What Medical Expenses are Tax Deductible?
Litchfield Resident Seeks Advice
Qualified, unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income for the calendar year can be deducted from your taxes. These deductions include preventative care, treatment, surgeries, dental and vision care. Prescription medications also fall into this deduction.
A Litchfield resident was seeing higher than normal expenses on his family’s medical care throughout the year. Seeking relief, he contacted the experts at Merrimack Tax Associates to see if any of these expenses could be deducted from his taxes.
Claiming Medical Expenses Deduction
For a year where medical bills are particularly high, the IRS does offer some relief. If these expenses are more than 10% of your adjusted gross income you qualify for the medical expenses tax deduction. Adjusted gross income is your taxable income, less deductions and adjustments such as IRA contributions and student loan interest. In 2017 and 2018, the number was 7.5% but has been changed to 10% for 2019.
Qualifying Medical Expenses
Most medical expenses do fall into this tax deduction, from general practitioners and surgery to dental and vision care. Also included are prescriptions, glasses or contacts and hearing aids. These expenses do not count towards the deduction if they are reimbursed by insurance or your employer. Cosmetic procedures are also not normally deductible. General health care items such as gym memberships, vitamins and non-prescription nicotine products are not deductible.
To claim this tax savings, you must itemize your deductions. This will only offer a savings if your itemized deductions are greater than your standard deductions. When filing, you will need to complete the IRS Form 1040 with a Schedule A. As with any tax deduction, it is important that you maintain good records yourself to justify these deductions in the event of an audit.
For the Litchfield resident, his medical expenses justify taking advantage of this tax deduction. Merrimack Tax Associates will be ready to assist him with this paperwork at the end of the year.