Medical expense deduction

[wlifrye]

I had surgery in December 2018. I didn't get / pay the bills until 2019. Can I still deduct these expenses on my 2018 taxes?

[tagteam · Accepted solution]

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@wlifrye wrote:

I had surgery in December 2018. I didn't get / pay the bills until 2019. Can I still deduct these expenses on my 2018 taxes?

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No. As a cash basis taxpayer, you report expenses in the year they are actually paid (in this case that would be 2019).

See https://www.irs.gov/publications/p502#en_US_2018_publink1000178852