Have You Made the Most of Your Benefit Plan?

Have you thought about your benefit plan at work recently? Most benefit plans run on a calendar year, which means the benefits you can use in one year end on December 31.  Even though we are only at the end of October, the end of the year will come quickly!

I am extremely fortunate to work for an agency that still provides health benefits to their permanent employees who work more than 24 hours/week.  Ideally, I would love to work 16 or 20, but I work 25 hours a week with this employer in order to maintain access to the benefit plan.

I realize that not everyone has access to a benefit plan, but if you do, you should make sure you are using it!

By using your benefits, you could be using services like:

• Accupuncture
• Chiropractor
• Dentist
• Glasses or Contacts
• Massage
• Naturopathy
• Nutritionist
• Optical Services
• Orthodontist
• Orthotics
• Personal Counselling
• Prescription Drugs

If you pay into your benefit plan from your earnings, make sure to claim this amount as a medical expense on your income taxes.  Sometimes the amount is listed on your T4 slip, and sometimes it is on your last paystub for the year.  Also, for any services that are not 100% covered, the portion that you pay that is not covered can also be considered a medical expense. 

I've already booked monthly massages for November and December in order to make use of my benefit plan.  Take a look into the details of yours, and make sure you are using them!