My wife is 64, retired. Health insurance through her work, pays premiums of $16,200 per year. Is this deductible? If so, where on the forms do I take this.

[MinhT1 · Accepted solution]

If the health insurance premiums are paid out out pocket and not reimbursed by her company, they can be deducted as Medical expenses.

You can claim all medical and dental bills, prescription drugs and health insurance premiums paid out-of-pocket as Medical Expenses in Schedule A - Itemized Deductions.

The IRS has an extensive list of what you can and can’t deduct.

For tax year 2025, Medical Expenses are subject to the 7.5% rule and you can only claim the excess over 7.5% of your Adjusted Gross Income.

Please note that Itemized Deductions will only benefit your taxes when they exceed your standard deduction.

For tax year 2025, standard deductions are:

• $31,500 for married couples whose filing status is “married filing jointly” and surviving spouses;
• $15,750 for singles and married couples whose filing status is “married filing separately”; and
• $23,625 for taxpayers whose filing status is “head of household.”

The additional standard deduction for a blind taxpayer—i.e. a taxpayer whose vision is less than 20/200— and for a taxpayer who is age 65 or older at the end of the year is for each instance:

• $1,600 for married individuals; and
• $2,000 for singles and heads of household.

A new, temporary additional deduction of $6,000 for those aged 65 and older (or $12,000 for a married couple if both qualify) is also available for tax years 2025 through 2028. The deduction begins to phase out at income greater than $75,000 and $150,000 if you’re married filing jointly. This is in addition to the standard deduction or itemized deductions. 

Here's how to enter your medical expenses in TurboTax:

1. Open or continue your return.
2. Navigate to the Schedule A section:

• TurboTax Online/Mobile: Go to Schedule A.
• TurboTax Desktop: Search for Schedule A and then select the Jump to link.