TaxMan123.com

By Roger Chartier

United States of America IRS Tax Information

Deduct Medical and Dental Expenses

Here's a good reminder that we all can live with about medical deductions and dental deductions. The IRS medical and dental deductions have a few rules but still it's a tremendous savings for a lot of folks.

This is for you, your spouse and dependants (the kiddies, maybe grandma etc., but not the dog). And... there is a Health Coverage tax credit, see publication 502.

www.1040-Forms.com

1. You will have to itemize. You deduct qualifying medical and dental expenses if you itemize on IRS Form 1040, Schedule A.

2. Deduction is limited. You can deduct total medical care expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income for the year. You figure this on Form 1040, Schedule A.

3. Expenses must have been paid in 2011. You can include the medical and dental expenses you paid during the year, regardless of when the services were provided. You’ll need to have good receipts or records to substantiate your expenses.

4. You can’t deduct reimbursed expenses. Your total medical expenses for the year must be reduced by any reimbursement. Normally, it makes no difference if you receive the reimbursement or if it is paid directly to the doctor or hospital.

5. Whose expenses qualify. You may include qualified medical expenses you pay for yourself, your spouse and your dependents. Some exceptions and special rules apply to divorced or separated parents, taxpayers with a multiple support agreement or those with a qualifying relative who is not your child.
See Parental Support

6. Types of expenses that qualify. You can deduct expenses primarily paid for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease, or treatment affecting any structure or function of the body. For drugs, you can only deduct prescription medication and insulin. You can also include premiums for medical, dental and some long-term care insurance in your expenses. Starting in 2011, you can also include lactation supplies.

7. Transportation costs may qualify. You may deduct transportation costs primarily for and essential to medical care that qualify as medical expenses. You can deduct the actual fare for a taxi, bus, train, plane or ambulance as well as tolls and parking fees. If you use your car for medical transportation, you can deduct actual out-of-pocket expenses such as gas and oil, or you can deduct theStandard Mileage Rate for medical expenses. January 1 to end of December.

8. Tax-favored saving for medical expenses. Distributions from Health Savings Accounts and withdrawals from Flexible Spending Arrangements may be tax free if used to pay qualified medical expenses including prescription medication and insulin.

See IRS publication 502 for more details.

For information about Health Savings Accounts and other tax-favored tax plans see IRS Publication 969.