Can pet expenses be deducted if the main reason for buying the bet was as therapy for autistic son? Thanks

dmbornstein — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 02:26:15 GMT

Did a doctor prescribe this?

SweetieJean — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 02:26:17 GMT

Did a doctor prescribe this?

Certified therapy animals?

Lisa995 — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 02:26:18 GMT

Certified therapy animals?

A service animal is an animal that is trained to perform...

Opus 17 — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 02:26:20 GMT

A service animal is an animal that is trained to perform one or more assistive tasks, to assist someone with a health defect, disease or disability. Service animals are protected by the ADA and their cost, training and upkeep are deductible medical expenses.

A "therapy" animal is one that provides comfort through its natural behaviors, and is not trained to perform tasks. There is no recognized definition of a therapy animal, and therapy animals are not covered by the ADA. I don't know of any specific tax court cases, but I believe that since therapy animals are not covered under the ADA and are not trained to assist people with disabilities, they are not deductible medical expenses. But that's my opinion, as I said, I don't think there is a tax court case on this yet.

topic Can pet expenses be deducted if the main reason for buying the bet was as therapy for autistic son? Thanks in Deductions & credits

Can pet expenses be deducted if the main reason for buying the bet was as therapy for autistic son? Thanks

Did a doctor prescribe this?

Certified therapy animals?

A service animal is an animal that is trained to perform...