I have
received some questions about medical expenses lately, so this week I would
like to go over deducting medical expenses. Generally, medical expenses are subject to over 7.5% of your
Adjusted Gross Income. In English
that means that your medical expenses are only deductible if they are over 7.5%
of what you earn in a year. For
example, if you earned $50,000 your medical expense would have to be over
$3750. So if you paid $5000 in
medical expenses you can only deduct $1250.
Let’s take a
look at some of the things that are deductible. They include: prescriptions
medications, doctors, dentists, medical examinations, medical tests, nursing
care, hospital expenses, special treatment programs, medical aids, corrective
surgery, certain lodging and travel expenses such as mileage to and from any of
the above places.
There is one
more thing that is deductible but a little confusing and that is health
insurance premiums. Today there
are many ways that insurance premiums are paid: HSA, cafeteria plan, employer
paid, self-employed pay, just to name a few. If you are an employee, you may deduct only the premiums you
pay after taxes. Anything
pre-taxed are not deductible. If
you are self-employed or have a S Corp or LLC and you pay your own insurance
premiums you can deduct these premiums without the 7.5% limitation. (they are 100% deductible) It doesn’t matter if the company pays
the premiums or you pay them personally because they are deducted the same on
your personal tax return.
There are
many things that are not deductible. They include: the cost of diet food,
elective cosmetic surgery, life insurance, Medicare taxes paid from your pay
check or from self employment, nursing care for healthy babies, illegal
operations or drugs, imported drugs that are not FDA approved, foreign versions
of drugs, non-prescription medications , travel your doctor told you to take
for rest or relaxation, funeral, burial or cremation costs.
Often people
don’t try to deduct their medical because they don’t think they have enough to
deduct. I have found, however,
that often if people take the time to keep track of all the things that are
deductible they actually do have enough to deduct them on their taxes.
For more
detail information about medical deductions check out to www.avoidbeingaudited.com