Tax Deductable Question

[hapy4dolphins]

Hi,

We were looking at the tax deductions and wondered if you have to have the disease. I have the intolerance for sure and the genes, confirmed by rheumatologist and Enterloab. Now, my daughter is also on this diet, but process of elimination and many stomache aches, but not diagnosed (ok, she's diagnosed my her momma!).

Do we have to itemize it as a medical expense?

This is our first year doing this and we have lots of questions.

Nicole

[Viola 1]

Hello;

We need to know which country you live in before we can help with tax questions. Taxes are so different between Canada and the U.S.

[happygirl]

In America, you don't *have* to itemize anything.

Keeping track of my receipts and the difference in prices, plus having a doctor's note stating you have Celiac, is more trouble for me than its worth...so I know little about it. Hopefully someone else will chime in.

here are some links about it:

https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodi...-40107449839.25

https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodi...-40107449839.25

https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodi...-40107449839.25

[bbuster]

You can only get a tax deduction for the medical expenses exceeding 7.5% of your AGI.

I work for a large corporation with a health care reimbursement account (HCRA), where you can annually put aside non-taxable money into an account to pay for qualified medical expenses. By following the rules of our plan, which follows IRS rules, I am getting reimbursements for gluten-free products to the extent that they exceed regular expenses. The basics are: 1) keep receipts for gluten-free food and "regular" and subtract the difference 2) have a doctor's letter on file explaining the medical necessity. To keep it simple I only get reimbursement for flours, baking mixes and Xanthan gum (I make most things homemade - we don't buy bread, etc.). I checked this out with both our Plan Administrator and my sister, who works for the IRS.

It's not a tax deduction (I could never meet the 7.5% AGI requirement) but it reduces my taxable income by several hundred dollars (only my son has Celiac). Of course you have to have the plan, and carefully estimate how much to put into it each year, because it is a use-it or lose-it account each year. But it helps us!

[Rusla]

in Canada you have to be diagnosed by a doctor. Then it is a lot of figuring and hoop jumping as a medical expense.

[Viola 1]

in Canada you have to be diagnosed by a doctor. Then it is a lot of figuring and hoop jumping as a medical expense.

It's well worth it though if you have a low family income, in Canada I mean

[StrongerToday]

I asked my CPA and she said that by claiming this on my taxes (assuming I could meet the 7.5% needed) she said she couldn't think of a bigger AUDIT ME red flag for the IRS. She encouraged the medical flex plan from my employer, but frankly I don't have time to track receipts and compare prices.