what is the code in sars for claims not recovered from medical aid

The SARS source code for claims not recovered from your medical aid (i.e. amounts that your medical scheme did not pay but that are still shown on your medical tax certificate) is 4020.

Which code to use: 4020 vs 4034

SARS distinguishes between two types of “not recovered” medical expenses:

Source code| What it captures| Where the amount appears
---|---|---
4020| Medical expenses not covered by the medical aid but reflecting on the medical tax certificate as “claims not recovered from the scheme”| Pre‑populated from your medical aid’s 1800/ITR-DD certificate 1310
4034| Qualifying medical expenses actually paid by you and not claimed from the medical scheme at all (not reflected on the certificate)| You must enter manually, with proof of payment 135

So:

• If your medical aid certificate shows “Claims not recovered from the Scheme” , that amount goes into 4020.

• If you paid medical expenses yourself and never submitted them to the medical aid , those go into 4034.

How to declare it on your SARS return

In your eFiling return (or other return form):

1. Go to the Medical expenses / Medical aid section.
2. Locate the field labelled similar to:
   • “Medical expenses not recovered from your medical scheme”
     This is source code 4020.

3. Enter the amount shown on your medical tax certificate under “Claims not recovered from the Scheme”.

4. Do not also include that same amount in 4034, otherwise it will be duplicated and may be rejected on audit.

Keep supporting documents:

• Your medical aid tax certificate (showing the “claims not recovered” amount).

• If you also claim 4034 expenses, keep invoices/proof of payment for those expenses.

Why this matters

These amounts are used in SARS’s formula for your Additional Medical Expenses Tax Credit (AMTC), which reduces your normal tax payable. Using the correct code (4020 for “not recovered” certificate amounts, 4034 for out‑of‑pocket expenses not on the certificate) ensures you get the full credit you’re entitled to without triggering queries or adjustments.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.