Worried about Health care.

Please explain if possible. My husband has recently had to pay 10% on all his prescriptions for a chronic condition. We have been fiscally resident and have completed tax assessments for eight years now. We are both in receipt of our state pension and I now pay nothing for my prescriptions. I am curious as to why he has to pay.

This tax assessment thing worries me, who is supposed to submit one, we are both retired and live only on our pensions ?

Hi Jil and Steve
If you live in Spain permently you should apply for Residency and submit a Tax Assessment every year. The Spanish Tax year is Jan- Dec. I presume that was your question?

krissy59 wrote:Please explain if possible. My husband has recently had to pay 10% on all his prescriptions for a chronic condition. We have been fiscally resident and have completed tax assessments for eight years now. We are both in receipt of our state pension and I now pay nothing for my prescriptions. I am curious as to why he has to pay.

I'm assuming your husband has an income over €18,000 a year (but under 100,000) so is liable for 10% of prescription charges. You will not be earning that so your prescriptions will be free.
Works for us as well. I pay 10% but my wife gets them free.

Jillandsteve wrote:This tax assessment thing worries me, who is supposed to submit one, we are both retired and live only on our pensions ?

You must complete an initial tax form. This is due now for all income earned last year and gets you on to the system. You may not (probably won't) have to pay any tax but you will then become fiscally resident.
If your income (each) is below a certain amount (I'm not sure but think about €20,000 a year) you will not be required to complete a form each year if you only have income from one source, ie your pensions.
If you do not complete the initial tax form then you will not be on the system and the pharmacy will be unaware of your earnings so will continue to charge the 10% for prescriptions. Your healthcard is linked to your tax return and income so they know how much to charge for the prescriptions. (They don't see your actual earnings, simply the level you have to pay).
If you have a solicitor they will complete the tax returns for you. You don't actually need a solicitor but you do need a fiscal advisor, at least for the initial return.

You must complete an initial tax form. This is due now for all income earned last year and gets you on to the system. You may not (probably won't) have to pay any tax but you will then become fiscally resident.
If your income (each) is below a certain amount (I'm not sure but think about €20,000 a year) you will not be required to complete a form each year if you only have income from one source, ie your pensions.

But if you have more than 1 pension source this does not apply

Hence the "if you only have income from one source" rider.

We only arrived 1st november 20215 so is the income based in that date only?

Firstly, have you taken out residency? (or signed on the Register of EU citizens residing in Spain). If so then,
Secondly, you are a tax resident if you have been resident for over 182 days (6 months) in any one year so, no, you don't fill in a tax return for 2015 as the tax year here is Jan to Dec.
You will have to complete a tax return next year (in about April 2017) for your income in 2016.
Until then, you won't be on the system so I believe you will have to continue paying 10% for the cost of your prescriptions. Keep the receipts as you may (I haven't done this) be able to claim the money back once on the system but I'm not sure about that.

I'm a pensioner arrived here In January and live here full time now in Entre Naranjos. My lawyer applied for residency and SIP seven weeks ago at Playa Flamenca and I'm still waiting!!

Meanwhile I went to San Miguel health cen who issued a temporary SIP and assigned a doctor.
Now I'm having to pay 50% of the prescription charges which have run to almost 100 € so far despite me bringing a 2 month supply of mess with me.


Any thought on the waiting time for SIP please and the 50% charge?