Can I Claim Dental Expenses on My Taxes?
It’s tax season, and that means trying to figure out what you can claim on your taxes. The good news is that yes, you can claim dental expenses on your taxes, just like you can claim medical expenses, but there is some small print.
Adjusted Gross Income
You may deduct qualified medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. According to TurboTax, your adjusted gross income is your income minus any deductions, IRA contributions, student loan interest, etc.
The folks at TurboTax have a great example for finding out how much of a medical and dental deduction you can take.
Say you have a modified adjusted gross income of $45,000 and $5,475 worth of medical expenses. Multiply $45,000 by 0.075 (or 7.5%) to see that only expenses exceeding $3,375 can be deducted. $5,475 minus $3,375 leaves you with a medical expense deduction of $2,100.
Save Your Receipts
In order to deduct expenses, you need to save your receipts as proof. So don’t throw those receipts away! And if you have trouble finding a receipt, you should ask your dental provider for another copy of it as soon as you can. There’s nothing worse than rushing around trying to find receipts in early April.
Items You Can Deduct
Here are some items you can deduct:
- Dental expenses for you and all your dependents (including your spouse and children)
- Prescription medications related to your dental expenses
- Dentures and other dental appliances
- Travel to and from your dental care (this could be gas bills, a bus ticket, or another form of transportation)
Items You Can’t Deduct:
And here are some items you cannot deduct:
- Anything that’s already tax-deductible (for instance, anything that has been paid with by your flexible spending account at work)
- Cosmetic dental procedures (only medically necessary procedures are allowed)
- Non-prescription medication or treatments (such as toothpaste or mouthwash)
If you have questions about claiming dental expenses on your taxes, give our friendly team a call today and we’ll do our best to help you out. We also suggest you contact a tax professional, or a tax website.
