Doctor's bill weighing you down? Don't sweat it! They may be deductible. Actually, there are always a lot of clients that we use who're not aware of the fact that those costly doctor's visits can benefit you come tax time. Here is a list supplied by the IRS to see if your medical and dental expenses are deductible. This version is simplified to ensure that you may not have to be a tax professional like me to know terms like "AGI threshold" and "qualified expenses":

1. All "qualified" medical and dental bills paid out of pocket which can be above 7.5% of your Adjusted Gross Income(calculated on Line 37 of Form 1040). Qualified bills is likely to be explained below. The first qualification test is that YOU must pay the expenses. They can't be paid by your employer or insurance company. Such examples could be deductibles, co-pays or medical health insurance premiums that aren't withheld from your paycheck.

2. The 2nd qualification test is that the expenses MUST be paid for you, your spouse or anyone you claim on your tax return such as for example: children, friends/relatives that you support financially and deal with you or elderly/disabled relatives that you support, but live outside of your household. Furthermore, if you are divorced or separated and another parent claims your youngster, you can still deduct any qualified expenses you pay out of pocket for the child.

3. The third qualification test is that the expenses must be "paid for the prevention or alleviation of a physical or mental defect or illness." This will include a variety of expenses, ranging from prescribed weight-loss or smoking cessation programs to any prescription medicine you're taking Medical and Dental. This does NOT include any voluntary weight-loss programs or over-the-counter medications(except for insulin).

4. Along with the expenses above, mileage and/or transportation costs for medical care are also deductible. Like when you have to make use of public transportation to access the doctor, save those receipts. Likewise, in the event that you drive your own car, keep an eye on the mileage, especially if you have to operate a vehicle out of state for medical care. Furthermore, tolls and parking fees are deductible. What is not covered is any international medical travel, if you live nearby the Canadian or Mexican border and get your medications or treatment there, you can't deduct these expenses.

5. If you have a Health Savings Account or Flex Spending Arrangement at the job and need to withdraw any money for medical purposes you can do so without having to pay any tax on this distribution. So to summarize - the expenses must certanly be above 7.5% of your AGI, they should be out-of-pocket expenses that aren't reimbursed, they should be for yourself or anyone else listed or claimed on your tax return(or your youngster if you are divorced and still pay for their medical care), they should be to stop or alleviate a physical or mental defect or illness, you can deduct mileage and/or transportation costs and finally, any distributions from Health Savings plans employed for the qualified expenses explained above won't be taxable.