Medical travel expenses

[jim-carlson81]

We moved from Missouri to Arizona two years ago.  Our kids still live in Missouri. In 2017 my wife used our family dentist for checkups as we had not yet found one in Arizona.  Our "home base" in Missouri is now 120 miles from her dentist.  She had two dental visits in 2017.  Are we allowed to claim mileage for those visits on our 2017 itemized medical deductions?  I am aware of the percentage of medical to AGA limitations.  I just want to know if these miles are tax-deductible.

[Anita01]

Yes, mileage is deductible for medical or dental treatment at the lower medical mileage rate of $.17 for 2017 and as part of your medical deductions in the program.  You will specifically be asked for mileage for medical treatment and the entry would be the same for dental or other types of medical treatment.  The program will automatically use the correct rate.

[jim-carlson81]

I understand these expenses are generally deductible.  My question/concern really has more to do with the fact that she continued to use these providers after we left Missouri and moved to Arizona.  We would claim mileage from a different location in Missouri (where our kids live and where we stay when we visit them).  Round trip mileage is around 280 miles.  I just wondered if claiming it would raise some sort of red flag.  It would be unusual for someone to claim that many miles for a standard dental visit.  If the provider was a specialist living some distance from us that would be expected.  But that is not the case here.  She just chose to continue to go to this dentist until we found a new one in Arizona.

[Anita01]

There should be no problem with claiming mileage from the location of your visit to the location of any dentist or doctor in the area of your visit.  There is no requirement that you can only claim this mileage if you start at your old or new residence, just simply the number of miles driven to see a practitioner.  The very low amount that usually results from claims of medical mileage is one factor that precludes it becoming a "red flag".   Even a trip of 280 miles produces a total expense amount of less than $40.  There also is no indication of how many trips are involved in this number.  As I indicated, there are no requirements as to the circumstances of your visit.  It's pretty common for people to continue to use prior medical services after they move.  It usually takes some time to find new doctors/dentists in a new area anyway.

[jim-carlson81]

Thanks for your help, TurboTaxAnita!

[SweetieJean]

This would seem to say otherwise. And doesn't the primary purpose of the trip have to be for the dental care, not as an adjunct to a family visit?
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/taxation/income-tax/deductible-medical-travel-and-transportation-...>

[SweetieJean]

<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/publications/p502#en_US_2017_publink1000179025">https://www.irs.gov/publications...>

[Anita01]

I did not mean to imply they could deduct the cost of visiting their children, but that they could deduct mileage from the location where they are visiting to the dentist and back.  Again, it's very common for people to continue visiting their regular medical provider until they locate new ones in the area to which they move.  It's not pure choice if they have not yet found new providers.

[SweetieJean]

Well you did do the calculation for 280 miles. And they moved two years ago.