Medical expenses that are paid out of pocket \u2014 such as deductibles, clinic co-payments, prescription drugs, dental and vision care, and other healthcare costs not covered by insurance \u2014 are possible tax breaks.<\/p>\n
These include not only expenses for individuals, but for their spouses and any dependents they might claim. In the case of divorce \u2014 even if a person\u2019s former spouse claims their children as dependents \u2014\u00a0 unreimbursed medical expenses paid for these children can qualify as deductions.<\/p>\n
To deduct out-of-pocket medical expenses, deductions must be itemized and must exceed 10 percent of the filer\u2019s adjusted gross income or AGI<\/a> (7.5 percent of AGI for people 65 or older, or if a joint return is filed with a spouse who is 65 or older).<\/p>\n Unreimbursed medical expenses that fall into the following categories can be deducted:<\/p>\n Keep in mind that the IRS doesn\u2019t permit deductions of expenses incurred to maintain or benefit a person\u2019s health, such as the cost of nutritional supplements or a vacation. To qualify as deductions, medical expenses must alleviate, prevent, or manage physical or mental illness.<\/p>\n Examples of health practitioners whose fees or treatment-related costs can be deducted include:<\/p>\n Transportation costs related to accessing medical care afford deductions at a rate of 17 cents per mile, and amounts paid for qualified long-term care services can also be deducted (though expenses paid for qualified long-term care insurance can be deducted in only limited amounts).<\/p>\n As for common healthcare related expenses that can\u2019t be deducted, they include but are not limited to:<\/p>\n Premiums paid for certain types of policies that aren\u2019t tied to the actual cost of medical treatment also can\u2019t be deducted:<\/p>\n\n
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