As of: February 20, 2024, 5:05 a.m
By: Anne Hund
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If the fund reimburses contributions, you usually have to declare the repayments in your tax return.
Things are different with bonus payments - but when is proof required?
Health insurance contributions are counted as pension expenses and can be deducted from taxes.
So that the tax office only takes into account the contributions that the insured have actually paid, health insurance premium refunds must also be stated.
The Taxpayers' Association pointed this out, citing a letter from the Federal Ministry of Finance, according to the German Press Agency (dpa: as of February 14).
For example, some health insurance companies pay back contributions if certain services have not been used for a while, as the background report states.
Many health insurance companies have bonus programs
Many health insurance companies also have bonus programs and thus reward health-conscious behavior.
Such bonus payments, such as those granted by many health insurance companies for preventive measures or membership in a fitness studio or sports club, do not have to be stated in the tax return, as the United Wage Tax Assistance had also informed.
Proof of health insurance bonus may be required
The Federal Ministry of Finance has now made it clear that, for reasons of simplification, the tax offices automatically recognize bonus payments of up to 150 euros as such, as dpa reports.
“However, they consider any amount in excess of this as a premium refund,” it continues.
This means: Taxpayers who receive more than 150 euros per year as a bonus reimbursed from their health insurance company for health-conscious behavior must prove to the tax office that these are not premium refunds.
“This is the only way you can ensure that amounts exceeding the limit are not taxed,” says the dpa report.
If health insurance companies reimburse contributions, the repayments usually have to be stated in the tax return.
It's different with bonus payments - but above certain amounts, proof is required.
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