Can I Deduct My Medical Expenses?

If you itemize your deductions on Schedule A of Form 1040, you may be able to deduct expenses you paid that year for medical and dental care for yourself, as well as for your spouse and dependents, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says.

What can I deduct?

A deduction is allowed for expenses paid for the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a physical or mental illness. You can include only expenses you paid in that tax year, regardless of when the services were provided, the IRS says.

Some of the expenses you can deduct include:

• Prescription drugs and insulin

• Doctor, dentist, surgeon, psychiatrist, and psychologist visits

• Medical supplies and equipment, such as oxygen and diagnostic devices

• Hospital, long-term care, nursing, and lab services

• Acupuncture and chiropractor visits

• Treatment for alcohol or drugs

• Quit smoking programs and prescription drugs

• Prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses, laser eye surgery, hearing aids, crutches, and wheelchairs

• Transportation for medical care

• Insurance premiums that cover the expenses of medical care and long-term care services

• Ambulance service

• Special equipment installed in a home, or for improvements, if their main purpose is medical

• Dental treatment, including X-rays, fillings, false teeth, braces, extractions, and dentures

• Lead-based paint removal from surfaces in your home

• Weight-loss programs to treat a physician-diagnosed disease

How much can I deduct?

You may deduct only the amount by which your total medical care expenses for the year exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income (AGI).

For example: Your AGI is $40,000, 7.5 percent of which is $3,000. You paid medical expenses of $2,500. You can't deduct these expenses because they're not more than 7.5 percent of your AGI.

Be sure to contact the IRS or your tax adviser regarding the eligibility of specific deductions, as tax laws are subject to change each year.

What can't I deduct?

These are some of the medical expenses you can't deduct:

• Unnecessary cosmetic surgery, such as face-lifts, hair transplants, hair removal, teeth whitening, and liposuction

• Your full reimbursement from your medical flexible spending account if you contribute to one

• Nutritional supplements, vitamins, herbal supplements, and "natural medicines," unless prescribed by a doctor