The (US) Tax man cometh

[Patricia56]

I suggest that every parent of a child with Crohn's review IRS publicatoin 502 Medical and Dental Expenses before preparing their taxes.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf

You may be surprised to learn that you have more $$ medical expenses than you expected and may even reach the 7% floor and be able to claim them as a deductible expense on Schedule A.

One thing that many people fail to understand is that nutritional supplements like iron or Ensure, etc are TAX DEDUCTIBLE medical expenses if you have a doctor's prescription for them. They must be used to treat a specific medical condition.

If you are using a case of ensure a week that can really add up.

Nonprescription Drugs and Medicines

Except for insulin, you cannot include in medical expen-ses amounts you pay for a drug that is not prescribed.Example. Your doctor recommends that you take as-pirin. Because aspirin is a drug that does not require a physician's prescription, you cannot include its cost in your medical expenses.

Nutritional Supplements
You cannot include in medical expenses the cost of nutritional supplements, vitamins, herbal supplements, “natural medicines,” etc. unless they are recommended by a medical practitioner as treatment for a specific medical condition diagnosed by a physician. Otherwise, these items are taken to maintain your ordinary good health, and are not for medical care.

Get a prescription from your doctor and keep it on file if you are going to take these deductions.

I also suggest, if you are not using a paid preparer, that you add an information form to your return that states that you have a child with a severe, chronic medical condition and that is why your medical expenses are so high. This is a particularly good idea if you have a lot more medical expenses than in the past or the total expenses represent a large proportion of your income.

Not a tax professional. Just an expert caregiver who's taken $10,000+ deductible medical expenses every year for tooooooo many years.

All the best

 

[NMMom]

Thank you so much for this! As I am gathering up tax stuff today your message couldn't have been more timely

 

[jmckinley]

So we could do the probiotics this way also if the GI writes a script for them?

 

[mnsun]

Great idea. Just wondering: could you get a prescript for fish oil or probiotics written, but instead claim over the counter versions of them? Prescription fish oil and probios are both available but they cost too much. What do you think?

 

[Patricia56]

If you have a tax professional you should check with them.

I deduct the cost of my son's OTC items like iron, folic acid, miralax if his doctor has specifically ordered that he take them. I ask the doctor to write the information on a rx pad and keep that in my records.

I have never been audited so I can't say for sure what might happen.

However, it would appear to me that the wording which I quoted directly from publication 502 would allow the deduction of the cost of probiotics and fishoil as medical expenses if prescribed by a doctor for a diagnosed condition - in this case IBD.

"You cannot include ... unless they are recommended by a medical practitioner as treatment..."

Seems pretty straightforward to me actually. And it's not like we're talking $15,000 worth of medical expenses in fish oil caps. You still have to have enough out of pocket plus mileage expenses to reach the 7% floor before anything is deductible.

But don't forget that mileage. To doctor, to lab, to pharmacy, to therapy, to store to buy probiotics, etc. You may be shocked at how fast it adds up and the amount it increases your $$ at 23 cents a mile.

If you're using special bandaging/tape to hold down the NG tube - deductible.
Pretty sure you could claim all those batteries you are using to power the portable pump if you have one.
Anything that has to be modified to accommodate a disability qualifies.
Not sure about whether you could deduct adult diapers but it's worth checking out.
The price of the pill box?

The list seems endless.

 

[Dexky]

Thanks Patricia! My wife is such a deduction hound! I'll have to mention this. Hmm, I wonder if supplements suggested by a chiro/nutritionist/naturo/possible quack would qualify?

 

[Patricia56]

Has to be specific treatment for a diagnosed, specific medical condition diagnosed by an actual medical professional (quack?). And I would say that if the "medical professional" is not licensed to issue prescriptions you might be on shaky ground.

:yoshijumpjoy: :yoshijumpjoy: :yoshijumpjoy:

(closest I could come to a duck. sorry)

 

[erinsmom]

Patricia-

Thank you so much for the advice. My daughter was just diagnosed last week, but I had no clue I could claim the mileage, etc.. so I will have to start keeping better records.

M

 

[Momto2girls]

THanks! It is so funny b/c we JUST looked this up yesterday!

 

[my little penguin]

Bump
Taxes are near

 

[izzi'smom]

I was able to get reimbursed for my Cetaphil cream and soap via my FSA because my dermatologist recommended it to reduce my psoriasis symptoms, so I would assume other OTC items recommended by a doc would be covered.
My FSA through my job actually automatically reimburses for mileage...love it!

 

[my little penguin]

Fsa can't not be claimed

 

[izzi'smom]

I know...but itemizing medical expenses can be done in lieu of a FSA...and if it was FSA deductible I am assuming that it would also qualify to reach the 7% floor.

 

[Dexky]

I'm glad my bro-in-law's a CPA!!