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Level 2
February 27, 2023
Question

ROTH CONTRIBUTIONS PRIOR TO 2022

  • February 27, 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 0 views

I am 68 years old.  I have 2 Roth accounts that I haven't contributed to in years.  Last year I took money out for medical expenses.  TT is asking me for contributions prior to 2022.  Good Grief, that could be decades of information that I have to figure out.  Why is it doing this?  And do I have to go back decades??

    1 reply

    Level 15
    February 27, 2023

    As you are over 59 1/2 and your Roth IRA accounts are more than 5 years old, all distributions from these accounts are tax-free.

     

    TurboTax needs your past contributions to these Roth IRA to determine the taxable part if you are younger than 59 1/2 and/or the Roth IRA accounts are less than 5 years old. This number is not reported on your tax return.

     

    This does not apply to you and you can skip this question.

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    Level 2
    February 27, 2023

    Can I ask a separate question?  Last year, I was dealing with severe back pain that conventional medicine in the US could not help.  I went to Panama for stem cells, which made me pain-free.  The cost was $25,400 which was a package (treatments, hotel, airport transfers), the airfare also cost $2389.07.  Took a long time to save this money up, but it was well spent.  Is any of it medically deductible?

    Level 15
    February 27, 2023

    @leechipturner wrote:

    Can I ask a separate question?  Last year, I was dealing with severe back pain that conventional medicine in the US could not help.  I went to Panama for stem cells, which made me pain-free.  The cost was $25,400 which was a package (treatments, hotel, airport transfers), the airfare also cost $2389.07.  Took a long time to save this money up, but it was well spent.  Is any of it medically deductible?


    That's tricky.  The IRS says,

    https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf

     

    Illegal Operations and Treatments

    You can't include in medical expenses amounts you pay for illegal operations, treatments, or controlled substances whether rendered or prescribed by licensed or unlicensed practitioners.

     

    Medicines and Drugs From Other Countries

    In general, you can't include in your medical expenses the cost of a prescribed drug brought in (or ordered and shipped) from another country. You can only include the cost of a drug that was imported legally. For example, you can include the cost of a prescribed drug the Food and Drug Administration announces can be legally imported by individuals.

    You can include the cost of a prescribed drug you purchase and consume in another country if the drug is legal in both the other country and the United States.

     

    If we assume the treatment is deductible, then you can deduct your actual travel costs (plane fare, etc.) and $50 per night for lodging.

     

    I don't know the status of stem cell treatments.  Are they approved in the US but more expensive, or are they not approved by the FDA but not technically illegal, or are they actually illegal?

     

    (For example, PRP therapy is only FDA approved to help bone grafts heal, but doctors may use it for other conditions.)