Robert W Wood for Forbes writes: I keep reading about the 6 Ways to Burn Your Belly Fat Fast. It’s a pretty short list and includes some pretty innocuous items. These six ways make it sound easy to get a flatter belly in no time:
None of it even sounds expensive, but it still got me wondering how much might be tax deductible. That, it turns out, can hinge on doctor’s orders, exactly what the doctor orders, and for whatcondition. A lot also depends on how good your records are.
What qualifies as a medical expense for tax purposes? Taxpayers try to write off swimming pools, vacations, medical marijuana, spa visits and patio awnings, sometimes with success. See Tax Breaks For Alcoholics, But Not Weight Watchers. Some of the line-drawing seems downright bizarre.
For example, the IRS ruled that a mother with a double-mastectomy could not deduct the cost of her baby’s formula as a medical expense. See Private Letter Ruling 200941003. Although the baby’s need for formula was clear, it satisfied the child’s normal food needs and that meant no deduction. Sometimes, deductions get denied for good reason.
In Halby v. Commissioner, a 78 year old lawyer wrote off therapeutic treatments by prostitutes. He didn’t even have a doctor’s note but he deducted their “professional” fees. He even deducted pornography. With no medical diagnosis and a self-prescribed treatment that was illegal, the Tax Court said no. The New York State Tax Appeals Board did too. See Matter of Halby, Nos. 821494/821810.
Even for costs that qualify, there’s a high threshold. Medical expenses are deductible only to the extent they exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. If your adjusted gross income is $100,000, the first $7,500 of medical expenses are on you. But if you exceed it, you have fairly wide latitude as to what qualifies. It must be for the medical care of the taxpayer, spouse or dependent.
An expense for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease qualifies. In contrast, an expense merely beneficial to generalhealth doesn’t. See IRS Publication 502. False teeth, prescription eyeglasses, contact lenses, laser eye surgery, hearing aids, crutches, wheelchairs, and guide dogs for the blind or deaf are deductible medical expenses. However, you can’t deduct funeral or burial expenses, health club dues, over-the-counter medicines, toothpaste, toiletries, or cosmetics.
No-no’s also include most cosmetic surgery, dancing or swimming lessons. Back to belly fat and 6 Ways to Burn Your Belly Fat Fast? Costs of special foods and beverages qualify if prescribed by a doctor to alleviate or treat a specific illness, if they are in addition to the taxpayer’s normal diet, and if they are not part of the patient’s nutritional needs. See Revenue Ruling 55-261.
Thus, if it’s special food you’re claiming, you’ll need a statement from your doctor. Plus, the food can’t substitute for something else you would consume. Prescribed low calorie foods don’t qualify. They are substitutes for the food you would normally consume to satisfy nutritional requirements.
For more line drawing, compare Rev. Rul. 79-151 with Revenue Ruling 2002-19. In the former, the IRS said a weight-loss program to improve generalhealth or appearance didn’t qualify. But in the latter, the IRS said you candeduct a weight-loss program treating for a specific disease diagnosed by a physician. If you’re diagnosed as obese that’s sufficient.
You want written advice from your doctor prescribing your particular treatment regimen, proof that you followed the prescribed regimen, and proof that you incurred the expenses. For more on which medical expenses qualify and why, see Tax Breaks For Alcoholics, But Not Weight Watchers.
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