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jkcavitt
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I am 19 years old. My mother paid cobra payments for my health insurance. Can I deduct these on my tax return?

 
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I am 19 years old. My mother paid cobra payments for my health insurance. Can I deduct these on my tax return?

If you are not a dependent on someone else's tax return, you can only take the deduction for the medical expenses/health insurance premiums if you actually paid them.  If your mother paid them on your behalf as a gift, you would be able to deduct (with no expectation of being paid back)

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I am 19 years old. My mother paid cobra payments for my health insurance. Can I deduct these on my tax return?

If you are not a dependent on someone else's tax return, you can only take the deduction for the medical expenses/health insurance premiums if you actually paid them.  If your mother paid them on your behalf as a gift, you would be able to deduct (with no expectation of being paid back)

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post
**Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"

I am 19 years old. My mother paid cobra payments for my health insurance. Can I deduct these on my tax return?

You might be disappointed with the results of trying to claim an itemized deduction such as the medical expense without any other itemized deductions.  The medical deduction is hard to get.

The medical expense deduction has to meet a rather large threshold before it can affect your return. The amount of medical 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 2017—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

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
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