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With the ever-increasing cost of health insurance and medical care, you should be vigilant in looking for chances to claim any possible healthcare-related tax breaks. Unfortunately, changes taking effect this year make that harder than ever. Here's the story, along with some potential solutions. Itemized Medical Deduction Threshold is Now Higher Before this year, you could claim an itemized deduction for medical expenses paid for you, your spouse, and your dependents, to the extent those expenses exceeded 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income (AGI). Your AGI is the number at the bottom of page 1 of your Form 1040. It includes all your taxable income items and is reduced by certain write-offs -- such as those for moving expenses, deductible IRA contributions, alimony payments, and student loan interest. The 7.5 percent-of-AGI hurdle was hard enough to clear. Now, thanks to the 2010 healthcare legislation, an even higher threshold of 10 percent of AGI applies to most taxpayers --beginning this year. However if either you or your spouse will be 65 or older as of December 31, 2013, the unfavorable new 10 percent-of-AGI threshold will not affect you until 2017. Until then, the longstanding 7.5 percent-of-AGI threshold will continue to apply for those 65 and older. Potential Tax-Smart Idea: Pay Medical Expenses Every Other Year Many types of medical expenses do qualify for the deduction. However, there are also many expenses that are not eligible, such as cosmetic surgery that improves a person's appearance but doesn't treat illness or disease or help the body function better. If you have flexibility about when medical expenses are incurred, you may be able to concentrate them in alternating years. That way, you can claim an itemized medical expense deduction every other year, or every third year -- instead of never getting a tax benefit. Example: Let's say your AGI is $65,000. You pay $11,000 of medical expenses in 2013 because you have elective surgery, buy new contact lenses, and have a dentist put sealants on your children's teeth. Next year, you pay only $2,000 in medical expenses. On your 2013 Form 1040, you can claim an itemized deduction of $4,500. Next year, you won't have any deduction. But if you simply spread the two-year total of $13,000 of medical costs evenly over this year and next year, you'll be completely out of luck in both years. Another Tax-Smart Solution: Take Advantage of Your Company's Healthcare FSA Until this year, there was no tax-law limit on contributions to your employer's healthcare flexible spending account (FSA) plan. But the FSA situation has also changed. Background: Amounts you contribute to the FSA plan are subtracted from your taxable salary. Then, you can use the funds to reimburse yourself tax-free to cover qualified medical expenses that are not reimbursed by insurance. Starting this year, however, the maximum annual FSA contribution for each employee is capped at $2,500 by law. That doesn't change the fact that you should take full advantage of your company's FSA plan if one is offered. Failing to do so is like leaving money on the table. But you may be able to get less taxable benefit from an FSA. What If You Are Self-Employed? Self-employed taxpayers who pay their own medical and dental insurance premiums are generally allowed to deduct these costs "above the line" on page 1 of Form 1040. This rule is helpful, because you do not need to itemize to benefit from an above-the-line deduction. Unfortunately, that's about the end of the good news. In general, your only recourse for other out-of-pocket medical expenses is claiming an itemized deduction when those costs exceed 10 percent of AGI. At HR&P we know what drives your company. We have built a reputation on providing exceptional customer service and administrative solutions that help companies improve productivity and profitability. Please give us a call at 281.880.6525 or visit us HERE and we will be happy to talk to you. About HR&P:
Since opening our doors in 2000, HR&P has offered the highest quality human resource outsourcing and payroll services to a diverse pool of clients. By processing your payroll, managing your benefits and overseeing your human resource issues, HR&P makes your workforce flexible and able to meet your changing business demands. Our ongoing goal is to continue to develop specific solutions for each client that suit their particular needs. Contact HR&P:
Name: Human Resources & Payroll (HR&P)
Address: 14550 Torrey Chase, Suite 100, Houston, TX – 77014
Ph. No.: 281.880.6525
Mail ID: info@hrp.net
URL: http://www.hrp.net
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Medical Expense Deductions, IRS-Approved Medical Expenses, health insurance, medical care, IRS, tax law, Employee Benefits Administration,
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