@rjs wrote:
I can't find an official IRS statement of the rules for substantiating medical expense deductions.
Neither could I.
@rjs wrote:
Did the IRS audit your medical expenses and deny the deduction for some expenses? If so, what reason did they give for the denial?
No, but with $40,000+ in medical expenses, I am afraid they may and want to be prepared.
@rjs wrote:
I would think that a credit card receipt by itself might not be sufficient proof for a medical expense deduction. To be sufficient proof it would have to show that the entire amount of the payment was for services or products that are valid deductible medical expenses. An ordinary credit card receipt might not have enough detail about what the payment was for to show that. A payment to a doctor, hospital, pharmacy, or other provider is not necessarily for deductible medical expenses. (Pharmacies, in particular, sell a lot of things that are not deductible as medical expenses. Some medical treatments, such as cosmetic procedures, are not deductible.) If the credit card receipt does not have enough detail, you would have to have some other records to show what the payment was for.
I agree with you. The disconnect between what I read on this site and what I thought was a logical approach to the issue is what motivated my inquiry here.
