What a medical invoice template needs for a Medicare claim
Services Australia says a patient needs an itemized account or receipt to claim Medicare benefits, and that supplying the details is the health professional’s job, not the patient’s. If a detail is missing, the claim cannot be paid until it is supplied.
- The patient’s name
- The date of each service
- Amount charged, amount paid and amount outstanding
- The item number, alone or with a description of the service
- The name of the practitioner who gave the service and the practice address, or their provider number
- For referred services: the referring practitioner’s name, their address or provider number, the referral date and its period of validity
Provider numbers are not mandatory on the account, but Services Australia encourages them because claims are processed faster.
Is a medical invoice GST free?
Some health services are GST free and some are not. Services Australia states that medical services are GST free when a health professional provides them, the service meets the Medicare Benefits Schedule criteria and a Medicare benefit is payable. Check every other service or product with the Australian Taxation Office before you set a rate.
Our sample bills three GP consultations that carry Medicare benefits, so tax is set to none and the document is titled Invoice. A GST registered practice that also makes taxable sales must give a tax invoice for a taxable sale over $82.50 including GST, or whenever a customer asks. If a patient’s account for a Medicare service wrongly includes GST, Services Australia says the patient can ask for that GST back.
Keep health details off the invoice
An invoice is a financial document, and more people see it than a clinical note: family who open the mail, employers who reimburse costs, bookkeepers. Put on it only what the claim and payment need. The item number and a short service description do that job; a diagnosis does not belong there.
- Write “GP consultation, 20 minutes or more”, not the reason for the visit.
- Leave out conditions, medicines and test results.
- Email the patient’s own address unless they ask otherwise.
- If someone else pays, confirm with the patient what that payer may see.
Our generator makes the invoice in your browser, and nothing is sent to us unless you press Email me.
Example medical bill lines and how the rebate works
Each line on a clinic invoice should name the item, the date and the practitioner. The Medicare Benefits Schedule sets a schedule fee for each item and the practice sets its own fee. When the fee is higher than the Medicare benefit, the patient pays the gap. The private fees below are examples only.
| MBS item | Covers | Schedule fee | Example private fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | GP attendance at consulting rooms, at least 6 and under 20 minutes | $45.05 | $92.00 |
| 36 | GP attendance at consulting rooms, at least 20 minutes | $87.10 | $165.00 |
| 44 | GP attendance at consulting rooms, at least 40 minutes | $128.35 | $230.00 |
The MBS lists the benefit for these items at 100% of the schedule fee, as updated on 1 July 2026. A patient charged $92.00 for item 23 gets $45.05 back and pays a $46.95 gap.
Paid, part paid and unpaid clinic invoices
One clinic invoice can work as an account before payment and a receipt after it. Services Australia looks for the amounts charged, paid and outstanding; an account showing the amount paid equal to the charge, or wording such as Balance owing $0.00, counts as paid. Keep the figures consistent on every version.
- Unpaid: amount paid $0.00, outstanding equals the total.
- Part paid: note the date and amount received.
- Paid: issue it again with a nil balance, or use our receipt maker.
- Estimates: a quote given before the service is not accepted as proof of service.
Using the template and the generator
Open the medical invoice sample in the generator. It loads a Bendigo family practice billing one patient for three consultations by the same GP, with item numbers, dates and the practitioner’s name on each line. Your practice details stay in your browser.
Allied health practices may find the physiotherapy invoice closer to their work, and dental clinics the dental invoice template. For ABNs and tax invoices, see the Australian invoice template page and our guide to what a tax invoice is, or browse the invoice template library.
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