If you’re wondering what the criteria is to qualify as a tax deductible medical expense then, here is the definition from the IRS. “A deduction is allowed only for expenses paid for the prevention or alleviation of a physical or mental defect or illness. Medical care expenses include payments for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or treatment affecting any structure or function of the body.
So now that you have the correct terms for understanding what qualifies and what does not you are probably still wondering if your specific expense is allowed as a tax deductible medical expense. If you are looking for the long list of detailed information I would suggest consulting Publication 502 which is a publication directly from the IRS.
The contents are listed alphabetically and start with abortion and go all the way down to weight loss. There are so many different listings and you will find what you’re looking for I’m quite sure.
Please keep in mind prevention does not include items such as vitamins. Items that are merely beneficial to general health are not considered a qualifying medical deduction.
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