What receipt do I need to submit an ADHD assessment claim?

A usable receipt names the provider, their credential, the date, and the amount paid

For either a private insurance claim or the federal medical expense tax credit, a receipt needs to identify who provided the service, what was provided, when, and how much was paid. The Canada Revenue Agency's guide to medical expenses (RC4065) sets out that you must keep receipts and be able to show what the expense was for and who received the service; a vague statement or a card payment record on its own is generally not enough.

• Patient or client name
• Provider's full name and professional designation (for example, nurse practitioner)
• Provider's registration or licence number, when the profession issues one
• Date the service was provided
• A description of the service (for example, ADHD assessment)
• The fee charged and the amount actually paid
• The clinic or practice name and contact details

Whether the CRA accepts the expense depends on the practitioner type authorized in your province

The CRA maintains a province-by-province table of authorized medical practitioners for the purposes of the medical expense tax credit, and nurse practitioners appear as a recognized practitioner type in that table for several provinces. This matters because an assessment billed by a physician, a nurse practitioner, or a psychologist is not automatically treated the same way everywhere; the authorized-practitioner list is what the CRA actually checks against, not the label on your receipt alone.

This province-by-province structure exists because provinces regulate professions separately, so a title that is authorized to bill for certain services in one province is not automatically treated the same way in another. A receipt from an assessment delivered by a nurse practitioner, for example, should still state that credential clearly, since that is the detail the CRA's table actually checks against when a return is reviewed.

Some private insurers ask for more than a receipt before they reimburse an assessment

A receipt is usually the starting point for a private claim, but it is not always the whole requirement. Manulife's CoverMe claims information, for example, states that attending physician authorization may be required before certain services, such as psychologist services, are considered under some personal health plans. Practices like this vary by insurer and by plan, so it is worth reading your plan booklet or calling your insurer before you assume a receipt alone will be enough.

It also helps to ask your insurer two specific questions before you pay: which practitioner types are eligible for reimbursement under your plan's mental health or paramedical categories, and whether pre-authorization is required before the appointment rather than after. Getting those answers ahead of time avoids the more common problem, which is not a missing receipt but a claim submitted for a provider type or service category the plan does not cover at all.

A publicly insured assessment does not generate a private receipt, because it is billed directly

In Ontario, medically necessary physician services covered under OHIP are billed directly to the province, so there is no out-of-pocket payment and nothing to submit to a private insurer or claim on your taxes. A privately paid assessment, including an online one, works differently: you pay the fee yourself and receive a receipt you can then choose to submit to your insurer, claim as a medical expense, or both.

Finding Focus provides a receipt with the details most claims require

An assessment with Finding Focus is a paid, private service, so you receive a receipt showing the clinician's name and professional credential, the service and date, and the amount paid, which you can use to seek reimbursement or claim the expense. Whether your specific plan reimburses it, and how much, depends on your plan's terms; use language like "may be covered" as your working assumption and check before you count on reimbursement.

For more on what else insurers may ask for beyond the receipt itself, see do I need a referral to get an ADHD assessment and what documents do I need for an ADHD assessment. Current pricing for assessments and documents is listed on the pricing page.