Can I claim the cost of a walk in bath tub that was prescribed by my doctor?

[MinhT1 · Accepted solution]

Yes, you can claim the walk-in bath tub as Medical expenses.

For tax year 2019, 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 "help" when they exceed your standard deduction.

For 2019, standard deductions are:

For a taxpayer under 65, not claimed as a dependent

• $12,200 for Single
• $24,400 for Married Filing Jointly, or Qualifying Widow(er) with dependent child
• $18,350 for Head of Household
• $12,200 for Married Filing Separately
• If you are over 65 or blind, add $1,300 for each instance if married or add $1,650 each instance if single or head of household

In TurboTax, you can enter Medical expenses by following these steps:

• In TurboTax, open your tax return
• Click on Federal in the left-hand column, then on Deductions & Credits on top of the screen
• Scroll down to All Tax breaks, locate the section Medical and click on Show more
• Click Start next to Medical Expenses.

[macuser_22]

Just to clarify how much might be deductible since that would be a capital expense..  IRS Pub 502 page 6 says:

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

Use worksheet A in that pub to figure that deductible amount.

You can include in medical expenses amounts you pay for
special equipment installed in a home, or for improvements,
if their main purpose is medical care for you, your
spouse, or your dependent. The cost of permanent improvements
that increase the value of your property may
be partly included as a medical expense. The cost of the
improvement is reduced by the increase in the value of
your property. The difference is a medical expense. If the
value of your property isn't increased by the improvement,
the entire cost is included as a medical expense.
Certain improvements made to accommodate a home
to your disabled condition, or that of your spouse or your
dependents who live with you, don't usually increase the
value of the home and the cost can be included in full as
medical expenses. These improvements include, but
aren't limited to, the following items.
• Constructing entrance or exit ramps for your home.
• Widening doorways at entrances or exits to your
home.
• Widening or otherwise modifying hallways and interior
doorways.
• Installing railings, support bars, or other modifications
to bathrooms.
• Lowering or modifying kitchen cabinets and equipment.
• Moving or modifying electrical outlets and fixtures.
• Installing porch lifts and other forms of lifts (but elevators
generally add value to the house).
• Modifying fire alarms, smoke detectors, and other
warning systems.

• Modifying stairways.
• Adding handrails or grab bars anywhere (whether or
not in bathrooms).
• Modifying hardware on doors.
• Modifying areas in front of entrance and exit doorways.
• Grading the ground to provide access to the residence.
Only reasonable costs to accommodate a home to your
disabled condition are considered medical care. Additional
costs for personal motives, such as for architectural
or aesthetic reasons, aren't medical expenses.
Capital expense worksheet. Use Worksheet A to figure
the amount of your capital expense to include in your
medical expenses.

[Opus 17]

Short summary: If you are remodeling your bathroom, that is an improvement to your home and increases your home's value, and increases your cost basis, which may reduce the amount of capital gains tax you pay when you sell.  The part of the cost that is a deductible medical expense is the amount extra that the improvement costs due to your medical condition (and that part of the cost is not counted in the value of the improvement if you deduct it instead).