Tax Evasion Penalties Are Severe – A Tax Attorney Can

Tax Evasion Penalties Are Severe – A Tax Attorney Can Help

Tax evasion is illegally avoiding paying taxes, failing to report, or reporting inaccurately. The most common one is failing to report cash income. The government imposes strict and serious penalties for tax evasion.
Tax evasion is different from tax avoidance, which is making use of legal methods to minimize tax due. There are many deductions you can legally claim to reduce your tax liability, for example if you have dependents (the more dependents, the lower your taxes), if you have certain medical expenses or if you contribute to certain retirement plans or to charitable organizations. Taking advantage of them and keeping your tax bill to a minimum is quite legal and if you do that you are guilty of no crime. However, when companies, individuals, or any other legal entities intentionally avoid their legal responsibility, that is tax evasion and the penalties are severe, including prison terms and hefty fines.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) oversees the regulation of taxes. It also prosecutes any person or entity that avoids payment of taxes due, and can assess penalties.
The IRS has nearly 3000 special agents who are trained to gather the information used to detect tax evasion. They have access to tax returns, the power to issue a summons for access to further financial information, and the right to seize or freeze monies in the attempt to collect the necessary financial information.
The IRS audits some taxpayers at random each year, but most audits are a result of unusual activity. If a person claims a lot of deductions in proportion to their income, or if a person with a lot of assets declares a very small income, an audit may result. If it is established that taxes have been intentionally evaded, the IRS can levy tax liens, seize assets, freeze money in check and savings accounts, and garnish wages. Any and all properties held by the individual taxpayer can be seized and sold at auction if no attempt is made to repay the liability.
Everyone that is determined to be involved in an evasion of tax liability has the right to meet with the IRS and be heard. Should you find yourself in this situation, it would be wise to engage a tax attorney.
There are three crimes with which an individual may be charged:
* Tax evasion: This is a felony and a conviction can carry a prison sentence of up to five years and/or fines up to $100,000.
* Filing a false return: The government does not have to prove the taxpayer intended to evade tax laws, just that the taxpayer filed a false return. This is a felony and can result in a prison sentence of up to three years and/or fines up to $100,000.
* Failing to file a tax return: This is a misdemeanor and can result in a maximum prison sentence of one year and/or fines totaling up to $25,000 for each year for which no return was filed. Many individual taxpayers rely on accountants and business managers to handle their financial affairs and may not be aware of the status of their finances. However, the individual taxpayer is responsible for the information provided to the IRS. Do yourself a favor and examine your return, understand what youre reading, and check that it is accurate.
The author believes that filing tax returns should be as simple and painless as possible and that every taxpayer should take advantage of the many ways to legally keep taxes to a minimum. Read more at http://www.taxassistonline.com

Tax Evaders, Beware! Agents Using MySpace, Facebook to Hunt You

Tax Evaders, Beware! Agents Using MySpace, Facebook to Hunt You Down!

If you’re a member of an Internet site like MySpace, Facebook, or Twitter, you might want to rethink posting everything and anything about your life. The tax man could soon be knocking at your door.

The Wall Street Journal reports that some state tax agents are scouring social networking sites looking for information on people who owe back taxes. Anything that can be utilized to locate these individuals will be. For instance, one tax evader announced on his MySpace account that he would be moving back to Minnesota to accept a new job and even gave the name of his employer. Tax agents looked up the employer, found the individual, and collected several thousand dollars in back taxes. A deejay in Nebraska forked over $2,000 in taxes due after he informed folks from his MySpace page that he was working at a large public party. And being vague about your personal information may not be enough to protect you. One individual in California identified himself as a rigger of sails. An ingenious tax agent did an on-line search, discovered a discussion board used by local riggers, and learned the individual in question had closed his store and moved across the bay. One face-to-face later, the agent was collecting a check.

Most searches for tax evaders starts with examination of public records, such as motor vehicle, bank, and employment records. When agents run into a dead end, more are turning to the Internet and Googling these individuals. Failing that, they turn to social networking sites, discussion boards, and chat sites as last-ditch efforts to find their quarry.

MySpace is turning out to be a more productive site for locating tax dodgers because of its layout. Adults who use MySpace allow all members to view their profiles by default. Facebook, on the other hand, allows users to keep their profiles private and only display them to friends. Since agents are only allowed to access publicly-available data, MySpace works to their advantage. Agents are not allowed to “friend” people on other social networking sites using false information.

In the workplace, the tendency these days is for employers to block access to Web sites that would detract from employee productivity. That would include social networking sites. However, some state government agencies are reconsidering that policy. Several are looking at the success rates of states like Nebraska, Minnesota, and California that already use these sites, and checking into the possibility of launching similar programs. (For the record, the Wall Street Journal reports that a spokeperson from the IRS declined to comment on whether its agents were using similar methods to locate federal tax evaders.)

Bottom line? You might think you’re pulling one over on the tax collector, but be warned: Being open on the Internet could end up making you open your wallet.

Tax Defense Network Services

Have you ever had problems with taxes? It is always difficult to understand what to pay and when, system is very complicated and you need to have degree to do everything right. But if you dont pay taxes or dont pay them in time, you will have a lot of problems. When somebody hears IRS, he starts to remember if he paid taxes. It could be a good joke if it werent so serious. If you dont pay taxes you can even get to jail. There are very rare cases, but they exist. So, as it is considered as diligent citizen, you should control your taxes. But if it difficult for you to manage your finances, you can get help in specialized company, like Tax Defense Network.

This company was created to help people to clear off their debts with IRS. Method of their work is very simple: they use your particular company situation and develop special strategy to help you. Tax Defense Network (http://tax-defense-network.pissedconsumer.com/) has in its stuff a lot of qualified employees who can use their knowledge of IRSs programs and services. Among them you can find ex-IRS agents, tax attorneys. Also there are tax analysts and enrolled agents. This stuff allows company to provide you with the best assistance and IRS mediation.

You can have different tax problems, like federal tax lien, bank levy, delinquent payroll tax, tax penalties and interests and wage garnishment, Tax Defense Network is here to help you. They will offer you three easy steps to regulate your situation. First of all you should contact companys representative any way you like: by phone or you can fill in the form on the website and explain your problem. On the next step Tax Defense specialists will find the best IRS program to solve your case. And at last, you will get quality customer service.

Here are the ways which Tax Defense Network uses in its work. Offer in compromise. According to this method, you will get an agreement between you and IRS which will close debt and you will pay less amount then you owed.

Installment agreement is an agreement when tax payers have to pay monthly definite amount during the period necessary to pay off whole sum. Monthly payment is calculated by IRS for every separate person.

Penalty abatement. You pay penalty in order to encourage yourself to make payments in time and follow internal revenue code. According to compliance you prepare returns, fill it and make necessary payments. In order to avoid penalty you should have very valid reason, like death of family member or serious health problem.

Innocent Spouse. When couple has a debt they hold equal responsibility. But in case when one spouse underestimated the tax liability, and other signed the return, the first spouse isnt responsible for paying penalties.

Currently not collectable. If IRS will classify you as “Currently not collectable” in definite reasons, you will be able not to make payments for some period of time until your situation will improve.

Appeals. If you are not agree with IRS methods or services, you can appeal to Appeals Division. Your appeal will be examined.

As you can see you can contact Tax Defense Network to solve any tax problem.

Tax Deed Auctions

Tax deed properties and tax lien properties are similar in many aspects, but its important to note that they are not one and the same. When you win the bid on a tax lien property, there is a waiting period involved and what happens next is dependent upon the actions of the delinquent owners. If they are able to pay their back taxes in the allotted time, you receive monetary gain in the form of interest and fees. If they fail to redeem the property, you acquire real estate. By contrast, when you are the winning bidder at a tax deed auction, you acquire full and legal ownership of the property as soon as you pay the county. The previous owner does not have the opportunity to regain the property. Whether one, both, or neither of these type of auctions is available varies from state to state and even county to county.

Tax deeds can be a great investment if youre willing to do a little research, and they allow you to bypass the waiting game inherent to tax liens. Todays market abounds with homes, commercial properties, and lots available for you to buy and then sell, rent, or build upon. The most important thing to remember isdont bid blind. Undertake the necessary background information so you can feel confident in every investment decision you make. Some lots are too small to build upon successfully. Some homes will demand more in repair than is ultimately worthwhile. It is generally wiser to spend the money upfront on a high quality, higher priced property than to bid low and then have to pour money into the property to bring it up to code standards.

Seeing is Believing

Nothing substitutes a personal, visual inspection of a property before you attend an auction. Youll gain an invaluable understanding of the state of the property as well as the surrounding neighborhood. You should also check out the county website, where youll have access to appraisal values, any tax liens that exist on the property, and taxes owed to the government. Believe it or not, there are plenty of investors out there who will head blithely to an auction without having done even the bare minimum of investigation. You can outsmart these nave investors by taking the time to educate and inform yourself.

The ability to compare and contrast between properties is vital to the successful tax deed investor. If you win a bid, you are immediately going to acquire ownership of that property. Todays market is especially flooded with homes. You need to look for a marketable property, located in an area where sales are steady, versatile enough to either lease or sell.

What to Avoid

Avoid getting your heart set on one particular property weeks before the auction. Auction inventory can change from day to day in the time leading up to the sale, as some owners manage to pay their back taxes just in time. Check the status of the properties youre considering on a regular basis up to the date of the auction so you dont drive out there only to discover that none of the homes you were interested in are available for bid.

Although its not usually the case, it is possible for tax liens to be held over the house on top of the tax deed. If a tax lien does exist and is upheld legally after you have won the bid for a deed, you will not be in full ownership of the home, making it more difficult for you to foreclose and make a profit. You especially want to avoid IRS tax liens. If a house is burdened by such a lien, your chances of fully acquiring the property are pretty dismal.
Both tax liens and tax deeds can prove to be outstanding investments, but the demand different methods for success. With a tax lien, you are almost assured of at least getting your investment back. With a tax deed, you have the advantage of instantaneously gaining real estate, but you have no guarantee of getting your money back. It becomes your responsibility to ensure that your holdings turn you a profit. Your investment is final, so be sure to

Tax Deductions for Individuals

With the financial year coming to an end, individuals and organizations, have started closing their books of accounts, and have also started calculating their tax liabilities. Many people have also started preparations for filing their tax returns. One factor that is many a times ignored by us in such situations, is that of tax deductions. The concept of valid tax deductions, have been explained in the following paragraphs.

What are Tax Deductions?
It very important to know the meaning of tax deductions before we proceed to the tax deductions for individuals, let us first get to know more about tax deductions, and different provisions and enactments that are related to these deductions.

A tax deduction is nothing but an exemption that is provided by the government from some amount of tax, that is levied. There are several different taxes which are collected by the government at the end of every financial year. Some of the incomes and expenditures of people, are however not taxed by the government. These common tax deductions for individuals are taken into consideration by the governments while levying income tax on the common man. The Internal Revenue Service of the United States of America has specified some standard deductions and itemized deductions tax payer’s benefit. The standard deductions and itemized deductions are the principal tax deductions for US citizens. To sum up the definition of tax deductions, it can be stated that tax deductions are exemptions granted by the government for an individual’s income and expenditure and affect a taxpayer’s income tax return.

You to know more about tax, you may also refer to:
Tax Debt Forgiveness
Tax Relief Checks
Standard Tax Deductions
The Internal Revenue Service of United States of America has made provisions for tax deductions who fall under the category of standard deductions. The concept of standard deductions is specified in the Topic 551 of the irs portal. A standard tax deduction is basically an amount in dollars that reduces the amount of income that is to be taxed. One cannot avail the standard tax deductions for individuals if one chooses to avail the itemized deduction. Another twist in the story of standard deductions for married people is that both the husband and wife must file for standard deduction. Both the spouses cannot file for different deductions. The following are the people who qualify for the standard tax deductions.
Single person or a married person filing separately, qualify for standard tax deductions that go up to $5,700.
If you are married and filing jointly, or qualifying widower or widow, then you become eligible for standard tax deductions that do as high as $11,400.
In the case of head of household, you will qualify for a deduction that is worth $8,350.
The Internal Revenue Services has put aside some exceptions for the standard deductions. It is better that one avails and goes through the Publications 547, 553, 519 and 501 of the IRS before actually claiming and filing for the exemptions. You can also go through Form 1040A, 1040EZ and Form 1040 in order to calculate the exemptions. These publications are basically work as income tax calculators, and will also help you to avail further exemptions. The above mentioned figures are subject to change, with respect to the financial years and according to the rate of inflation.

Itemized Tax Deductions for Individuals
There are several itemized tax deductions that are overlooked. Tax deductions for individuals which are itemized in nature are the second type of deductions, and according to the IRS norms, a person cannot avail itemized tax deductions if he is already filing for the standard deductions. The following are some of the genuine itemized deductions. IRS topics 501 to 515 state the provisions for such itemized deductions.
Medical and Dental Expenses
Deductible Taxes
Home Mortgage Points
Interest Expense
Contributions
Casualty and Theft Losses
Miscellaneous Expenses
Business Use of Home
Business Use of Car
Business Travel Expenses Business Entertainment Expenses
Educational Expenses
Employee Business Expenses
Casualty, Disaster, and Theft Losses
In order to avail these tax deductions, you might as well refer to income tax forms and calculators that are provided by the IRS.

To know more about tax deductions, you may also refer to:
Are Lawsuit Settlements Taxable
Home Equity Line of Credit Tax Deduction
In case if you are availing the tax deductions, you should refer to the provisions and topics by the IRS, as every type of deduction has some or the other condition, provision or qualifying requirement. In case if you are having a severe difficulty in filing for tax deductions for individuals, you can also consult a tax attorney or a certified chartered accountant.

Good Luck!

Tax Deductions for Homeowners

The economic recession that started in 2008, started partially as a result of the real estate loans and mortgages that were defaulted or were repaid at a later date. Hence, many real estate legislation and enactments were passed by the United States Congress in late 2009, with the Obama administration playing a very instrumental role in the implementation. Mortgage and loan modifications, tax deductions, and change in the rate of interest were some of the important points that were elaborated upon. In the wake of the recession, as the turmoil filled financial year comes to an end, many tax deductions for homeowners are being bought to light.

Tax Deductions and Homeowners
In order to prevent and repulse the negative effects of the recession, homeowners are now entitled to receive some selected tax deductions and benefits that lessen their financial burden of owing homes. Tax deductions are basically reductions in the income tax. When a person files for an income tax return with the Internal Revenue Service, there are certain provisions that have been made with the help of which people can avail some deductions. A deduction is basically reduction in the total amount of income that is to be taxed by the IRS. The tax deductions can be availed while filing for a return or can be applied for while filing for a return. In some cases the government can also use methods such as tax credit and tax relief checks to help the taxpayers. The real estate market has became a rather sensitive field after the economic recession. The taxpayers who are also home owners, thus are able to avail some very important tax deductions.

Tax Deductions for Homeowners
The following are some important tax deductions that almost all homeowners are entitled to receive.

Mortgage Interest: The annually paid mortgage loan is an important deduction that reduces the amount of income that is taxed by the Internal Revenue Service. The Topic 504 of the IRS, mentions some of the important tax deductions that are related to home mortgage . In some case the interest of mortgage that is paid by the corporations for their premises is also am important tax deduction. You might need to submit a proof of payments along with the return.

Use of Home for Business Purposes: Another very commonly observed deduction is the one where the self employed people claim an itemize deduction for tax. This kind of deduction is specified in the Topics 509 to 512 of the IRS.

Home Improvement Tax Deductions: There are several different types of home improvement that are implemented every year. According to the laws in the United States home improvement is basically increases the book value of the real estate. The total process of improvement tends to improve the quality and life longevity of the property. Hence the United States government considers, home improvement to be a valid grounds for a tax deduction claim. IRS has specified three categories of home improvements, that are eligible for tax deductions. You may also read more on home improvement tax deductions.

Depreciation: Depreciation is an age old claim for tax deductions. A tax deductions for homeowners calculator will help you to determine the percentage of depreciation which you can deduct.

To know more about tax deductions for home owners, you may also refer to:
Tax benefits for First Time Home Buyers
Home Equity Line of Credit Tax DeductionApart from the federal tax deductions for homeowners, you might as well have a look at the regional and state laws for more tax deductions. In many cases during the sale and purchase of real estate, especially homes, becomes a valid ground for tax deductions for homeowners. Closing costs, which in many cases are pretty high, are deducted from the taxable income.

Good Luck!

Tax Deductions Donations and Gifts

In order to pay no more taxes than you have to, it is important for you to understand how tax deductions and credits work in your income tax, no matter how you figure out your taxes, whether you use an accountant, buy and use a software package, or even if you fill out the forms by yourself.

The first thing to do is to collect your receipts. You should also try to remember any charitable giving that you may have done in the past year. This should include any donations of clothing or toys you may have made. It also includes miles that you drove in order to volunteer for charitable organizations.
Deductions for charitable contributions are the 4th most common deduction for taxpayers. The IRS reported taxpayer claims of $172 billion in these deductions in 2005, and this amount has increased in recent years.
Donations of cash to charities have new rules this year. Previously, you needed to get a receipt only if the donation to any one charity was more than $250. However, now receipts or other bank records are needed for any donation to be claimed as tax deductions, no matter what the value is.
To claim credit (tax deductions) for donated worn items such as clothing, the IRS now requires that they be in at least “good” condition. The thrift shop value of clothing is considered to be 25% of the original price.
Another way you can save on your taxes is by contributing to a 401K or other retirement account. The amount you contribute can often be deducted from your taxable income. Of course, there are maximum income limits in some cases, and you need to be aware of the official rules and policies before you make such contributions.
Also, you may want to consider the gift tax exclusion. This is when one person gives another person a gift worth up to $12000, which is tax-free. If the gift is worth more than $12000, only the first $12000 of value is tax-free. It’s fairly common for parents or grandparents to give such gifts, and to take the tax deduction that goes along with this family gift. When this happens, the person that gets the gift doesn’t have to fill out any forms, or report it on their taxes. This is a very simple way for a parent or grandparent to save money on their taxes, and to help our his or her child or grandchild.
Of course, you should check with the IRS for official rules and policies. The IRS web site is the best and easiest source of these rules and policies. You can also look at web sites from tax software vendors for their interpretations of these rules.
 
Learn How to Deduct Mileage for Commuting and other hidden Tax Deductions and Credits that can save you tons of money. Ron Finkelstein is NOT a Tax Attorney or an accountant. He is merely a small business owner who has paid a lot of money over the years to learn a whole lot about Taxes and Time Management. I hope you enjoyed learning how to maximize your limits on qualifying for tax deductions and credits

Tax Deduction On Hra ASHISH GUPTA

·         The actual amount of allowance received by the assessee in the relevant period during which the rented accommodation is occupied by him
·         The amount by which the rent expenditure actually incurred by the assessee exceeds one-tenth of the amount of salary due to the assessee in the relevant period
·         40% of the salary due to the assessee in the period
Here is an illustration for the year 2009-10. Assume an assessee gets a salary of Rs 5 lakhs as basic salary and Rs 2.5 lakhs as HRA. He pays an actual rent of Rs 1.5 lakhs. In such a case, the amount of HRA exempt would be calculated as:
·         Actual HRA received — Rs 2.5 lakhs
·         Excess of rent paid over 10% of salary i.e., Rs 1.5 lakhs less Rs 50,000 (10% of salary) = Rs 1 lakh
·         40% of salary (40% of Rs 5 lakhs) = Rs 2 lakhs
As out of this Rs 1 lakh is the least, it will be allowable as a deduction from salary for the year. The balance HRA of Rs 1.5 lakhs will be subject to tax.
Courtesy:- Times Property dt:- 12-12-2009
 
 
 

Tax Deductible Moving Expenses

The expenses that one incurs while moving to a new place due to work related assignments or a new job may be tax deductible. There are certain terms and conditions one must fulfill to claim a tax deduction on these expenses. The Internal Revenue Service has laid down certain requirements for tax deductible moving expenses. These deductions are only allowed in case you are moving because of a job, it does not matter whether it is a new job or your current organization has transferred you to a new place. Normally, if your current organization transfers you to another city, they will be taking care of the reimbursements. But even then, you can deduct the moving expenses that exceed the reimbursements from your employer. To qualify for tax deductible moving expenses, you must pass two tests. One is known as the ‘distance test’, while the other is known as the ‘time test’. Let us take a look at the both of them.

Distance Test

You must satisfy some terms and conditions to get a tax exemption on moving expenses. The commute from your home/residence to your new job should be at least 50 miles more than your commute from your old home to your old job. Bit confusing? Let us take an example to illustrate this. Suppose, if you used to travel 10 miles from your old home to your office, then your new office should be at least 60 miles away from your old home/residence.

Time Test

In the first 52 weeks, (one year) you must work full-time for at least 39 weeks. In case you are self-employed, the requirements for the first year are the same, i.e 39 weeks, but you must work for a total of 78 weeks in the first 104 weeks (two years). Some points to remember are that full-time necessarily does not mean working 40 hours a week, in some companies it can be 35 hours a week or lesser. Also, IRS does not demand that you have to stick to one company to complete your 39 weeks. You can change as many companies as you like, the only thing that you need to make sure is that at the end of the year, you should have worked 39 weeks.

Qualified Moving Expenses

If you have satisfied above mentioned terms and conditions, you must be wondering which expenses qualify for tax exemption. Let us know about some tax deductible items.
Travel costs of yourself and your family members from your old location to your new location.
The cost of packing and moving household goods to the new location.
In case you used your own vehicle for relocation, the deductible mileage rate for 2011 is 51 cents/mile. You can also deduct tolls, parking costs, etc., but meals are non-deductible. Guess why? Because if you were not moving to the new location, you would have still had your dinner! These deductions on taxes focus only on those expenses which are directly or indirectly related to your move.
How to Claim Tax Deductible Moving Expenses?

If you want to get tax exemption on moving expenses, while filling your income tax return, you will have to put these expenses on the IRS Form 3903. The total expenses are to be reported on Form 1040 Line 26. You will have to keep proofs of these expenses like receipts, bills etc., so that you can successfully claim tax deductions.

Tax Deductible Moving Expenses – Exceptions

Like every other tax deduction, there are some exceptions to the tax exemption on moving expenses. Some of these are
In case of a married couple, only one spouse needs to meet the time and distance requirements.
You are working in the armed forces and you have been transferred due to a permanent change of station.
Your transfer to the new location is for your employer’s benefit.
One’s job at the new location ends because of disability, death, layoff other than misconduct.
You are the surviving family member of a person who dies while working outside United States and you move in within six months of that person’s death.
These were some of the exceptions to IRS tax deductible moving expenses. The tax laws are modified very frequently, so make sure that you are aware about any changes being made for better tax planning. The tax deductible moving expense laws are being laid out so that some of your burden is lessened and you don’t think twice before venturing out for new career opportunities. I hope this article is useful for you if you are thinking of shifting to a new city in search of a job or have been transferred by your current company.

Tax Deductible Medical Expenses

Today, we have a number of tax deductions available that reduce the amount we have to pay as our tax. One of these are the tax deductible medical expenses. Other tax deductions are certain education expenses, charity, payments to retirement and health organizations, interest payable on specific home loans, etc. These medical expenses are deducted from the yearly tax you have to pay. These are implemented to help the citizens and save them from spending almost everything they earn on taxes and other important expenses. Tax deductible medical expenses will usually include all the expenses that you have incurred on treating yourself, but to an extent that it was absolutely necessary in terms of health. Certain expenses for machinery needed for treatment may also be included. Dental expenses too, are considered tax deductible medical expenses. However, cosmetic dentistry may not. To be sure of what exactly are tax deductible medical expenses and what aren’t, read the definition below and then the list of tax deductible medical expenses 2010 following this definition. However, before that you also need to know what is taxable income because if your income is not taxable, then you won’t be liable for these deductions.

What Medical Expenses Are Tax Deductible?
Medical and dental expenses are among the many tax deductions for individuals that are available today. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), “Medical expenses are the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, and the costs for treatments affecting any part or function of the body.” It also states that, “Medical expenses include the costs of equipment, supplies, and diagnostic devices needed for these purposes.” In addition to that, “Medical care expenses must be primarily to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental defect or illness. They do not include expenses that are merely beneficial to general health, such as vitamins or a vacation.” The list of tax deductions for medical expenses are listed in Topic 502. These few definitions help us in understand the overall meaning of tax deductible medical expenses.

Yes, there are places where confusion might arise. Specially, when it is said that these medical expenses should be for the prevention of disease. In such a situation, the case should be looked upon differently and a tax consultant might be able to tell you whether the said transaction or expense is one of the tax deductible medical expenses. For all the medical expenses that you incur, for them to be tax deductible, they have to meet the guidelines mentioned above. If they don’t, they don’t classify as tax deductible medical expenses.

List of Tax Deductible Medical Expenses
This is a list of tax deductible medical expenses. All medical expenses that can be termed as one of the following can stand valid for tax deduction. If there is an expense that does not fit any of the below mentioned categories but has been incurred for prevention of a disease or illness it should be filed after consultation and after following the necessary required procedures.
Abortion
Acupuncture
Alcoholism
Ambulance
Artificial Limb
Artificial Teeth
Birth Control/Contraceptive Pills
Braille books and magazines
Capital Expenses
Car (Customized for Illness)
Chiropractor
Christian Science Practitioner
Contact Lenses (Not Cosmetic)
Crutches
Dental Treatment
Drug Addiction
Eyeglasses
Fertility Enhancement
Guide Dogs
Health Institute
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
Hearing Aids
Home Care
Hospital Services
Medical Insurance Premiums
Laboratory Fees
Laser Eye Surgery
Lead-based Paint Removal
Learning Disability
Legal Fees
Lifetime Care Payments in Advance
Lodging
Long-term Care
Meals during Illness
Medical Conferences
Medicines
Mentally Retarded
Nursing Home
Nursing Services
Osteopath
Oxygen
Psychiatric care
Psychoanalysis
Special schools and Education
Sterilization
Programs to Quit Smoking
Therapy
Transplants
Transportation
Trips
Vasectomy
Weight-loss program
X-rays
Now that you know all the tax deductible medical expenses, you can file your taxes accordingly. As I have said before, there might be certain cases which may not fit into the above mentioned options but might stand valid for tax deductible medical expenses. In such cases, approaching a tax consultant will be the best option. He will tell you all the tax deductible items you can include. The definition of medical expenses as we have seen is very general and hence if there is a medical expense that you have incurred and it is not one of the above, you might have to follow certain different procedures. In all cases, keep your receipts intact.