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ekk(Initiate)Initiate
13 Oct 2023

I am a temporary resident, and so is my husband. We have no dependents. We are not eligible for Medicare. We came to Australia in October 2022 and are staying till now. We wanted to claim Medicare Levy exemption. We applied for Medical Entitlement Statements, MES. But 9 weeks passed, and we still haven't received our MES. The status is "in progress". How should we fill in the related parts of tax returns? Should we still tick the box "stating that we are temporary residents and have MES on hand", and further tick the box "claim full exemption of 2%", and typed in "365 days"?


There was a similar question putting forward by @atoato in this forum dated 17 Sep 2023, and CatherineATO promptly and kindly replied that it was okay to lodge the return beforehand. I found it very useful. But I am unsure how to fill in the related parts!


1,718 views
5 replies
1,718 views
5 replies

Most helpful response

Most helpful reply

RileyATO(Community Moderator)Community Moderator
29 Oct 2023

Hi again @evalwto,


Here's our latest advice about delayed MES statements.


We're letting you know to lodge your tax return by the due date as though you have your MES.


When you receive your MES, if it's different to what you lodged in your tax return, you'll need to lodge an amendment.


Check our website for more info about the MES delay.

All replies

CatherineATO(Community Support)Community Support
16 Oct 2023

Hey @evalwto,


You do need to wait for the letter back from Services Australia to claim the exemption. If you lodged without it, you wouldn't be able to claim the exemption. If you did, your return will be held up and there wouldn't be a time-frame we could give you so it's best to wait. We'll update the other post to reflect the correct info. Here's a link to our tax return instructions about claiming the exemption - check it out!

ekk(Initiate)Initiate
19 Oct 2023

Hi CatherineATO, thank you very much for your reply. Another week has passed, and I still haven't received my MES. I applied on August 16 and have been waiting for more than 11 weeks! The due date for lodging tax return is drawing near. There's very likely that I won't receive the MES before the end of October. May I lodge first and claim the Medicare levy exemption as I am definitely entitled to the exemption but answer "No" to the question of "Were you a temporary resident for Medicare purposes and have a MES from Services Australia" as I do not have the MES on hand though I am a temporary resident.

Or can I apply to lodge my tax return late?

Please help.


Most helpful reply

RileyATO(Community Moderator)Community Moderator
29 Oct 2023

Hi again @evalwto,


Here's our latest advice about delayed MES statements.


We're letting you know to lodge your tax return by the due date as though you have your MES.


When you receive your MES, if it's different to what you lodged in your tax return, you'll need to lodge an amendment.


Check our website for more info about the MES delay.

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