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LHDN · Personal income tax

Vaccine tax relief in Malaysia

You can claim back vaccination costs on your income tax — up to RM1,000 for yourself, your spouse and your children. Here's exactly which vaccines qualify, how the limit works, and how to claim it correctly through LHDN.

The basics Who & what Which vaccines 2026 expansion How to claim Common mistakes FAQs Sources

How vaccine tax relief works

Malaysia encourages vaccination by letting you claim the cost as personal income tax relief through LHDN (the Inland Revenue Board). In plain terms: when you pay for an eligible vaccine, you can deduct that amount from your taxable income, which lowers the tax you owe. The thinking is simple — spend on prevention, keep the receipt, claim it, pay a little less tax.

RM1,000
Maximum vaccination claim (sub-cap)
RM10,000
Overall medical-expenses category it sits within
Self + family
Covers you, your spouse & your children

The key structure to understand: vaccination has a RM1,000 sub-cap, and that sub-cap sits inside the broader RM10,000 medical-expenses relief category (which also covers things like serious-disease treatment, fertility treatment and medical check-ups). So the most you can claim specifically for vaccines is RM1,000 — and it shares the overall RM10,000 ceiling with those other medical claims.

Who and what is covered

The relief is broad on who it covers, which makes it genuinely useful for families:

  • Yourself — the taxpayer.
  • Your spouse — vaccination costs you pay for them.
  • Your children — including the optional vaccines you pay for privately.

The cost can be incurred locally or overseas, which matters for travel vaccines taken abroad. What you need is a proper receipt showing your name, the vaccine and the amount paid — that's your evidence for the claim.

Note on parents: the vaccination sub-cap covers self, spouse and children. Vaccination costs for your parents generally fall under the separate parental medical-expenses relief rather than this sub-cap — so keep those receipts under the right category. Confirm current treatment with LHDN.

Which vaccines qualify

For recent years of assessment, the relief has specifically listed eight categories of vaccine. If you've paid for any of these for yourself, your spouse or your children, the cost counts toward the RM1,000:

PneumococcalHPVInfluenzaRotavirusVaricella (chickenpox)MeningococcalTDAP combinationCOVID-19

That list already covers a lot of common, paid-for vaccination: the yearly flu shot, HPV for adults and boys, pneumococcal for older adults, the Umrah meningococcal jab, and chickenpox. For what these cost, see our vaccine prices guide.

Eligible vaccineCommon reason you'd pay for it
PneumococcalOlder adults, chronic illness
HPVAdults, men, catch-up
InfluenzaYearly flu protection
RotavirusOptional infant vaccine
Varicella (chickenpox)Children & adults not immune
MeningococcalUmrah/Hajj, travel
TDAP combinationPregnancy, boosters
COVID-19Private/booster doses

The 2026 expansion — all NPRA-approved vaccines

Here's an important recent change worth knowing. Through Budget 2026, the vaccination relief was expanded beyond the original eight specific vaccines to cover all vaccines registered and approved by the NPRA (the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency under the Ministry of Health).

In practice, this widens what you can claim to include vaccines that weren't on the original list — for example travel vaccines such as typhoid and hepatitis A, and any newly approved vaccines, as long as they're NPRA-registered. The RM1,000 sub-cap still applies; it's the range of eligible vaccines that grew, not the amount.

What this means for you: from the year of assessment this expansion takes effect, a wider set of vaccines — including travel jabs — can count toward your RM1,000 vaccination relief, not just the original eight. The approved-vaccine list is maintained by the NPRA.
Check the year of assessment: the original eight-vaccine list applies to earlier years, and the expansion to all NPRA-approved vaccines applies from the year of assessment it takes effect (announced under Budget 2026). Confirm what applies to the specific tax year you're filing, on the official LHDN source, before claiming.

How to claim it — step by step

Claiming is straightforward once you know the steps:

  1. Pay and get a proper receipt — make sure it shows your name, the vaccine/service, and the amount paid. A clear official receipt is what you need.
  2. Keep the receipt safe — photograph or scan it straight away. Thermal receipts fade within months, so a digital copy protects you.
  3. File through MyTax e-Filing — when you do your annual return (filed the year after the expense), enter the amount under the medical-expenses relief, within the vaccination portion.
  4. Don't upload the receipt — you don't submit receipts when e-filing, but LHDN can request them later, so retain them.
  5. Keep records for seven years — that's the window during which LHDN may ask to see supporting documents in an audit.

Remember the timing: tax relief is based on what you spend between 1 January and 31 December of the assessment year, and you claim it in the following year's filing. So a vaccine paid for in 2025 is claimed when you file in 2026.

Common mistakes to avoid

A few things trip people up — worth checking before you claim:

  • Don't double-claim an employer-provided vaccine. If your company gave you a free flu shot as a benefit, you can't also claim it — you only claim what you actually paid for yourself.
  • Don't exceed the RM1,000 sub-cap. Even if you spent more on vaccines, RM1,000 is the maximum claimable under the vaccination portion.
  • Don't lose the receipt. No receipt, no proof — and a faded thermal receipt is as good as none. Digitise it immediately.
  • Don't confuse categories. Vaccines for parents generally go under parental medical relief, not the self/spouse/children vaccination sub-cap.
  • Don't assume an old vaccine list. The eligible vaccines expanded under Budget 2026 — check what applies to the year you're filing.

Vaccine tax relief — frequently asked questions

How much vaccine tax relief can I claim in Malaysia?
Up to RM1,000 for vaccination costs for yourself, your spouse and your children. This RM1,000 is a sub-cap within the broader RM10,000 medical-expenses relief category, so it shares that overall ceiling with other medical claims.
Which vaccines can I claim tax relief for?
The relief has listed eight: pneumococcal, HPV, influenza, rotavirus, varicella (chickenpox), meningococcal, the TDAP combination, and COVID-19. Under Budget 2026 this expanded to all NPRA-approved vaccines, which adds travel vaccines like typhoid and hepatitis A. Check what applies to your tax year.
Can I claim the Umrah meningococcal or flu vaccine?
Yes — meningococcal (including the Umrah/Hajj jab) and influenza are both on the eligible list, so paying for them privately counts toward your RM1,000 vaccination relief. Keep the receipt showing your name, the vaccine and the amount.
Do I need to upload my receipts when I file?
No. You don't upload receipts during MyTax e-Filing — you just enter the relief amount. But keep your receipts for seven years, because LHDN can request them in an audit. Photograph thermal receipts immediately, as they fade.
Can I claim a vaccine my employer paid for?
No. You can only claim vaccination costs you actually paid yourself. If your employer provided a free vaccine as a benefit, you can't also claim it as relief — that would be double-claiming.
Can I claim vaccines for my parents?
The RM1,000 vaccination sub-cap covers self, spouse and children. Vaccination costs for parents generally fall under the separate parental medical-expenses relief instead, so keep those receipts under the right category and confirm current treatment with LHDN.

Sources & references

The figures and rules here reflect recent LHDN guidance and Budget 2026 changes for the year of assessment 2025 onwards. Tax rules are reviewed each Budget, so always confirm the current position for your filing year on the official LHDN source:

Not financial advice: this page is general information to help you understand the relief, not tax or financial advice, and we're not tax advisers. Reliefs, caps and eligible-vaccine lists change with each Budget. Always confirm the current rules for your year of assessment with LHDN or a qualified tax professional before filing.
Disclaimer. This guide provides general information about vaccination-related personal income tax relief in Malaysia for educational purposes only. It is not tax, financial or legal advice. Tax reliefs, caps, eligible-vaccine lists and conditions are set by the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (LHDN) and the Ministry of Health, and are reviewed and updated periodically (including through the annual Budget). Always confirm the current rules for your specific year of assessment with LHDN or a qualified tax professional before making a claim.