10 Facts To Know Before Taking the Medical Expenses Deduction in 2014

Medical expenses fall among the list of IRS deductions. Before filing 2013 taxes, first learn if you qualify.

If you are generally healthy then you probably won’t be able to take a medical tax deduction. However, if you racked up countless medical and dental bills over the tax year, you might qualify for the medical expenses deduction.

Whether your deducting medical expenses or not, you can file your taxes on RapidTax. To help your filing process of claiming medical expenses on your 2013 tax return, here’s ten important facts;

1. You must Itemize: Don’t plan on deducting medical expenses if you’re taking the standard deduction. You can only claim a deduction for medical expenses if itemizing your deductions.
2. The AGI threshold has increased to 10%: In the past, if your list of medical expenses totaled a number exceeding 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), then you could deduct them. Starting on 2013 tax returns, that percentage has increased by 2.5%. Meaning, your total medical expenses must equal at least 10% of your AGI.
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2010 Itemized Deductions Approved For E-File Tax Returns

Taxpayers filing 2010 tax returns no longer need to wait to claim their 2010 itemized deductions. As of February 14, taxpayers who itemize their Federal tax deductions on Schedule A, or plan to take certain recently extended deductions specified below, may now electronically file a tax return claiming all Federal tax deductions which they are eligible for. Rapid Filing Services is now E-Filing all 2010 tax returns including itemized deductions which have been submitted to us previously, and we invite our customers to submit any new tax returns including itemized deductions.

Due to the December 17th enactment of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Small Business Job Creation Act of 2010, the IRS required additional time to update the appropriate forms and reprogram its computer systems to handle specific items. The delays caused by this change took from the start of the tax filing season until mid-February, but they have now been resolved and the IRS’ systems are updated to handle the late changes to 2010 itemized deductions.

Notably, Form 1040 Schedule A has been refreshed to reflect the extension of the state and local general sales deduction. In addition, the state and local tax tables used in the calculation of the deduction have also been updated.

Taxpayers affected by the delay, in addition to those itemizing on Schedule A, were:

  1. Filers claiming the higher education tuition and fees deduction as listed on Form 8917.
  2. Educators claiming the $250 deduction for elementary and secondary school expenses on classroom supplies following the reactivation of the 2010 Tax Relief Act.
  3. Taxpayers taking the allowance for tax free distribution from their individual retirement plan for charitable purposes.
  4. Those claiming casualty or theft losses on Form 4686.
  5. Filers who take the General Business Credit using Form 3800.
  6. Those opting for the first time homebuyer credit on Form 5405.
  7. Taxpayers claiming the alcohol and cellulosic biofuel fuels credit on Form 6478.
  8. Those filing Form 8834 for the qualified plug-in electric vehicle credit.
  9. Filers taking the alternative motor vehicle credit using Form 8910.
  10. Taxpayers claiming the qualified plug in electric drivemotor vehicle credit on Form 8936.

Therefore, if your tax return included any of the above, you may now electronically file without worrying about further delays. If you already filed a tax return through Rapid Filing Services, and it included 2010 itemized deductions or any other items listed above, you may rest assured that your tax return was E-Filed immediately when the Schedule A form became available for E-Filing. If you still need to file your 2010 tax return, you may now do so confident that all the deductions you want to claim will be available, ensuring that you receive the best tax refund.