medical expenses

[19390]

I have a chronic illness, so I have a lot of medical expenses, most of which not covered by Medicare or supplemental insurance. Do I have to enter the expenses into categories, such as acupuncture, physical therapy, doctors, visits, craniosacral therapy, non-prescription supplements recommended by my doctor, etc. Thank you.

Karen Gallimore

[Cindy4]

You can enter the expenses in as much level of detail as you would like to.  Sometimes that makes it easier if the IRS asks you to substantiate an expense.  Here is a helpful link regarding entering medical expenses with a good example of how to enter the expenses.  Be sure to account for mileage as well as dental and vision expenses. 

I'm sorry to hear about your situaion and hope you get well soon!

Cindy

[carolineb]

I understand your situation, as my husband is a disabled US Marine with many health issues which are not covered by Medicare or the VA. However, not all out of pocket expenses are tax deductible. Here is a link to IRS Topic 502 which lists deductible and non deductible expenses: Tax Topic 502

When entering your medical expenses in TurboTax, the program will first give you the amount of out of pocket medical expenses that will be disallowed (7/5% of your AGI). For example, if your adjusted gross income is $20,000, TurboTax will ask you if you spent more than $1500 in out of pocket expenses. You would need to have paid out at least $1501 in order to get a $1 deduction, since the first $1500 will be disallowed. 

If you spent more than the disallowed amount, it is best to enter them as the program asks, broken down as to lab fees, prescriptions, etc. You are also allowed a deduction for any medical mileage to and from doctor appointments, as long as you keep a log as a record. 

TurboTax will then compare your itemized deductions (allowed medical expenses, mortgage interest, real estate and state taxes, charitable contributions) to your standard deduction. If the standard deduction for your filing status exceeds your itemized deductions, the program will automatically take the higher of the two. 

I hope you find this information helpful. If so, please give it a thumbs up!