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Working Tax Credit (WTC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) replaced Working Families Tax Credit and Disabled Persons Tax Credit in April 2003. You (and your family) may be entitled to help with NHS health costs. This means you can get free NHS prescriptions, NHS dental treatment, NHS sight tests, NHS wigs and fabric supports. You can also get optical vouchers (towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses) and refunds of reasonable travel costs to hospital for NHS treatment. If you have a child under one and are not getting milk tokens, you can also get reduced price dried baby milk.

How can I check if I will get help with health costs?

Please use the flowchart below to check if you are entitled to help with health costs through tax credits check the flow chart . If you think you are entitled to an NHS Exemption Certificate - you also need to read "Getting your NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate".

FLOWCHART - Begin at 'Start Here' and follow the arrows to see if you are entitled to help.
Please note: CTC= Child Tax Credit WTC= Working Tax Credit

Getting your NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate

If you are entitled to help via tax credits, the Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA) on behalf of the Health Departments in the UK will send you a NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate. This will be based on information the Inland Revenue sends to the PPA about your tax credit award. You do not have to apply for a certificate. But, the PPA won't be able to start sending out certificates until they get the information from the Inland Revenue. The Inland Revenue will be sending details of new or revised tax credit awards to the PPA monthly. Unfortunately, this means some families might have to wait several weeks for their certificate.
See "What to do before your NHS Tax Credit Exemption certificate arrives".

When you get your certificate and your pharmacist, optician, dentist or hospital asks to see evidence that you are entitled to help with NHS costs - show them your certificate.

What to do before your NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate arrives

If you are entitled to help with NHS health costs (see above) and you need treatment before your certificate arrives, you can sign NHS treatment forms to say you don't have to pay.
Tick the box to say you don't have to pay because you are "named on a Working Families Tax Credit NHS Exemption Certificate" or you are "entitled to, or named on, an NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate". (The words will depend on which version of the form your practitioner is using.) Take a copy of flow chart and your tax credit award notice when you go for treatment as evidence of entitlement. If you are getting Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance you won't be sent an exemption certificate because you are entitled to help anyway.
Please note, if you claim free treatment incorrectly, you could be liable for a penalty charge.

For more information you can go to: PPA tax credit webpage

OTHER HELP AVAILABLE: if you can't get help through tax credits further advice is given in leaflet HC11, which is also available from some NHS practitioners, NHS hospitals or main Post Offices. You can also phone
08701 555 455 for a copy.

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