# Is insurance company statement enough for CRA if I claim medical expenses?



## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

I have several medical expenses where I have statements from insurance company , but don't have actual receipt (mailed it to insurance company). For example I have MFC statement that they covered $200 out of $600 I paid for massages. I understand that I'm eligible to claim $400.
If somebody knows if such statement is enough for CRA?


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

For the actual "claim", you don't technically need the reciept. However, you must have the ability to produce the receipt if they ask for it. You should be able to ask the medical company for a copy, and you should have some record for the actual payments you made (credit card statement?). If you do, then you should be fine.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

gibor said:


> I have several medical expenses where I have statements from insurance company , but don't have actual receipt (mailed it to insurance company). ...
> If somebody knows if such statement is enough for CRA?


Generally speaking, yes. I have been doing this for years, with no problem. The insurance statement generally states what each item was for. If you have some unusual claim, such as foreign medical expenses, you should probably keep receipts just in case, because it would be hard for either you or CRA to get a duplicate receipt from an originator if it was ever needed. Although as Just a Guy says, theoretically the insurance company should have your receipts in its files in any case.


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

OhGreatGuru said:


> Generally speaking, yes. I have been doing this for years, with no problem. The insurance statement generally states what each item was for. If you have some unusual claim, such as foreign medical expenses, you should probably keep receipts just in case, because it would be hard for either you or CRA to get a duplicate receipt from an originator if it was ever needed. Although as Just a Guy says, theoretically the insurance company should have your receipts in its files in any case.


I perfectly understnad it regarding for "foreign medical expenses", this is why I asked my mother-in-law to obtain them in any case. Also , I obviously won't have any Canadian insurance companies covering them.... but for my own , Canadian base treatments, I have only MFC/SLF statements.... Yes, probably I can call them and ask to send me copies, but it's sounds like pain in the ***...

This is why I asked, if CRA asked somebodu for prove , and if insurance company statement was enough... as for us it will be easier to pay back $200 or so than 5 times call insurance company and ask for copies (some of them from 2014 and not sure if they keep them)...


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

The massage provider is not able to provide a duplicate?

In my case, the massage provider gives me the bill and I go to ManuLife's web site to enter it so that they pay me.


As for "pain in the *** to call", YMMV ... I lost some receipts, called the massage provider who emailed PDF copies in roughly two hours.


I expect a CRA audit would expect the actual receipt (or electronic copy). Does the MFC statement really say "cover $$ of $$$$"? The closest I can recall is "paid $$ for massage" plus the policy details saying "will cover 90% up to a cap of $$$$".


Cheers


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

On Manulife statement it says, as an example, submitted $500, manulife paid $300.
On Sunlife (my wife;s) said: submitted $500, paid $ 200, out-of-pocket $300.

The point is if I submitted $1000 for any treatment, and Manulife and Sunlife paid portion of it, i need to submit their statements to CRA to show how much I paid out-of -pocket .... in some cases even 1 more statement if some portion was paid by HSA...


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

I have had the CRA reject travel health care insurance receipts. I had to submit a notice of objection to get them to accept them. They seem to be afraid to engage and hide behind their Notice of Assessment.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

gibor said:


> On Manulife statement it says, as an example, submitted $500, manulife paid $300.
> On Sunlife (my wife;s) said: submitted $500, paid $ 200, out-of-pocket $300.
> ...


My PSHCP statements (which is administered by Sun life), the first page has just a summary of the total claim and the amount paid, as you state. But on the back and subsequent pages it itemizes the nature of each service claimed, the amount eligible, the amount deductible, the percent covered; and the amount paid by the plan. If you're not getting that on your insurance statement, maybe you do need to keep receipts. (But I don't see how you could properly evaluate if you were properly reimbursed if they don't include this information.)

And if you do have it, but are only planning to send the first page to CRA, then certainly CRA will have questions. Otherwise how do they know all the items in your insurance claim were for eligible medical expenses?


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

> My PSHCP statements (which is administered by Sun life), the first page has just a summary of the total claim and the amount paid, as you state. But on the back and subsequent pages it itemizes the nature of each service claimed, the amount eligible, the amount deductible, the percent covered; and the amount paid by the plan. If you're not getting that on your insurance statement,


 You are right. I also have all this information include even amount that was paid by other insurance company.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

gibor said:


> ... The point is if I submitted $1000 for any treatment, and Manulife and Sunlife paid portion of it, i need to submit their statements to CRA to show how much I paid out-of -pocket .... in some cases even 1 more statement if some portion was paid by HSA...


Re-reading to the original post part "don't have actual receipt (mailed it to insurance company)" then one way around it to have the full info at one's fingertips would be to scan the original receipt before sending it in.

Where post #8 and #9 say the full info is in the insurance company documents, one should be fine.


Being more paranoid, I try to ensure I have electronic copies as I have had odd things happen with paper or mailed in stuff.


Cheers


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

> would be to scan the original receipt before sending it in.


 True! But I always forget it or too busy to do it or scan doesn't work ....  Me and my wife have CoB, so it's already pretty time consuming.... print statements from one company, copy receipts , fill out another form for another insurance company and so on....

I just was thinking, if in any case we should send statements from both insurance companies (thanks God I can retrieve them online) with all required info, why do we need actual receipts?!


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

I think we are at the whim of the CRA agents.


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

kcowan said:


> I think we are at the whim of the CRA agents.


This is for sure  and they're monopoly , you cannot switch revenue agency like you can switch bank or telecom  
If CRA wants they can make your life miserable like request receipts, prove that it wasn't paid by you insurance benefits, by your HSA, by your wife insurance benefits, HSA, OHIP etc ... etc...


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## houska (Feb 6, 2010)

Without entering the debate on what documentation is enough, and what one thinks of the CRA, let me suggest a pragmatic solution going forward.

If you have an iphone, get a copy of TurboScan or similar app. Then take a photo of any doc leaving your hands that you might at some point wish you had, and email it to a gmail account. 99% of them you won't ever need, but it takes seconds.
You could just take a photo, but TurboScan can adjust the contrast/colour and recognize and stretch the angled parallellogram of a sheet of paper viewed at an angle through your viewfinder into a rectangle.
I'm sure Android has similar apps.

CRA is fine with (undoctored) electronic scans. 
I use this for income tax-related receipts, receipts of stuff under warranty, any docs I sign, etc. I probably use it too much, but less time consuming to snap than to think about whether it's really necessary.


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

> If you have an iphone


 I don't  No iPhone, no BB , no tablets , just flip-flop LG w/o any enhancements  ... from all gadgets I have only PS3, iPod, 3D TV and .... APPL stock  ... don't feel I need other stuff....


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## LBCfan (Jan 13, 2011)

gibor said:


> I don't  No iPhone, no BB , no tablets , just flip-flop LG w/o any enhancements  ... from all gadgets I have only PS3, iPod, 3D TV and .... APPL stock  ... don't feel I need other stuff....


You could try a hand made copy in crayon.


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## houska (Feb 6, 2010)

gibor said:


> I don't No iPhone, no BB , no tablets , just flip-flop LG w/o any enhancements ... from all gadgets I have only PS3, iPod, 3D TV and .... APPL stock  ... don't feel I need other stuff....


Together you and I could make one technologically-normal Canadian  I have iphone, (old and no longer used) BB, 2 tablets. My mom just accidentally destroyed the old LG flip I gave her. But I've never had a PS3, iPod, fancy TV, etc.
Long live having only the junk that one finds useful!


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

> Together you and I could make one technologically-normal Canadian


 True


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