Whose Medical Expenses Can You Include?

You can include medical expenses you pay for yourself and for the individuals discussed in this section.

Spouse. You can include medical expenses you paid for your spouse. To claim these expenses, you must have been married either at the time your spouse received the medical services or at the time you paid the medical expenses.

Example 1. Mary received medical treatment before she married Bill. Bill paid for the treatment after they married. Bill can include these expenses in figuring his medical expense deduction even if Bill and Mary file separate returns.

If Mary had paid the expenses before she and Bill married, Bill could not include Mary's expenses in his separate return. Mary would include the amounts she paid during the year in her separate return. If they filed a joint return, the medical expenses both paid during the year would be used to figure their medical expense deduction.

Example 2. This year, John paid medical expenses for his wife Louise who died last year. John married Belle this year and they file a joint return. Because John was married to Louise when she incurred the medical expenses, he can include those expenses in figuring his medical deduction for this year.

Dependent. You can include medical expenses you paid for your dependent. To claim these expenses, the person must have been your dependent either at the time the medical services were provided or at the time you paid the expenses. A person generally qualifies as your dependent for purposes of the medical expense deduction if:

1. That person lived with you for the entire year as a member of your household or is related to you,
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 your tax year began, and
3. You provided over half of that person's total support for the calendar year.

You can include the medical expenses of any person who is your dependent even if you cannot claim an exemption for him or her on your return.

Example. Last year your son was your dependent. This year he no longer qualifies as your dependent. However, you paid $800 this year for medical expenses your son incurred last year, when he was your dependent. You can include the $800 in figuring this year's medical expense deduction. You cannot include this amount on last year's return.

Adopted child. You can include medical expenses that you paid for a child before adoption, if the child qualified as your dependent when the medical services were provided or when the expenses were paid. If you pay back an adoption agency or other persons for medical expenses they paid under an agreement with you, you are treated as having paid those expenses provided you clearly substantiate that the payment is directly attributable to the medical care of the child. But if you pay back medical expenses incurred and paid before adoption negotiations began, you cannot include them as medical expenses.

You may be able to take a credit or exclusion for other expenses related to adoption. See Publication 968, Tax Benefits for Adoption, for more information.

Child of divorced or separated parents. 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 even if an exemption for the child is claimed by the other parent.

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. If you are considered to have provided more than half of a person's support under such an agreement, you can include medical expenses you pay, even if you cannot claim the person as a dependent.

Any medical expenses paid by others who joined you in the agreement cannot be included as medical expenses by anyone. However, you can include the entire unreimbursed amount you paid for medical expenses.

Example. You and your three brothers each provide one-fourth of your mother's total support. Under a multiple support agreement, you claim your mother as a dependent. You paid all of her medical expenses. Your brothers repaid you for three-fourths of these expenses. In figuring your medical expense deduction, you can include only one-fourth of your mother's medical expenses. Your brothers cannot include any part of the expenses. However, if you and your brothers share the nonmedical support items and you separately pay all of your mother's medical expenses, you can include the amount you paid for her medical expenses in your medical expenses.

Decedent. The survivor or personal representative of a decedent can choose to treat certain expenses paid by the decedent's estate for the decedent's medical care as paid by the decedent at the time the medical services were provided. The expenses must be paid within the one-year period beginning with the day after the date of death. If you are the survivor or personal representative making this choice, you must attach a statement to the decedent's Form 1040 (or the decedent's amended return, Form 1040X) saying that the expenses have not been and will not be claimed on the estate tax return.

Qualified medical expenses paid before death by the decedent are not deductible if paid with a tax-free distribution from any medical savings account or Medicare+Choice savings account.

What if the decedent's return had been filed and the medical expenses were not included? Form 1040X can be filed for the year or years the expenses are treated as paid, unless the period for filing an amended return for that year has passed. Generally, an amended return must be filed within 3 years of the date the original return was filed, or within 2 years from the time the tax was paid, whichever date is later.

Example. John properly filed last year's income tax return. He died this year with unpaid medical expenses of $1,500 from last year and $2,000 from this year. His survivor or personal representative can file an amended return for last year claiming the $1,500 medical expenses. The $2,000 of medical expenses from this year can be included on this year's return, which will be the decedent's final return.

What if you pay medical expenses of a deceased spouse or dependent? If you paid medical expenses for your deceased spouse or dependent, include them as medical expenses on your Form 1040 in the year paid, whether they are paid before or after the decedent's death. The expenses can be included if the person was your spouse or dependent either at the time the medical services were provided or at the time you paid the expenses.

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