Dependents & Medical Expenses

• Posted on January 19, 2012
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Medical expenses paid for dependents may be deducted. To claim these expenses, the person must have been a dependent either at the time the medical services were provided or at the time the expenses were paid.

Medical Dependent – Frequently overlooked are deductible medical expenses paid for a person you cannot claim as a dependent on your tax return but who is considered to be a dependent for medical expense purposes. These individuals are frequently referred to as medical dependents. A person generally qualifies as a medical dependent for purposes of the medical expense deduction if:

1. That person lived with the taxpayer for the entire year as a member of the household or is related;
2. That person was a U.S. citizen or resident, or a resident of Canada or Mexico for some part of the calendar year in which the tax year began; and
3. The taxpayer provided over half of that person’s total support for the calendar year.

Medical expenses of any person who is a dependent may be included, even if an exemption for him or her cannot be claimed on the return.

Child of Divorced or Separated Parents – Sometimes overlooked are medical expenses paid for a taxpayer’s child when the other parent is claiming the child as a dependent. If either parent can claim a child as a dependent under the rules for divorced or separated parents, each parent can include the medical expenses he or she pays for the child. This is true even if the other parent claims the exemption for the child.

Support Claimed Under a Multiple Support Agreement – A multiple support agreement is used when two or more people provide more than half of a person’s support, but no one alone provides more than half. Whoever is considered to have provided more than half of a person’s support under such an agreement can deduct the medical expenses he or she paid on behalf of the person.

If you have questions related to the deductibility of medical expenses you paid, please give this office a call.