Many people are unaware that they are entitled to a tax deduction for the dental services they receive. One of the more common myths is that you can only claim this if it’s an emergency or if you have braces. This simply isn’t true! You may be eligible for a tax break on your dental care, even if it’s routine maintenance like regular cleanings and checkups.
The IRS allows you to deduct certain dental expenses if they meet the necessary criteria. For instance, you can claim an expense if it was necessary for medical care – that includes dentistry! You cannot claim the cost of cosmetic work or any elective procedures, though. Cosmetic procedures are not claimed because these are not considered medically necessary. If your dentist is aware that you are submitting the expense to be claimed on your taxes, they should give you a proper accounting of what is being deducted in order for you to have all of your documentation in one place when it comes time to file.
Dental Insurance vs. a Tax Deduction
When it comes to dental care, there are two ways that people can go about receiving assistance: through dental insurance or a tax deduction. Dental insurance is a way for people to have a set amount of money each year that they can use to pay for dental care. This money can be used to pay for either routine care or more expensive procedures. A tax deduction, on the other hand, is a way for people to lower their taxable income by deducting the amount they spend on dental care from their taxable income. This means that if someone spends £1,000 on dental care in a year, they can deduct that amount from their taxable income. This will lower their taxable income by £1,000, and therefore lower the amount of taxes they owe.
One thing to be aware of is that if you have dental insurance, you may not be able to claim all of your expenses with a tax deduction. This is because many people don’t pay for their dental care in full, and instead use a combination of cash and insurance to cover the balance. If you do this, you can only claim the amount that isn’t covered by insurance.
Keep reading to learn about what you need to do in order to claim your dentist tax deduction.
The Checklist to claim a Dentist Tax Deduction
1. Gather your documentation
In order to claim a dentist tax deduction, you need to have received dental care during the year for which you’re filing taxes. This means that if you went to the dentist in January 2021, but didn’t go again until December 2021, you can’t claim those expenses on your taxes for that year. You’ll need to save your receipts from the year of care, as well as any information about the dental care that was provided, in order to submit your tax return.
2. Make sure that the expenses you’re claiming are qualified dental expenses
Qualified dental expenses are those that are necessary for medical care. This includes dentistry! You can claim expenses like regular cleanings, checkups, fillings, crowns, and braces. In other words, expenses were necessary for diagnosing, treating, or preventing disease. You cannot claim the cost of cosmetic work or any elective procedures, though. These are not considered medically necessary.
3. File your taxes as usual
Once you have all of the documentation ready, simply file your taxes as usual. You should be able to claim your deduction when you’re filing; if not, you will need to amend your return and include all of the necessary documentation that shows that these costs were medically necessary
Remember: Include Form 1040 and Schedule A (which is where you’ll list your deductions). On Line 1 of Schedule A, write “Dentist” under “Medical and Dental Expenses.”
4. Sign and date your return, then submit it to the IRS
It’s always a good idea to have an accountant, tax professional, or the IRS look over your return before submitting it. While you should be fine filing as usual once you have your documentation in order, they can double-check to make sure that there are no mistakes. And be aware of deadlines!
It’s important to know what documentation you need in order to claim a dentist tax deduction. In order to make things as easy as possible for you, we’ve put together a checklist of what you’ll need. This includes saving your receipts from the year of dental care and making sure that the expenses you’re claiming are qualified dental expenses Filing your taxes, as usual, should be relatively straightforward once you have all of this information ready. Just be sure to include Form 1040 and Schedule A (where you’ll list your deductions), and remember to sign and date your return before submitting it!
