Publication 502 |
2000 Tax Year |
Sale of Medical Property
You may have a taxable gain if you sell medical equipment or
property, the cost of which you deducted as a medical expense on your
tax return for a previous year. The taxable gain is the amount of the
selling price that is more than the equipment's adjusted basis. The
adjusted basis is the portion of the equipment's cost that was not
deductible because of the 7.5% limit (5% for 1983-1986 and 3%
before 1983) used to compute the medical deduction. Use the formula
below (with amounts from the return on which the cost of the equipment
was deducted) to figure the adjusted basis.
figure the adjusted basis
If your allowable itemized deductions were more than your adjusted
gross income for the year the cost of the equipment was deducted, the
adjusted basis of the equipment is increased by a portion of the
surplus itemized deductions. Use the formula below to figure the
increase.
figure the increase
Add the increase to the adjusted basis. The result is the new
adjusted basis for purposes of computing the taxable gain. See chapter
3 in Publication 544,
Sales and Other Dispositions of
Assets, for information on the tax treatment of the gain.
Example of sale of medical property.
You have a heart condition and difficulty breathing. Your doctor
prescribed oxygen equipment to help you breathe. Last year, you bought
the oxygen equipment for $3,000. You itemized deductions and included
it in your medical expense deduction.
Last year you also paid $750 for deductible medical services and
$6,400 for other itemized deductions. Your adjusted gross income was
$5,000.
Taking into account the 7.5% limit on medical expenses, your
allowable itemized deductions totaled $9,775, figured as follows:
Oxygen equipment |
$3,000 |
Medical services |
750 |
Total medical expenses |
$3,750 |
Limit (7.5% of adjusted
gross income of $5,000) |
-375 |
Allowable medical
expense deduction |
$3,375 |
Other itemized deductions |
6,400 |
Allowable itemized deductions |
$9,775 |
There was a $4,775 surplus of allowable itemized deductions over
adjusted gross income ($9,775 - $5,000 = $4,775).
Allocating the nondeductible limit. To determine the
part of the 7.5% limit that is allocable to the oxygen equipment,
multiply the limit, $375, by the ratio of cost of the equipment,
$3,000, to the total medical expenses, $3,750 [$375 x
($3,000 x $3,750) = $300]. Your basis in the equipment is
this $300 portion of the cost of the equipment that is nondeductible
because of the 7.5% limit.
Allocating surplus deductions. To determine the part of
the surplus itemized deductions that is allocable to the oxygen
equipment, multiply the total available surplus deductions, $4,775, by
the ratio of the deductible portion of the amount paid for the oxygen
equipment, $2,700 ($3,000 cost of equipment minus $300 attributable to
the 7.5% limit) to the total available deductions, $9,775. Your
adjusted basis in the oxygen equipment includes this $1,319
[$4,775 x ($2,700 x $9,775) = $1,319]. This
amount is the portion of surplus deductions allocable to the oxygen
equipment. Your total adjusted basis in the equipment is $1,619 ($300
+ $1,319).
Bill and Helen's Schedule A
Determining gain. This year, you sold the oxygen
equipment for $2,000. You realized a gain of $381 ($2,000 -
$1,619). This amount represents the recovery of an amount previously
deducted for federal income tax purposes and is taxable as ordinary
income.
Previous| First | Next
Publication Index | IRS-Forms Main | Home
|