can IVF be claimed on Taxes?

[k-rose]

Sorry for the double posting as I meant to post here and not the Invitro Ferilization forum.

For anyone out there who live in the states, or California, has anyone been able to claim their medical expenses from Infertility on their taxes at the end of the year??? I think our tax guy told us it was contraversial whether infertility was considered Medical Expenses for tax write off, but that he has let his clients do it. Just curious if anyone else has? I know here in Californis medical taxes can only be claimed after you reach 7 1/2 percent of your income in medical expenses.

Kelly

[Myriah]

Yes, it can be claimed as a medical expense on your federal taxes on the portion that is over 7.5% of your income. I have saved all my receipts and am going to have a nice write off this year cuz I have spent so much darn $$$.

The only medical expenses I know of that can not be used as a write off is plastic surgery.

Myriah

[Myriah]

I got this from irs.gov



If you itemize your deductions on Form 1040, Schedule A (PDF), you may be able to deduct expenses you paid that year for medical care (including dental) for yourself, your spouse, and your dependents. 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. The cost of drugs is deductible only for drugs that require a prescription, except for insulin.

Medical expenses include fees paid to doctors, dentists, surgeons, chiropractors, psychiatrists, psychologists, and Christian Science practitioners. Also included are payments for hospital services, qualified long–term care services, nursing services, and laboratory fees. Payments for acupuncture treatments or inpatient treatment at a center for alcohol or drug addiction are also deductible medical expenses. You may include amounts you paid for participating in a smoking–cessation program and for drugs prescribed to alleviate nicotine withdrawal. However, you may not deduct amounts paid for nicotine gum and nicotine patches, which do not require a prescription. You may deduct the cost of participating in a weight-loss program for a specific disease or diseases, including obesity, diagnosed by a physician. You may not deduct the cost of purchasing diet food items. In addition, you may include expenses for admission and transportation to a medical conference relating to the chronic disease of either yourself, your spouse, or your dependent (if the costs are primarily for and essential to the medical care). However, you may not deduct the costs for meals and lodging while attending the medical conference.

The cost of items such as false teeth, prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses, laser eye surgery, hearing aids, crutches, wheelchairs, and guide dogs for the blind or deaf are deductible medical expenses.

You may not deduct funeral or burial expenses, health club dues, over–the–counter medicines, toothpaste, toiletries, cosmetics, a trip or program for the general improvement of your health, or most cosmetic surgery.

Transportation costs primarily for and essential to medical care qualify as medical expenses. The actual fare for a taxi, bus, train, or ambulance can be deducted. If you use your car for medical transportation, you can deduct actual out–of–pocket expenses such as gas and oil, or you can deduct the standard mileage rate for medical expenses. With either method you may include tolls and parking fees.

You may include in medical expenses the incidental cost of meals and lodging charged by the hospital or similar institution if your main reason for being there is to receive medical care.

You can only include the medical expenses you paid during the year, regardless of when the services were provided. Your total medical expenses for the year must be reduced by any reimbursement. It makes no difference if you receive the reimbursement or if it is paid directly to the doctor or hospital.

You may include qualified medical expenses you pay for yourself, your spouse, and your dependents, including a person you claim as a dependent under a multiple support agreement. If either parent claims a child as a dependent under the rules for divorced or separated parents, each parent may deduct the medical expenses he or she actually pays for the child. You can also deduct medical expenses you paid for someone who would have qualified as your dependent except that the person didn't meet the gross income or joint return test. Refer to Topic 354, Dependents.

You may deduct only the amount by which your total medical care expenses for the year exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. You do this calculation on Form 1040 Schedule A in computing the amount deductible.

[onlycatssofar]

One more tip for you: if you and/or your DH's employer offers a "flexible spending account" (a.k.a. "FSA" or sec 425 cafeteria plan) you can really save a lot by taking full advantage of it. The way it works is you estimate what your year's uncovered medical expenses will be at the beginning of the year. Your employer then divides that amount by the # of paychecks you'll get and takes that much out of each paycheck and puts it in your FSA. When you actually incur a medical expense, you submit a claim for that expense to the FSA administrator, and they reimburse you from your account. The money savings comes because the paycheck deductions are taken out BEFORE you are taxed on that pay period's earnings. Just be sure that you KNOW you're going to spend the money you say you will when you sign up, because if you don't, you'll lose it (it doesn't roll over to next year). Even if you plan for more than one cycle of treatment and first one works, you can always use the money for maternity and childcare expenses instead of fertility expenses. The FSA money can be used for any uncovered medical expenses including medications, doctor visits, even some OTC meds and it doesn't have to be over a cetain percentage of your annual income. If your employers don't offer a 425 plan, you should ask about it; many are pleased to start one because it helps them with their taxes as well!
Hope this helps and good luck to you!

[MamaBoo]

I thought I would add that while researching whether or not we could claim IVF on our taxes, I found out that it can be as long as it is medically necessary to conceive. If a man were to chose to hire a surrogate to have his child just because he wants children, but doesn't wish to do it the old fashioned way, it is not deductible. (Yes, that actually happened and went to court.)