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How do I go about submitting documentation for backdated claims?



Two of my stepchildren have brain irregularities, one Dandy Walker syndrome, the other Landau Kleffner Syndrome. I have never claimed for any medical or other expenses ito these two children which are dependants on my medical aid. However when the one with DW Syndrome turned 21 I had to go through the motions of proving his dependance to keep him as adult dependant on my MA. Then I was told to indicate on my tax return that I have a disabled dependant. Question is, what is the procedure to claim for them if I haven't claimed anything in the last 12 years? Note they are both Stepchildren and thus not addopted, yet still on my medical aid and fully dependant on me.

TaxTim TaxTim says:
13 November 2012 at 21:07

Yes you are fully entitled to to claim complete medical expenditure over the years. The biggest complication and where SARS may give you some problems is that your step children may have only been actively declared disabled now. You may find that you would need to get the doctors to go back and declared them disabled from quite a few years back. Definitely going forward you will be able to claim all medical expenditure.

You can open up old returns and resubmit, but it may be better given the number of years, to actually go sit with a SARS consultant once you have collected all the invoices and bills etc as well as letters from your Doctors stating the disability going back a number of years and doing it all at once.

It is going to tricky given the time frame, but it may be worth the effort as I can only imagine how expensive the medical expenses are.

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