Claiming remedial massage on your health fund

Most of what people believe about claiming massage on private health cover is wrong in at least one important way. The rules are public, but they sit across Commonwealth circulars, legislative instruments and fund-by-fund provider criteria, so almost nobody reads them.

This page is what those documents actually say. Every claim on it carries a source you can open.

The short version

• Remedial massage is claimable on extras cover with almost every Australian fund.
• Reflexology is not, and never can be. It is excluded by the Commonwealth, so no fund is permitted to pay a benefit on it.¹
• Relaxation, hot stone and aromatherapy massage are generally not claimable either.
• Medicare has never covered remedial massage. Not under the old care plans, and not under the ones that replaced them.²
• DVA, the NDIS and WorkCover WA all pay nothing for massage delivered by a massage therapist, each for a different and separately documented reason.
• A session paid for with a gift voucher cannot also be claimed.³

The thing almost everyone gets wrong

In April 2019 the Commonwealth removed sixteen natural therapies from private health insurance cover.⁴ A lot of people remember that change and assume massage was caught by it.

It was not. Massage was reviewed in 2015 and retained. It has been continuously claimable throughout.

The sixteen that were excluded were: Alexander technique, aromatherapy, Bowen therapy, Buteyko, Feldenkrais, western herbalism, homeopathy, iridology, kinesiology, naturopathy, Pilates, reflexology, Rolfing, shiatsu, tai chi and yoga.

What changed in 2025

After a review that ran from 2019 to 2024, the government re-included seven of them from 1 July 2025.⁵⁶

One catch that matters: re-inclusion is permissive, not compulsory. The legislation allows a fund to pay. It does not require it. Several funds had still not begun paying benefits on the reinstated therapies a year later, and some may never.⁷

Reflexology, and why the answer is a flat no

This is the one that surprises people, and it is worth being precise about because it is not a matter of fund policy or of how a clinic chooses to bill.

Reflexology is one of the nine therapies still excluded. The Department's own circular puts it beyond argument:

If a naturopath (or any other health professional) provides aromatherapy, homeopathy, iridology, kinesiology or reflexology treatment, either advertised or promoted as such, or a session where the only service provided is aromatherapy, homeopathy, iridology, kinesiology, or reflexology, then health insurance benefits cannot lawfully be paid.¹

So no fund may pay a rebate on a reflexology session, regardless of the therapist's qualifications, the clinic's HICAPS terminal or the level of extras cover held. We offer reflexology at this studio, and it is not claimable. Any clinic telling you otherwise is either mistaken or billing it as something it was not.

The same circular treats aromatherapy the same way, which is why a session sold as an aromatherapy massage sits outside cover while a remedial massage that happens to use a scented oil does not.

What your therapist has to hold

There is no government register of massage therapists. Massage is not one of the professions regulated by AHPRA, so the chain that lets you claim runs through association membership, not registration.

In practice a fund wants to see:

1. Membership of a recognised association. Our lead remedial massage therapist is a member of the Australian Natural Therapists Association, which is recognised for remedial massage across the major funds.
2. A provider number, issued to the therapist. This is the part most people misunderstand: the number belongs to the therapist, not the clinic, and it is issued per modality and per practice address. It is not transferable between people or locations.³
3. A Diploma of Remedial Massage as the practical minimum. Only a small number of funds accept the Certificate IV, and several that do accept it do not pay benefits on it anyway.
4. A qualification earned in person. Associations and funds do not accept qualifications delivered predominantly by distance, online or external mode.⁸
5. Current first aid, professional indemnity and public liability insurance.

The practical consequence for you: a HICAPS terminal in a clinic proves nothing on its own. It tells you the clinic can transmit a claim. Whether that therapist is recognised by your fund for remedial massage at that address is a separate question, and it is the one that determines whether the claim goes through.

Waiting periods, limits and the sub-limit that catches people

Every fund we checked applies a two month waiting period to remedial massage. Once you have served it you never serve it again, and it is honoured if you switch funds.

A common belief is that two months is a legal maximum. It is not. The government sets maximum waiting periods for hospital cover only. Extras waiting periods are set by the insurers themselves, and they can be longer.⁹

Three things about limits that catch people out:

• The sub-limit bites before the headline limit. Many policies put massage inside a shared natural therapies pool, then cap massage separately within it. The number on the brochure is often not the number that applies to you.
• Limits usually reset on 1 January, not 1 July. Some funds use 1 July, some use your policy anniversary. It is fund-specific and worth checking.
• Limits are usually per person and per membership, whichever is reached first.

We have deliberately not published rebate amounts on this page. Every one of them changes at the annual premium round and again when funds refresh their products, and a stale figure is worse than no figure. Your fund will tell you your own number in about two minutes.

No fund we checked requires a referral

None of the major funds list a GP referral among their conditions for claiming remedial massage. You can book directly.

That is a statement about what the funds' published conditions say, not a suggestion that you should skip your GP. If your pain is new, severe, or comes with numbness, weakness or any change in bladder or bowel function, see a doctor first. Massage is not the right first step for those.

What Medicare, DVA, the NDIS and WorkCover actually pay

Nothing, in all four cases. The reasons are different and each one is documented.

Medicare: no, and it never has

Massage therapy is not on the list of allied health providers eligible under chronic condition management.² The list runs to fourteen professions, including chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists, podiatrists and exercise physiologists. Massage therapists are not among them, and there is no pathway for a massage therapist to obtain a Medicare provider number at all.

The old GP Management Plans ceased on 1 July 2025 and were replaced by the GP Chronic Condition Management Plan. Massage was not covered under the old framework and is not covered under the new one. "You can get five massages a year on a care plan" has never been true.

DVA: only when a different profession delivers it

The Department of Veterans' Affairs will not pay for massage unless it is "performed as part of physiotherapy, chiropractic or osteopathic services claimable through DVA and performed by a physiotherapist, chiropractor or osteopath".¹⁰

Both halves of that have to be true. A remedial massage therapist cannot satisfy the second one under any arrangement, including working inside a physiotherapy practice. A Gold Card does not change this, because it removes the question of whether a condition is service-related, not the question of who is eligible to provide the service.

The NDIS: excluded at statutory level

Since October 2024 the NDIS has had a statutory definition of what counts as a support.¹¹ Massage delivered by a massage therapist falls outside it. Because the exclusion sits at that level, it does not matter whether a plan is self-managed, plan-managed or agency-managed.

The clearest confirmation comes from the profession's own peak body, which is currently campaigning to have this changed:

Currently, remedial massage therapy is a funded treatment under the NDIS, but only if delivered by allied health practitioners. This policy excludes remedial massage therapists from providing funded services, despite their nationally recognised qualifications and inclusion in other healthcare programs, such as private health insurance.¹²

WorkCover WA: not a scheduled service

The fees order that sets maximum charges for treatment under WA workers compensation covers eleven services.¹³ Acupuncture is one of them. Massage is not mentioned anywhere in the instrument, so there is no rate for an insurer to pay against.

You will find Perth clinics claiming that motor vehicle injury insurance covers massage. We could not find any source from the insurer supporting that, and because motor injury payments are benchmarked against the WorkCover WA maximums, the absence of a massage rate flows through. Treat it as unproven and ask the claims officer before assuming.

Gift vouchers and rebates do not combine

If someone gives you a voucher and you use it for a remedial massage, that session is not claimable.

The reason is structural rather than a policy choice: the person who paid did not receive the treatment, and the person treated did not pay for it. Massage and Myotherapy Australia's fund guide states it directly, that services paid for by a third party such as a gift card are not eligible for a rebate.³

This is worth knowing before you buy rather than after. A voucher is a good gift. It is not a way to get a session at the gap price.

Twelve things people get wrong

1. "Massage got banned in 2019." Remedial massage was never on the excluded list.
2. "Any massage is claimable." Only remedial. Relaxation, hot stone, spa and aromatherapy are not.
3. "Reflexology is claimable if the therapist is qualified." No fund is permitted to pay on it.
4. "The clinic has a provider number." The therapist does, per modality and per address.
5. "They have HICAPS, so I can claim." The terminal is not the question. Recognition is.
6. "Any qualification counts." Distance and online-delivered qualifications are rejected outright.
7. "Two months is the legal maximum wait." Only for hospital cover. Extras waits are set by insurers.
8. "I serve the waiting period again each year." No. Once served it is done, and it carries across on switching.
9. "My limit is the headline number." The sub-limit inside it usually applies first.
10. "Medicare covers five sessions on a care plan." It has never covered massage under any framework.
11. "I need a GP referral to claim." No fund we checked requires one.
12. "I can pay with a voucher and still claim." The two cannot be combined.

Frequently asked questions

Is remedial massage covered by private health insurance?

Yes, on extras cover, with almost every Australian fund. What you get back depends on your fund, your level of cover, any sub-limit that applies to massage and how much of your limit you have already used. Your fund can tell you your own figure quickly, and it is worth asking before you book.

Can I claim reflexology on my health fund?

No. Reflexology is one of the natural therapies excluded from private health insurance by the Commonwealth, so no fund is permitted to pay a benefit on it, regardless of the therapist's qualifications or your level of cover. We offer reflexology and it is not claimable.

Does Medicare cover remedial massage?

No. Massage therapy does not appear on the list of allied health services eligible under chronic condition management, and there is no way for a massage therapist to obtain a Medicare provider number. This was true under the old GP Management Plans and remains true under the GP Chronic Condition Management Plan that replaced them on 1 July 2025.

Do I need a doctor's referral to claim remedial massage?

None of the major funds list a referral among their conditions for claiming. You can book directly. See your GP first if your pain is new or severe, or if it comes with numbness, weakness or any change in bladder or bowel function.

Can I use a gift voucher and claim a rebate on the same session?

No. A session paid for with a voucher is not claimable, because the person who paid did not receive the treatment and the person treated did not pay for it.

How long is the waiting period for massage on extras cover?

Two months at every fund we checked. Once you have served it you do not serve it again, and a served waiting period is honoured if you change funds.