Can you claim Ozempic, Wegovy or Zepbound on your taxes in Canada?
Which costs count, how the Medical Expense Tax Credit is worked out, a worked example, and what to do about insurance, savings cards and receipts.
Written for Canada. Other country versions are coming.
Yes, if you paid for them yourself. Prescription medicines recorded by a pharmacist count for the federal Medical Expense Tax Credit, a non-refundable credit, not a deduction. Only the amount above 3% of your net income or $2,834 for 2025, whichever is less, counts, and not anything insurance paid back.
Key takeaways
- The Canada Revenue Agency counts prescription drugs that can lawfully be obtained only with a prescription, and that a pharmacist records, as eligible medical expenses.1
- For 2025, you can claim eligible medical expenses above 3% of your net income or $2,834, whichever is less.2
- The federal credit is worth 14.5% of the claimable amount for 2025 and 14% from 2026, the lowest tax rate.3
- You can claim only the part of an expense that you haven’t been, and won’t be, reimbursed for, for example by an insurance plan.2
- Needles and syringes count too, when prescribed, the Canada Revenue Agency says.1
On this page
Do GLP‑1 medicines count as a medical expense?
Yes. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) counts prescription drugs that can lawfully be obtained only with a prescription, and that a pharmacist records.1
- GLP‑1 medicines are prescription-only in Canada. Every product named here is on Health Canada’s prescription schedule.4
- This post explains CRA rules. It isn’t tax advice; for your own return, ask the CRA or a tax professional.
- Figures are for the 2025 tax year unless we say otherwise. The CRA updates them each year.
- Medicines: Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, Mounjaro and generic semaglutide are all prescription-only in Canada.4
- Needles: “Needles and syringes – prescription needed.”1
- Not covered: over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and supplements, even if a practitioner prescribes them.1
The CRA’s wording is about how the drug is obtained, not the condition it treats.1 The prescriber must be someone the CRA recognizes as a medical practitioner; its list, by province, includes pharmacists and registered nurses, including nurse practitioners.5
How does the Medical Expense Tax Credit work?
Add up eligible expenses for any 12-month period ending in the tax year, take off the threshold, and the credit is a percentage of what’s left.2,3
- Pick a 12-month period ending in the tax year, for expenses you didn’t claim the year before.2
- Subtract the threshold: 3% of your net income (line 23600) or $2,834, whichever is less, for 2025.2
- The federal credit is the lowest tax rate times what’s left: 14.5% for 2025, and 14% from 2026.3
- Provinces and territories have their own credit on Form 428. Quebec residents claim through Revenu Québec.2
Non-refundable. The credit can only reduce tax you owe; it can’t create a refund on its own.3 A separate refundable medical expense supplement exists for working people with low incomes and high medical costs.2
Families. One person can claim for themselves, a spouse or common-law partner and children under 18 on line 33099. The CRA notes it may be better for the partner with the lower net income to claim.2
How much could it be worth?
For someone with $60,000 of net income who paid $3,000 for pens and needles in 2025, the federal credit would be about $174. This is our arithmetic, using the CRA’s rules.2,3
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Paid out of pocket in the 12 months | $3,000 |
| Threshold: 3% of $60,000 = $1,800 (less than $2,834) | −$1,800 |
| Claimable amount | $1,200 |
| Federal credit at 14.5% (2025) | about $174 |
Our worked example, not a quote of your tax. Provincial credits are extra and differ by province. Rules from the CRA and Finance Canada, checked 12 Oct 2026.2,3
The $3,000 is a round figure for the sum, not a price. Our post on GLP‑1 prices in Canada has the official prices.
Add your plan’s share and your pharmacy’s price, and see a year’s total. No sign-up.
What about insurance, premiums and savings cards?
Claim only what you paid and weren’t paid back. The CRA says you can claim only the part of an expense that hasn’t been, and won’t be, reimbursed.2
- Insurance: if your plan paid 80%, the 20% you paid is the expense.2
- Premiums: premiums you pay to a private health services plan are eligible. Premiums your employer paid, and that weren’t included in your income, are not.2
- Savings cards: a maker’s card, such as Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic card, lowers what you pay at the counter.6 By our reading of the CRA rule, the amount you actually paid is the expense.2
What records should you keep?
Your pharmacy receipts. Don’t send them with your return, but keep them in case the CRA asks.2
- From the pharmacy: ask for a yearly summary or keep each receipt. The CRA rule needs a pharmacist’s record of the drug.1
- Bought outside Canada: the CRA says you can generally claim amounts paid outside Canada.2 But Health Canada generally doesn’t let residents bring in prescription drugs bought abroad.7
Questions people ask
Is Ozempic tax deductible in Canada?
It counts as an eligible medical expense for the Medical Expense Tax Credit. That’s a non-refundable credit, not a deduction.1,3
Can I claim Wegovy if I take it for weight loss?
The CRA’s rule is about drugs that need a prescription and are recorded by a pharmacist; it doesn’t name the condition.1 Wegovy is prescription-only in Canada.4
What is the medical expense threshold for 2025?
3% of your net income or $2,834, whichever is less.2
Can I claim the part my insurance paid?
No. You can claim only the part you haven’t been, and won’t be, reimbursed for.2
Can I claim needles for my pen?
Yes, when prescribed: the CRA lists “Needles and syringes – prescription needed”.1
How we researched this
On 12 Oct 2026 we read the CRA’s pages on lines 33099 and 33199, its list of eligible medical expenses and its list of authorized medical practitioners, and Finance Canada’s 2026 report on the lowest tax rate and non-refundable credits.
Revenu Québec’s page on its own credit blocked our access, so we don’t describe the Quebec credit. The worked example uses round numbers and the federal credit only. This is general information, not tax advice.
Before you move on
- Prescription GLP‑1s and prescribed needles count as medical expenses.
- Only the amount above 3% of net income or $2,834 (2025) counts.
- The credit is non-refundable: 14.5% federally for 2025, 14% from 2026.
- Keep pharmacy receipts; claim only what you weren’t paid back.
More from the Canada blog
The monthly Canada update
An independent guide to GLP‑1 medicines. We don't sell medicines, take drug-company money or earn clinic commissions. Once a month: coverage changes, approvals, safety notices and recalls. How we write
Sources
- Canada Revenue Agency. Details of medical expenses: “Prescription drugs and medications” and “Needles and syringes – prescription needed”. Opened 12 October 2026. canada.ca
- Canada Revenue Agency. Lines 33099 and 33199: eligible medical expenses you can claim on your tax return (3% of net income or $2,834 for 2025; reimbursed amounts; premiums to private health services plans; Quebec residents see Revenu Québec). Page modified 20 January 2026. canada.ca
- Department of Finance Canada. Report on the impact of reducing the lowest marginal personal income tax rate on non-refundable tax credits (14.5% for 2025, 14% from 2026; Bill C-4, Royal Assent 12 March 2026). Opened 12 October 2026. canada.ca
- Health Canada. Drug Product Database: product records and status for semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide products (all on the prescription schedule; generic semaglutide products from Dr. Reddy’s and Apotex marketed in May 2026; Sevmia, Aspen and Sandoz products approved but not marketed). Searched 12 October 2026. health-products.canada.ca
- Canada Revenue Agency. Authorized medical practitioners for the purposes of the medical expense tax credit (table by province, including pharmacists and nurse practitioners). Opened 12 October 2026. canada.ca
- Novo Nordisk Canada. Ozempic Savings Card program expanded for patients with private coverage. Press release, 6 July 2026. novonordisk.ca (PDF)
- Health Canada. Bringing health products into Canada for personal use (GUI-0116). Updated 13 July 2026. canada.ca
Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Apr 2027 · Report an error
How this post was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above. It's general information, not medical, legal or tax advice. Talk to a qualified doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write