medical deductions

[mgoverna]

I paid a $9000.00 medical bill for my adult son. He is not a dependent. Is it tax deductible on my tax return?

[DoninGA]

Yes, you can claim those medical expenses paid for your son on your tax return.

To enter your medical expenses -

• Click on Federal Taxes (Personal using Home and Business)
• Click on Deductions and Credits
• Click on I'll choose what I work on (if shown)
• Scroll down to Medical
• On Medical Expenses, click the start or update button

Or enter medical expenses, sch a in the Search box located in the upper right of the program screen. Click on Jump to medical expenses, sch a

[Hal_Al]

Generally, no. But  exceptions exist for claiming non-dependent medical expenses on your tax return. The exceptions allow you to claim medical expenses of someone who is not your dependent. You can claim an exception for any of these people:

A person who was your dependent either:

When the service was performed

When the medical expense was paid

A child of divorced or separated parents. This child is treated as a dependent of both parents. Each parent can claim the medical expenses he or she paid for the child. For this to apply:

The child must be in the custody of one or both parents for more than half the year and receive over half of his or her support during the year from his or her parents.

One of these must apply to the parents:

They’re divorced or legally separated under a decree of divorce or separate maintenance.

They’re separated under a written separation agreement.

They’ve lived apart at all times during the last six months of the year.

An individual you would have been allowed to claim as a dependent except one of these applied:

He or she received gross income of $4,300 or more in the year.

He or she filed a joint return for the year.

You (or your spouse if married filing jointly) could be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return in the current year.

Reference: https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/filing/adjustments-and-deductions/claiming-non-dependent-medical-...

[DoninGA]

As stated in the Schedule A instructions on page 2 - https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040sca.pdf#page=2

Whose medical and dental expenses can you include?

Any person you could have claimed as a dependent on your return except that person received $4,300 or more of gross income or filed a joint return.

[mgoverna]

So, I have one yes and one no reply. Referencing the IRS document above  the answer is no. This is not a helpful forum. I expected reliable advice. Otherwise I could have asked friends on Facebook. 

[Hal_Al]

Actually you got one yes and  two maybes.

The author of the yes answer assumed  that your son qualified as your "medical dependent*"  even though he is not your tax dependent.  It's not an unreasonable assumption, based  on the information provided: you son meets the relationship test and you provided a lot of support (although we don't know if you {and other relatives} provided  the required more than half his support. 

*Medical dependent .

If your close relative cannot be your dependent because he had more than $4,300 of gross income, but otherwise would have qualified as your dependent (basically that you & other family members provided more than half his support), then you can include in your deductible medical expenses any qualifying medical expenses you paid on his/her behalf just as if he/she was your dependent.