Medical aid

How to get your GEMS tax certificate for SARS

The Government Employees Medical Scheme issues the tax certificate for the tax year that ended in February. Getting the certificate is the easy part. Getting it through eFiling is where most uploads fail.

Prepare medical certificates for eFiling. TaxScanZA scans and exports SARS-ready PDFs under the upload limit.
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Updated 27 July 2026. General information, not tax advice. TaxScanZA is independent of GEMS and SARS.

Where to find the certificate

  • GEMS member portal: Log in at gems.gov.za and look for tax certificates under your documents or statements section.
  • Email: GEMS sends certificates to members around June for the tax year that ended in February. Search your inbox for "tax certificate".
  • Call centre: If you cannot log in, the scheme can email or resend the certificate.

If the portal layout has changed, searching for "tax certificate" inside the logged-in member area is the reliable route.

What the certificate shows

Contributions paid to the scheme for the tax year, the number of dependants per month, and claims the scheme did not cover. SARS receives this data directly from the scheme, which is why it is usually pre-populated in your return — but you still need the certificate itself if SARS selects your return for verification, or if you claim additional medical expenses.

Why the emailed PDF often fails on eFiling

Emailed certificates are frequently password-protected, usually with your ID number. The file opens fine for you, but SARS eFiling rejects password-protected PDFs, often without a clear error message. eFiling also rejects files over 5MB and filenames with special characters.

The fix: Open the certificate, print it or display it clearly, and scan it as a new PDF. A fresh scan carries no encryption marker. Keep the member name, scheme name, certificate figures, and dependant details readable.

Check the file before you upload

Run the certificate through the SARS Document Compliance Checker. It flags encrypted PDFs, oversized files, and bad filenames in your browser, without uploading anything. Then follow the medical aid certificate upload guide for the eFiling submission itself.

See also encrypted PDF upload error, filing season 2026 dates, and the supporting documents checklist. Member of another scheme? See the guides for Discovery Health, Bonitas, and Momentum Medical Scheme.