IVF Cost & safety net?

**melbel** · May 31st, 2012, 09:48 PM

It is quicker to do the automatic claiming through the clinic.....I had my rebate from my April cycle back in my bank within 3 working days of them lodging it with medicare....if you go into medicare it can take up to two weeks. Has anyone found written proof of the new tax legislation....all I have been able to find is that the minimum threshold will now be means tested and for those over the threshold goes up to $5000. I haven't been able to find anything on the govt website about exclusions....

**Mrs P** · May 31st, 2012, 10:05 PM

Melbel I read something about it but I'm fairly sure it said it wasn't coming in until July 2013.

**Queenluxury** · May 31st, 2012, 10:20 PM

Sorry for another silly question lol If I'm a stay home wife & didn't work, can I still claim my tax refund?
Fx this cycle will work for us because I don't know how am I gonna afford to pay for another cycle in the future

**nothing2lose** · May 31st, 2012, 10:23 PM

Your husband can claim. You can't because it's a rebate.

**Mrs P** · May 31st, 2012, 10:24 PM

Queen luxury I would assume you only get to submit a tax return if you have earnt income and paid tax for that financial year. Have you had any earnings this financial year?

**Queenluxury** · May 31st, 2012, 10:58 PM

Mrs P i quit my job since 15 July last year LOL so I suppose I was working for 2 weeks in this financial year. That's mean I can claim my tax back right? O_o

**nothing2lose** · May 31st, 2012, 11:02 PM

I don't think so because you won't pay tax.

**Queenluxury** · May 31st, 2012, 11:25 PM

Thanks N2L. I absolutely got no idea about tax refund or anything!! So hopeless

haha
I might have to go to see my accountant since I just sold one of the investment properties so I think that was consider as my income :/

**sunshine 11** · June 1st, 2012, 06:02 AM

Queenluxury, it doesn't matter about whether you had any income of not, but rather whether you will pay any tax as you can't get a rebate (money back) for tax paid if you didn't pay any tax, does that make sense? For example if you earnt under the tax free threshold, you would have earnt income, but not paid tax, so you wouldn't be able to apply for the rebate through your tax return and get your full rebate entitlement.

With that said, if you have a partner/DH who paid tax, then the medical expenses tax offset should be put through their tax return. This is a very straightforward rebate, so have a look at the ATO website and you will find details on what can be included in medical expenses (prescriptions for example can also be included).

As per below from the ATO website (have a look at the website and google 'medical expenses tax offset' which will give you more info).

The medical expenses tax offset only applies if your net medical expenses exceeds $2,060 excluding contributions to private health insurers, travel or accommodation expenses associated with medical treatment or inoculations for overseas travel.

Hope this helps - any more Q's just let me know

You can only claim medical expenses for yourself and/or your dependants who are Australian residents for tax purposes.

**Lenny** · June 1st, 2012, 02:05 PM

Has anyone found written proof of the new tax legislation....all I have been able to find is that the minimum threshold will now be means tested and for those over the threshold goes up to $5000. I haven't been able to find anything on the govt website about exclusions....

Melbel - i rang Latrobe (my PHI). The threshold goes up to $5000, and the rebate goes down to 10% (from 20%). So if you pay 10000, you used to get 20% back on the $8000 (over $2000). Now if you pay $10,00 you'll get 10% on the $5000. So a big difference ($1,600 vs $500).

**melbel** · June 1st, 2012, 09:59 PM

Yeah but only if you go over the means tested limit...if you are under the income threshold nothing changes.....what I was looking for is info on whether IVF procedures have been excluded from the Medicare tax offset in the new budget...some people have been talking About it but I can't find any verification in the budget statements.

**thirdtimelucky77** · June 2nd, 2012, 12:27 AM

Sorry for the delayed response Queenluxury - i was at Concept Fertility and it sounds as though maybe Hollywood has a slightly different system... Heres how it worked for us...

The total cost was approximately $6,900 from memory - but we didn't pay anything upfront at all. The EPU day surgery component was sent straight to HBF and paid (we didn't have a gap and never saw a bill for this bit but it was about $800 I think on top of the $6,900 I don't include in that amount as we didn't have to pay it).

We got a bill for the $6,900 after the cycle had finished. I posted the bill to Medicare and about 2 weeks later received a cheque for about $2,200 roughly) - I posted that to Concept. Then I paid the remainder on our credit card (about $4,600 - after paying that I got a receipt for the $4,600 and posted that to Medicare along with the original invoice. I electronically received another $1,500 approximate back into my bank account. Meaning my overall out of pocket amount was about $3,100 for the fresh cycle.

I always assumed we got the second $1,500 back because the second payment of the $4,600 took us over the safety net - does that make sense? We were always told a cycle would he between $3k and 4k out of pocket depending on additional things that may be required eg: assisted hatching, defrosting and regressing embryos (which we did prior to our FET to take our 3 x day 3 embies to day 5 blasts prior to transfer - costing another $750.

The tax thing totally confuses me - but I think as the others say it's 20% of anything over $2000. I believe next year it's 10% of anything over $5,000 but don't quote me on that bit!

Best of luck at Hollywood - I have heard great things about them. Concept were brilliant for me and my FS there has an unbelievable success rate (lately for some reason he is creating LoTs of identical twins

Xx

**me4ever** · June 2nd, 2012, 06:02 PM

My IVF cycle cost about $7100 dollars as well and I got $4500 back from Medicare. As you pay over a $1000 you reach the safety net, don't know how they calculate... If another IVF cycle required you get about 500 dollars more back.

**Queenluxury** · June 5th, 2012, 04:22 PM

Sorry for the delayed response Queenluxury - i was at Concept Fertility and it sounds as though maybe Hollywood has a slightly different system... Heres how it worked for us...

The total cost was approximately $6,900 from memory - but we didn't pay anything upfront at all. The EPU day surgery component was sent straight to HBF and paid (we didn't have a gap and never saw a bill for this bit but it was about $800 I think on top of the $6,900 I don't include in that amount as we didn't have to pay it).

We got a bill for the $6,900 after the cycle had finished. I posted the bill to Medicare and about 2 weeks later received a cheque for about $2,200 roughly) - I posted that to Concept. Then I paid the remainder on our credit card (about $4,600 - after paying that I got a receipt for the $4,600 and posted that to Medicare along with the original invoice. I electronically received another $1,500 approximate back into my bank account. Meaning my overall out of pocket amount was about $3,100 for the fresh cycle.

I always assumed we got the second $1,500 back because the second payment of the $4,600 took us over the safety net - does that make sense? We were always told a cycle would he between $3k and 4k out of pocket depending on additional things that may be required eg: assisted hatching, defrosting and regressing embryos (which we did prior to our FET to take our 3 x day 3 embies to day 5 blasts prior to transfer - costing another $750.

The tax thing totally confuses me - but I think as the others say it's 20% of anything over $2000. I believe next year it's 10% of anything over $5,000 but don't quote me on that bit!

Best of luck at Hollywood - I have heard great things about them. Concept were brilliant for me and my FS there has an unbelievable success rate (lately for some reason he is creating LoTs of identical twins

Xx

Thanks darl. I having everything crossed!! I really want a twin but dh doesn't lol I just don't want to go through this again when we are ttc#2
I just start to do acupuncture also n the cost starting to add up now :/ but whatever it take to get my baby, I'll do it