How To Claim Back Expenses on Wigs

Did you know that in many countries and territories, you can claim back taxes or customs fees on wigs and hair toppers if you have a medical condition. This article is all about how to claim back expenses on wigs.

Wigs and Toppers are regarded as medical expenses if you have hair loss due to a medical condition. People with alopecia, or people that have hair loss due to medical treatment can claim back taxes.

In Ireland, you can claim relief on health expenses after the end of each year.

It is important to keep track of your receipts as these will need to be submitted to Revenue to claim tax back. You can also claim back any expenses from the past 4 years!

All claims should be submitted to the Revenue Commissioners, make sure to register with ros.ie

Learn more about claiming back tax in Ireland here, with this helpful pdf issued by Revenue.

In Ireland most private health insurers will not cover any expenses for people with alopecia.

At the time of writing this article, Laya Healthcare Insurance does cover wigs for people with alopecia. If you’ve newly joined there is no ‘wait’ period on alopecia being a preexisting condition.

Do contact Laya Healthcare to insure your cover includes the following. Should you require a hairpiece following alopecia diagnosis you can claim a full refund for one hairpiece per membership year. A GP letter is required when submitting claims for hairpieces.  This is subject to change, contact Laya Healthcare for more details.

For people going through cancer treatment, most Irish insurers will cover the cost of a wig.

Each insurer has a different policy on this, contact your provider directly to find out more details.

You can claim back the VAT on your wig purchase if you are undergoing chemotherapy treatment, have alopecia or have a disabling condition in line with the HMRC guidelines. VAT in the UK currently stands at 20%.

It’s important to note that in the UK you can only claim back VAT on hair pieces, and not accessories. VAT can not be claimed back on any shampoo kits, wig stands, or any other accessories that you might need.

Here is a useful website from the UK government to guide you through the process of reclaiming VAT.

Here at HairWeavon, if you are purchasing from the UK or anywhere outside the EU, we do not charge you VAT. Customs fees are paid via the currier on delivery. Please keep note of the customs fee paid, as this is the amount you can reclaim.

In the USA, some insurers cover wigs. More specifically, if you have a health share card you may be able to use that to buy wigs for medically diagnosed hair loss.

If you require any additional proof of purchase of any hair piece bought with us at HairWeavon, feel free to contact us, we are always happy help!