Taxes And Incontinece Supplies

[Babyjohn2006]

I have recently started needing protection 24/7. I use diapers/briefs most of the time except when at work, there I use pullups. I was wondering if we could in any way write the expense of my supplies off on our taxes.

Anyone here have any experience with this? I have talked to my insurance and my wifes insurance companies and both say that they will not cover them. There fore the whole burden falls on us to pay for them.

Thanks,

John

[diaperedandspanked]

I have recently started needing protection 24/7. I use diapers/briefs most of the time except when at work, there I use pullups. I was wondering if we could in any way write the expense of my supplies off on our taxes.

Anyone here have any experience with this? I have talked to my insurance and my wifes insurance companies and both say that they will not cover them. There fore the whole burden falls on us to pay for them.

Thanks,

John

Just a shot in the dark, but the cost would probably have to equal to like 2% of your gross income I think. My wifes a diabetic, and her supplies, although expensive, won't meet the threshold. Consult a tax pro, he might be able to help.

[Angela Bauer]

I have recently started needing protection 24/7. I use diapers/briefs most of the time except when at work, there I use pullups. I was wondering if we could in any way write the expense of my supplies off on our taxes.

Anyone here have any experience with this? I have talked to my insurance and my wifes insurance companies and both say that they will not cover them. There fore the whole burden falls on us to pay for them.

Thanks,

John

What do you mean by "recently"? Did you have a significant incontinence supply expense during the 2009 tax year? Or, are you anticipating such expense in 2010 and on-going? By the way, will you be paying USA Federal and a State return?

Do you have a history of medical examinations and treatments during 2009 and previously? Did either of the insurance companies pay for such treatment and examinations? Did a licensed physician write a prescription for your incontinence supplies?

Yes, I am a corporate attorney, but I do not practice individual tax law. In most USA states it is possible to deduct medical expenses as you do on a Federal income tax return. However, the tax laws of each state are different.

My suggestion is to start by talking to the IRS immediately, before the tax deadline gets closer. Chances are the IRS will not provide you much good information. Next try to get tax help from a non-profit organization, such as a senior center. Even if they cannot help you, they might have the name and phone number of a really qualified tax preparer in your state. It could be a chain tax service might help, but generally they are in way over their head with complicate expense issues.

Calculating ordinary medical expenses not covered by insurance is difficult.

Only in two tax years when I was still a student did my non-covered medical expenses start to approach the amount I could consider deducting them. That amount is a percentage of income, so the more you earned, the more you need to spend on medical care before you can consider which expenses are deductible. Back when I was a student with a tiny taxable income I only needed disposables at night, about 400 a year, costing me less than $500 then. By the time I lost all my bladder control I was in law school and had a significantly higher taxable income. Only if I were to have a major medical problem resulting in huge non-covered out-of pocket medical expenses, along with a reduction in income, would I consider deducting my diapers. Yes, I do have all my medical records, including prescriptions for my diapers.

Bottom line is good luck with the IRS on diapers.

[d_drew12]

What you can do is sign up for a Flex Spending Account (FSA) through your work. Most employers offer them so just ask. For incontinent supplies, you often have to have some sort of note you send to your insurance company saying you require these products to be FSA eligable. Most incontinent supplies are considered FSA eligable but you as a patient have to prove in a way they are for you. Basically what FSA does is take out an amount you determine from your paycheck before taxes are taken from your pay, just like health care cost or retirement plans do. Say as an example your taxes with held are about 25% of your paycheck you are in effect getting your FSA items for 25% off. I typically put $1,000 a year into my FSA as I can submit receipts for contacts, saline solution, copays, over the counter medication, and much more even down to toothpaste. Most are use or lose so if you contribute $1,000 but only use $800 in the plan year (usually they give you a calender year plus 3 months), then you lost $200. I usually just find a way to use it by stocking up on stuff and then adjust what I'm going to contribute next year. It's a lot easier then you think but check with your employeer for all the details.

You can't otherwise get any sort of discount on your taxes unless they're over a certain amount of your income and usually it's pretty high like 7%. If you make 40k a year that'd be $2,800 in medical expensess out of pocket you'd have to pay before you can write it off.

[lil_baby_wet_n_squishy]

What you can do is sign up for a Flex Spending Account (FSA) through your work. Most employers offer them so just ask. For incontinent supplies, you often have to have some sort of note you send to your insurance company saying you require these products to be FSA eligable. Most incontinent supplies are considered FSA eligable but you as a patient have to prove in a way they are for you. Basically what FSA does is take out an amount you determine from your paycheck before taxes are taken from your pay, just like health care cost or retirement plans do. Say as an example your taxes with held are about 25% of your paycheck you are in effect getting your FSA items for 25% off. I typically put $1,000 a year into my FSA as I can submit receipts for contacts, saline solution, copays, over the counter medication, and much more even down to toothpaste. Most are use or lose so if you contribute $1,000 but only use $800 in the plan year (usually they give you a calender year plus 3 months), then you lost $200. I usually just find a way to use it by stocking up on stuff and then adjust what I'm going to contribute next year. It's a lot easier then you think but check with your employeer for all the details.

You can't otherwise get any sort of discount on your taxes unless they're over a certain amount of your income and usually it's pretty high like 7%. If you make 40k a year that'd be $2,800 in medical expensess out of pocket you'd have to pay before you can write it off.

FSA is the way to go as it allows for you to pay for it with pre tax dollars.

[froggy]

The IRS is funny on what counts, normal needs like aspirin, toothpaste, cold pills do not count. Prescription stuff and supples to go with them seem to count. The example is the solutions for contact lenses. Vitamins do not count. Most of the time gym memberships do not count. I suspect that since diapers are not prescribed, they are not deductable.

[Diapers4Me]

FSA is the way to go. I've been buying mine with FSA funds for years....but yes...you may need (I do) a letter from your physician stating you need them due to incontinence. Otherwise you have to spend 7% of your income on medical expenses to be able to begin deducting medical expenses.

[d_drew12]

The IRS is funny on what counts, normal needs like aspirin, toothpaste, cold pills do not count. Prescription stuff and supples to go with them seem to count. The example is the solutions for contact lenses. Vitamins do not count. Most of the time gym memberships do not count. I suspect that since diapers are not prescribed, they are not deductable.

For FSA, asprin, toothpaste and cold pills DO count. Vitamins do not count like you said because they don't consider them as necessary I guess. Diapers or incontinent supplies will count as long as you can prove you need them through a doctor note.

[SoCalAB]

If you itemize and the supplies are not covered by insurance you should be able to list these under medical expenses.

You can list them under medical expenses... no need to say they are diapers.

Check with your tax preparer.

I have recently started needing protection 24/7. I use diapers/briefs most of the time except when at work, there I use pullups. I was wondering if we could in any way write the expense of my supplies off on our taxes.

Anyone here have any experience with this? I have talked to my insurance and my wifes insurance companies and both say that they will not cover them. There fore the whole burden falls on us to pay for them.

Thanks,

John

[d_drew12]

As said before though, medical expenses must typically reach 7% of your gross income before a penny gets deducted. Therefore FSA is the way to go. You can also use it for other things medically related.

[Babyjohn2006]

Thanks SoCalAB, you were right.

We just got our taxes done Friday night and I since we itimize, out tax guy asked about how much we pay for medical insurance and what medical expenses we have and we were able to claim all copays and my supplies. I checked with a couple of my partners at work and they go do different guys and they all said same things about copays and what ever is not coveresd such as Aleve and so on.

John

[d_drew12]

Just so we're on the same page, FSA and end of year tax deductions are two totally seperate items. FSA allows you to benefit from escentially getting any medication or medical items paid for with pre-tax dollars up to the amount you contribute Aleve included. End of year tax deductions must be 7% of your income or more and are not inclusive usually of over the counter medication. The benefit of FSA is it includes more items you're allowed to get pre-tax dollars and without spending 7% or more of your income. If you did not spend over the 7%, your tax person may be filling the box but it will do nothing to increase your refund therefore you are not benefiting at all.

[turtlepins]

The IRS is funny on what counts, normal needs like aspirin, toothpaste, cold pills do not count. Prescription stuff and supples to go with them seem to count. The example is the solutions for contact lenses. Vitamins do not count. Most of the time gym memberships do not count. I suspect that since diapers are not prescribed, they are not deductable.

Them IRS peeps is a bunch of flop-eared, flubber-lipped, mealy-mouthed, moldy-mitted, cotton-pickin, finger-lickin, chicken-pluckin no-good, low-down, sneakin, stinkin, dirty-conivin, yellow-bellied, hog-nosed, scaly-skinned, fork-tongued, steely-eyed snakes in the grass!

I don't like 'em! No sir, I don't!

[Bettypooh]

Thanks SoCalAB, you were right.

We just got our taxes done Friday night and I since we itemize, out tax guy asked about how much we pay for medical insurance and what medical expenses we have and we were able to claim all copays and my supplies. I checked with a couple of my partners at work and they go do different guys and they all said same things about copays and what ever is not covered such as Aleve and so on.

John

What they don't know doesn't hurt them Unless you're audited they only check the numbers, and as long as they're within reasonable parameters you can deduct anything It was put to me like this by an accountant (not my current one!): If you take a non-allowed deduction and get away with it for a few years, if and when they catch it you will still come out ahead after the interest is computed, so go ahead and take it Of course you know the obvious problems with this approach but it appears to work

Bettypooh

[babytommy1981]

I have counted for my supplys, co/pays, meds, and my medical INS.

theres stuff alot of these fast tax places dont know, and thats there is alot of stuff you can wright off, such as cell phones if you use ur phone for work, you can wright off, a bunch of stuff. as long as it falls with in amount and doesnt look like you fudged the numbers. I also have a letter from my doctor saying that i need diapers, and that most of the meds on the market I can not take becasue they will affect my other medical problems. just incase im audited by the IRS and i keep every piece of paper work in a file. everything from wipes,to diapers, creams, and plastic pants, and latex gloves. as these are needed in order for me to have a some what normal life.

[nhdl]

Them IRS peeps is a bunch of flop-eared, flubber-lipped, mealy-mouthed, moldy-mitted, cotton-pickin, finger-lickin, chicken-pluckin no-good, low-down, sneakin, stinkin, dirty-conivin, yellow-bellied, hog-nosed, scaly-skinned, fork-tongued, steely-eyed snakes in the grass!

I don't like 'em! No sir, I don't!

LOL! Sounds about right.

[ranger]

I'm not sure about other states, but in KY, any kind of medical expense you pay (over 7.5% of your gross income) out of pocket is deductible. Co-pays, prescriptions, glasses etc.

[redneck diaper boy]

If you have an "FSA" (flexible spending account) on your insurance it covers diapers and over the counter medicine this year and in previous years. Thanks to Obamacare, beginning in 2011, your flexible spending account will no longer cover non-prescription items.

I have recently started needing protection 24/7. I use diapers/briefs most of the time except when at work, there I use pullups. I was wondering if we could in any way write the expense of my supplies off on our taxes.

Anyone here have any experience with this? I have talked to my insurance and my wifes insurance companies and both say that they will not cover them. There fore the whole burden falls on us to pay for them.

Thanks,

John

[ThomasInWVa]

I've been deducting my incontinence and related medical supplies for years. I was audited for the year 2008 and my deductions were not a problem. I looked into using an FSA and I had concerns about privacy. Not just because I have to wear diapers but I don't want my employer knowing that I have a pre-existing back injury.

[d_drew12]

It's not like your employeer gets a list of what you claimed so their shouldn't be a worry about them finding out unless you have to personally hand them your claims which is pretty dumb if you have to. It should be respected also under a privacy act or something that they can't be filing through your claims or making acusations off of what you submit.