issue (non-pregnancy)2.92%4.79%
For pregnancy cover1.04%3.07%
None of the above0.83%0.38%
Other0.21%0.57%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1006 Australians, December 2023

Why are there two rows of info on my statement?

There will be two rows of information on your health insurance statement because, thanks to recent changes in the way the rebate is calculated, there are now two lots of benefit codes applicable to each person’s situation.

Benefit codes 30, 35 and 40 are used for premiums paid between 1 July and 31 March and benefit codes 31, 36 and 41 are used for premiums paid between 1 April and 30 June.

There may also be two rows of information on your statement if the oldest person on the policy turned 65 or 70 during the tax year, in which case all adults on the policy receive a higher rebate percentage. As with the annual adjustment of the rebate percentage on 1 April, each row will have a different benefit code.

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James Martin was the insurance editor at Finder. He has written on a range of insurance and finance topics for over 7 years. James often shares his insurance expertise as a media spokesperson and has appeared on Prime 7 News, WIN News, Insurance News, 7NEWS and The Guardian. He holds a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification, both of which meet the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

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James has written 241 Finder guides across topics including:
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