is orthodontics/braces a covered medical expense?

stellacarlin2014 — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:33:23 GMT

I got braces in 2024. Is the amount paid covered for Medical Expenses?

Re: is orthodontics/braces a covered medical expense?

DoninGA — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 19:40:37 GMT

Yes, orthodontics/braces are a valid medical expense.

Re: is orthodontics/braces a covered medical expense?

Vanessa A — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 19:41:08 GMT

Yes, if you are itemizing your expenses, then you can include braces/orthodontics as a medical expense.

Itemized expenses include mortgage interest, gambling losses up to winnings, charitable contributions, state and local taxes up to $10,000, medical expenses in excess of 7.5% of your AGI and casualty and losses in excess of 10% of you AGI with the first $100 not counting towards the loss. Your braces and all medical expenses are only deductible for the amount that is over 7.5% of your AGI. This means if your AGI is $50,000, then the amount that is over $3,750 is deductible.

Then your total itemized expenses would need to be greater than your standard deduction below in order to benefit from your expenses.

The 2024 Standard Deductions are as follows:

Married Filing Joint (MFJ) $29,200
Married Filing Separate (MFS) $14,600
Head of Household (HOH) $21,900
Single $14,600

Blind or over 65 and MFJ or MFS add $1,550

Single or HOH if blind or over 65 add $1,950

Standard versus Itemized Deduction

topic is orthodontics/braces a covered medical expense? in Deductions & credits

is orthodontics/braces a covered medical expense?

Re: is orthodontics/braces a covered medical expense?

Re: is orthodontics/braces a covered medical expense?