deducting medicare payments

[taxforstevelaura]

My wife and I had social security for only part of 2024.  Do we list the medicare premiums for the months before starting SS?

[xmasbaby0]

If you paid out of pocket for Medicare before you started getting SS you can enter that as a medical expense.

If you receive Social Security benefits, your Medicare is deducted from your SS.   When you enter the SSA1099 for your Social Security, the amount paid for Medicare flows automatically to the medical expense section of the software, so do not enter it again.

MEDICAL EXPENSES

The medical expense deduction has to meet a rather large threshold before it can affect your return. The amount of medical (including dental, vision, etc.)  expenses that will count toward itemization is the amount that is OVER 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. You should only enter the amount that you paid in 2024—do not include any amounts that were covered by insurance or that are still outstanding.  Of course, your medical expenses plus your other itemized deductions still have to exceed your standard deduction before you will see a difference in your tax due or refund.

To enter your medical expenses go to Federal>Deductions and Credits>Medical>Medical Expenses

2024 STANDARD DEDUCTION AMOUNTS

SINGLE $14,600    (65 or older/legally blind + $1950)

MARRIED FILING SEPARATELY            $14,600    (65 or older/legally blind + $1550)

MARRIED FILING JOINTLY $29,200    (65 or older/legally blind + $1550)

HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD $21,900    (65 or older/legally blind + $1950)

[Vanessa A]

Yes, If you are itemizing your return or claiming self-employed health insurance deduction, then you would include your Medicare and any supplemental health insurance premiums that are not included on your SSA-1099 in the boxes labeled for Health Insurance on either the Medical Expense section or the Self-Employed Health Insurance section (whichever applies)

Remember if you are itemizing your return, that your medical expenses including premiums are only deductible for the amount that is greater than 7.5% of your AGI.  Itemized expenses include mortgage interest, gambling losses up to winnings,  charitable contributions, state and local taxes up to $10,000, medical expenses in excess of 7.5% of your AGI and casualty and losses in excess of 10% of you AGI with the first $100 not counting towards the loss.  Your health insurance and all medical expenses are only deductible for the amount that is over 7.5% of your AGI.  This means if your AGI is $50,000, then the amount that is over $3,750 is deductible.  

Then your total itemized expenses would need to be greater than your standard deduction below in order to benefit from your expenses. 

The 2024 Standard Deductions are as follows:

• Married Filing Joint (MFJ)              $29,200
• Married Filing Separate (MFS)      $14,600
• Head of Household (HOH)             $21,900 
• Single                                                 $14,600                                

Blind or over 65 and MFJ or MFS add $1,550

Single or HOH if blind or over 65 add $1,950

Standard versus Itemized Deduction

If you are claiming this for the self-employed health insurance deduction, then the reduction is limited to your SE net Income.  It cannot be used to create a loss on your return.