Q: I need to get some dental work done and have heard you can claim back on PRSI, is this true?
A: As you don’t mention your circumstances we have listed all the options below. It’s a little technical but hopefully it will answer your question.
There are a number of dental benefit schemes which contribute to and reduce your dental care costs;
(a)Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI); This is an excellent scheme which the majority of workers are entitled to. The benefits include the full cost of an annual check-up and 2 professional cleanings per annum. It also contributes a certain percentage towards other dental treatments such as fillings, dentures etc.
Under this scheme workers aged under 21years must have at least 39 paid contributions since starting work. Those aged 21 – 24 you must have at least 39 paid contributions since first starting work and, either 39 weeks contributions paid or credited in the tax year on which the claim is based, or 26 weeks paid contributions paid in the relevant year plus 26 weeks paid contributions in the year before the relevant year. If you are aged 25 – 65 you must have 260 contributions paid since first starting work and 39 weeks paid or credited contributions in the relevant tax year on which the claim is based, or 26 paid contributions in the relevant tax year and in the year before the relevant tax year. The relevant tax year is always two years before the year of claim i.e. 2007 is the relevant year for 2009.
(b)Medical Card. The following persons are entitled to free dental care, which includes routine treatment, dentures, root canal treatment etc. – Persons whose net income is below a certain level. Persons over 70 years of age whose income is below a certain level and students aged 16- 25 whose parents hold a medical card. Students who are financially independent of their parents and who satisfy a means test and students in receipt of disability allowance also qualify.
(c)VHI; certain schemes refund €30 per visit up to 25 visits per year for dental treatment.
(d)VHI deCare refunds up to €1,500 per annum per person for dental treatment. All VHI plans offer €445 towards emergency treatment for dental pain relief directly following an accident.
(e)Bupa/Quinn; dental cover offers €25 per annum for a dental check up and up to €510 for emergency treatment for pain relief directly following an accident .
(f)Hospital Saturday Fund (www.hsf.eu.com/ireland) offers a health cash plan which cost from 31c a day. Depending on which level of plan you have, they will refund you a proportion of your dental costs.
(g)Garda Medical Aid refunds its member a fixed amount for all procedures i.e. €40 towards an extraction, €36 to €40 towards a filling.
(h)ESB and similar large bodies operate a Medical Provident Fund, similar to VHI which refund a proportion of dental expenses to members.
(i) Tax Relief is available on all non routine treatment at the rate of 20%.
(j) Many companies and certain Unions offer dental benefit schemes so always ask!
Today’s ask the expert was answered by Redmond Molloy Dental Clinic.
My dentist does not take PRSI. It should be mandatory…
I get my teeth cleaned every 3 months so that I dont end up having a painful experience every 6 months
Its expensive at 70 tho…