Yes, you can deduct vitamins if they are specifically recommended by your doctor as treatment for your medical condition. Prescription drugs purchased online can only be deducted if they are purchased through a legal source in the United States. For the most part, nutritional supplements, vitamins, herbal supplements or natural medicines are not deductible expenses. However, vitamins and supplements are deductible when they are specifically recommended by a medical professional as treatment for a diagnosed medical condition, for example, iron supplements to treat anaemia or vitamin D to treat low vitamin D levels.
Hi Dave, I have had bariatric surgery and I need to take a number of vitamins on a daily basis. These vitamins are available over the counter. As these vitamins are necessary to maintain my health and are prescribed by my doctor, are their costs tax deductible? Joyce Joyce, I’m sorry to say, but probably not. Over-the-counter drugs (those that do not require a prescription to purchase) are almost never considered a deductible medical expense.
The “almost” is because there is an exception for insulin. In rare cases, nutritional supplements are allowed as a deduction if they are recommended by a doctor to treat specific medical conditions. If you took this deduction and were challenged by the IRS, you would have to show that the operation was medically necessary and not elective, and that the vitamins were necessary for the treatment and not a substitute for a normal diet. Even in this case, you may face an uphill battle with the tax authorities, which you are not guaranteed to win.
We recommend that, if you decide to deduct the cost, you obtain a letter from your doctor detailing the vitamins recommended and the condition being treated. A statement of why it is necessary may help. You can also ask your doctor to prescribe them, even if they are over-the-counter, as this may end up strengthening your case. And, as with all medical expenses, the total has to be more than 10 per cent of your AGI (assuming you are under 6 and have to itemize before the deduction has any impact on your return.
We hope that the operation will be beneficial to you. However, you must reduce your medical expenses for any portion of these payments that goes to medical expenses. See how to calculate and report the deduction on your tax return, below. The tax law defines medical expenses as the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease, as well as treatments affecting any part or function of the body.
He is a frequent and popular guest speaker for the California Society of Tax Advisors, the California Society of Enrolled Agents and the National Association of Tax Professionals. For Milton Rodriguez, CFP, EA, a Los Angeles-based tax professional, most of his clients who qualify for this deduction tend to be older (and therefore have more medical expenses), make large charitable donations, have a larger mortgage payment, or have had a major medical incident (such as an operation). If you itemize your tax return instead of taking the standard deduction, the cost of medical expenses – including vitamins you buy for yourself, your spouse and all your dependents – are deductible on Schedule A if you meet certain criteria. You can include in medical expenses the cost of a wig purchased on the advice of a mental health doctor for a patient who has lost all his or her hair due to illness.
Any monthly advance payments from your health plan administrator received from the IRS, as shown on Form 1099-H, Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) Advance Payments. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement, or lifestyle program. TAS can provide a variety of information for tax practitioners, including tax law updates and guidance, TAS programs, and ways to let TAS know about systemic issues you have seen in your practice. Gov ) contains video and audio presentations for individuals, small businesses and tax professionals.
Nick Blackmer is a librarian, fact-checker and researcher with over 20 years of experience in consumer-oriented health and wellness content. Regarding nutritional supplements, the IRS states that in order to be tax deductible, nutritional supplements must be prescribed by a physician for a specific medical condition. Membership fees to a gym, health club or spa cannot be included as medical expenses, but fees charged there for weight loss activities can be included. Generally, family health insurance premiums do not increase if you add coverage for an additional child.
Do not include in your medical and dental expenses any insurance premiums paid by an employer-sponsored health insurance plan unless the premiums are included on your W-2 Wage and Tax Statement. But what about special dietary foods, probiotics, fermented foods and beverages, and nutritional supplements used in the Body Ecology programme? Read on to learn more about the ins and outs of tax-deductible medical expenses. You cannot include the cost of nutritional supplements, vitamins, herbal supplements, natural medicines, etc. in your medical expenses.
