Limerick financial advisor outlines how sufferers of a certain illness can claim tax relief

Question
Liam, I was recently diagnosed as suffering from Coeliac disease. I was told by my GP that I may be able to claim tax relief because of my condition. Is this correct?

Answer
I’ve received this question many times from people and that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that there are about 500,000 people in Ireland who suffer from Coeliac.
And anyone who does suffer from Coeliac or any other dietary condition for that matter i.e. diabetes and it forces them into altering the type of food they purchase, they can claim tax relief on the cost of food at a rate of 20%.
So, your GP is correct.

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And it’s only right that this relief is available because if you ask anyone who has to buy gluten free food, they will tell you how expensive it is compared to food that contains gluten, so the tax relief available is actually really important.
And even with this 20% relief it probably still doesn’t compensate Coeliac sufferers because I remember reading a study sometime last year I think which found that found gluten free food products were 83% more expensive than regular products. And I think another study put an actual number on the difference which was about an extra €1,000 each year.
So, as I said the tax relief won’t compensate you fully but it’s something at least.
And importantly, in order for you to claim it back, you need a letter from your GP or consultant, confirming you are coeliac.
And when you submit a claim to Revenue, you can only claim for expenses you have receipts for. So, whenever you visit a shop to make a purchase, keep your receipts because you need to prove you purchased wheat free products.
And to people who suffer from something like Coeliac please make sure you avail of this tax relief. When you run the numbers, you can see from a financial perspective how important it is.
The best and quickest way to make this claim is using Revenues online service, myaccount. When you enter the site, click on complete income tax return, and inside the tax credits section, you’ll see health expenses’, and this is where you insert your costs.

Liam Croke is MD of Harmonics Financial Ltd, based in Plassey. He can be contacted at liam@harmonics.ie