Writing Off Medical Expenses On Taxes

The Ultimate Medical Expense Deductions Checklist

Updated for Tax Year 2021 / October 16, 2021 10:15 AM

OVERVIEW

Claiming medical expense deductions on your tax return is one way to lower your tax bill. To accomplish this, your deductions must be from a list approved by the Internal Revenue Service, and you must itemize your deductions.

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Couple holding newborn in hospital bed

If you had a lot of unreimbursed out-of-pocket health care costs this year, you'll be glad to learn that many of those expenses may qualify for a deduction on your 2021 income tax return.

How to claim medical expense deductions

One of the most important things to know about deducting medical expenses is you have to itemize deductions on Schedule A to receive a tax benefit.

When you file your Form 1040, you typically have the option of itemizing or taking the standard deduction — a predetermined amount based on your filing status.

For 2021, the available standard deductions are as follows:

Filing Status	2021 Standard Deduction
Single	$12,550
Married Filing Jointly	$25,100
Married Filing Separately	$12,550
Head of Household	$18,800

To benefit from medical expense deductions, your total itemized deductions — deductible medical expenses, state and local taxes, home mortgage interest and charitable contributions — must be greater than your available standard deduction.

In addition, in 2021, you can only deduct unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), found on line 11 of your 2021 Form 1040.

For example, if your AGI is $50,000, the first $3,750 of qualified expenses (7.5% of $50,000) don't count. If you had $5,000 of unreimbursed medical expenses in 202, you would only be able to deduct $1,250 on Schedule A.

Medical expense deductions checklist

To help you prepare your tax return, we've compiled the following list of qualified medical expenses. All you need to do is print out this page and put a check mark and the amount next to each medical expense you had during the year.

Note that this isn't a complete list of every available expense — just some of the more common ones. For the complete list, see IRS Publication 502.

Acupuncture
Addiction treatment, including meals and lodging at a drug or alcohol addiction treatment center.
Birth control pills prescribed by a doctor
Braille books and periodicals used by a person who is visually impaired
Breast pumps and pumping supplies
Breast reconstruction surgery following a mastectomy for cancer
Chiropractic services for medical care
Contact lenses
Cosmetic surgery, if necessary to improve a deformity related to a congenital abnormality, accident or disease
Dental treatment for the prevention and alleviation of dental disease
Diagnostic devices, such as blood sugar test kits
Diet food, when prescribed by a doctor to alleviate a specific medical condition
Doctor or physician expenses
Exercise programs, when recommended by a doctor to treat a specific medical condition
Eye exams
Eye surgery, such as LASIK or a similar procedure
Eyeglasses
False teeth
Fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization, surgery and temporary storage of eggs or sperm
Gender-affirming care such as hormone therapy and surgery for transgender individuals
Guide dog or another service animal for a person with low vision or hearing
Health, dental and vision insurance premiums
Hearing aids
Home improvements if their main purpose is medical care
Hospital services while receiving medical care
Household help for nursing care services
Laboratory fees
Lead-based paint removal when a child is diagnosed with lead poisoning
Legal fees paid to authorize treatment for mental illness
Lodging expenses while away from home to receive medical care in a hospital or medical facility
Long-term care insurance and long-term care expenses
Mattresses and boards bought specifically to alleviate an arthritic condition
Medical conference admission costs and travel expenses for a person with a chronic illness to learn about new medical treatments
Nursing care and nursing home expenses
Operations (excluding cosmetic surgery)
Organ transplants
Oxygen and oxygen equipment to relieve breathing problems
Physical exams and diagnostic tests
Pregnancy test kits
Prescription drugs
Prosthetic limbs
Psychiatric care
Smoking cessation programs
Special education
Sterilization or vasectomy
Telephone and special equipment for a person who is hearing impaired
Travel and transportation costs for obtaining medical care
Weight loss programs to treat a specific disease diagnosed by a physician
Wheelchairs
X-rays for medical reasons

The medical expense deduction covers a wide variety of expenses. However, because of the high standard deduction and the 7.5% of AGI threshold requirement, it can be difficult to benefit unless you have a lot of out-of-pocket costs.

Still, it's a good idea to track those expenses throughout the year and keep copies of receipts. That way, if you have any large, unreimbursed medical expenses during the year, you'll have what you need to deduct any qualified medical expenses and potentially reduce your tax bill.

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The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public; it does not give personalized tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional advice. Before taking any action, you should always seek the assistance of a professional who knows your particular situation for advice on taxes, your investments, the law, or any other business and professional matters that affect you and/or your business.