Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Tax Break For Celiacs

Skittles

By Skittles
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

Skittles Enthusiast
Skittles
Posted

I know that celiacs get some sort of tax refund or something for being celiac and having to buy expensive foods. Do we have to save our recipts or do we just have to have a dr note stating that we are celiac?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


~**caselynn**~ Enthusiast
~**caselynn**~
Posted

Really? I've not heard of this, that's interesting! :)

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

A topic from a year ago may be informative:

Also:

~**caselynn**~ Enthusiast
~**caselynn**~
Posted

A topic from a year ago may be informative:

Also:

I'm a bit unclear, is this only possible in Canada? A lot of the posters were Canadian in one of the threads. It sure seems like a lot of work, makes me wonder if it would be worth it.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

I'm a bit unclear, is this only possible in Canada? A lot of the posters were Canadian in one of the threads. It sure seems like a lot of work, makes me wonder if it would be worth it.

There is, I recall, an opportunity for a medical expense claim in the US, but I do not know anything about the details. Maybe someone who files a Form 1040 can comment.

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

Things get pretty complicated with making the claims in the US. Honestly I can only speak for the most recent year as nothing is set in stone for the upcoming filing year. In short, you'll need medical expenses meeting or exceeding 7.5% of your AGI and medical documentation stating that a gluten free diet is necessary. You would deduct the difference in cost between regular and gluten free replacement foods, so if bread is $2 and gluten free bread is $7 you'd get a $5 deduction. It's quite complicated and I would highly recommend speaking with a tax professional immediately if you are interested in the deduction. (If you wait until tax time it will be too late to bother for this year.)

Lfrost Explorer
Lfrost
Posted

There is, I recall, an opportunity for a medical expense claim in the US, but I do not know anything about the details. Maybe someone who files a Form 1040 can comment.

If I remember correctly, with the medical expense you have to itemize your deductions. If you just claim the standard deduction, it would not matter. If you do itemize, I believe that it then depends on how much you make as to whether it makes a difference.

I am not 100% on this, but I know we were checking into since we put 3 kids in braces last year!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


~**caselynn**~ Enthusiast
~**caselynn**~
Posted

Things get pretty complicated with making the claims in the US. Honestly I can only speak for the most recent year as nothing is set in stone for the upcoming filing year. In short, you'll need medical expenses meeting or exceeding 7.5% of your AGI and medical documentation stating that a gluten free diet is necessary. You would deduct the difference in cost between regular and gluten free replacement foods, so if bread is $2 and gluten free bread is $7 you'd get a $5 deduction. It's quite complicated and I would highly recommend speaking with a tax professional immediately if you are interested in the deduction. (If you wait until tax time it will be too late to bother for this year.)

Oh goodness, it does seem as though this could get pretty hairy rather quickly. I do have a tax professional, so I'll question her and see what she thinks. Thank you for the input, not sure if it's for me but definitely worth looking in to!

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

Oh goodness, it does seem as though this could get pretty hairy rather quickly. I do have a tax professional, so I'll question her and see what she thinks. Thank you for the input, not sure if it's for me but definitely worth looking in to!

I used to be a "tax professional" but frankly it drives me up a wall. My best friend is a CPA and I let her keep me in the loop but this past season was my last, I've thrown in the towel. I don't even want to do my own!

~**caselynn**~ Enthusiast
~**caselynn**~
Posted

Haha yes, one of my friends is a CPA and she had a rough time this year as well! She dreads tax season every year!

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

When claiming that a regular loaf of bread costs $2 and the gluten-free one costs $7, you would need a receipt for the loaf you purchased and proof that a comprable loaf is only $2. I thik these sort of deductions will make you more likely to be audited, so this proof is important. I would imagine there could be an argument that store brand $2 bread is really not the gluten equivalent of a $7 loaf of Canyon Bakehouse Seven grain bread.

If you have enough medical expenses, maybe it would be worth it.

This would be for the US.

love2travel Mentor
love2travel
Posted

My husband is a chartered accountant and tax specialist and we did this. It didn't really help a great deal - I believe a $400 credit (not a refund). But it is easy for me to track - I keep all receipts and do a simple spreadsheet itemizing everything. Then you just claim what is "reasonable". Revenue Canada cannot refute that. And as stated above, if you do not have lots of other health claims it is not worth doing (I must have weekly massage, physiotherapy, chiro and so on).

~**caselynn**~ Enthusiast
~**caselynn**~
Posted

My husband is a chartered accountant and tax specialist and we did this. It didn't really help a great deal - I believe a $400 credit (not a refund). But it is easy for me to track - I keep all receipts and do a simple spreadsheet itemizing everything. Then you just claim what is "reasonable". Revenue Canada cannot refute that. And as stated above, if you do not have lots of other health claims it is not worth doing (I must have weekly massage, physiotherapy, chiro and so on).

Great info, thank you all for your input.

Skittles Enthusiast
Skittles
Posted
  • Author

Thanks guys! I'm thinking I may not do it haha seems like too much work!

~**caselynn**~ Enthusiast
~**caselynn**~
Posted

Thanks guys! I'm thinking I may not do it haha seems like too much work!

I agree with you there, Skittles!

PennyH Newbie
PennyH
Posted

You can deduct the difference between regular food and gluten-free food. For instance, My gluten-free bread is $6.50. If regular bread is $3.50 then you can deduct $3.50. You do need to keep receipts. You can also deduct the mileage for gluten-free shopping and doc appts and nutritionists. Hope this helps.

~**caselynn**~ Enthusiast
~**caselynn**~
Posted

Oo I didn't even think about mileage, my gastro is 4 hrs from me, good to know!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,676
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    AW1851
    Newest Member
    AW1851
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Rejoicephd
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Rejoicephd · Posted

      That and my nutritionist also said that drinking cider is one of the worst drink choices for me, given that I have candida overgrowth.  She said the combination of the alcohol and sugar would be very likely to worsen my candida problem.  She suggested that if I drink, I go for clear vodka, either neat or with a splash of cranberry.   So in summary, I am giving ciders a rest.  Whether it's a gluten risk or sugars and yeast overgrowth, its just not worth it.
    • Inkie
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Inkie · Posted

      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      Inconclusive results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
    • Scott Adams
      Medication

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Welcome to the community! Generally, for a gluten challenge before celiac disease blood tests, Tylenol (acetaminophen) is considered safe and should not interfere with your antibody results. The medications you typically need to avoid are those like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) that can cause intestinal irritation, which could potentially complicate the interpretation of an endoscopy if you were to have one. However, it is absolutely crucial that you confirm this with either your gastroenterologist or your surgeon before your procedure. They know the specifics of your case and can give you the definitive green light, ensuring your surgery is comfortable and your celiac testing remains accurate. Best of luck with your surgery tomorrow
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.