The tax cuts and jobs acts tcja preserved the deduction for medical expenses and changes the floor to 7 5 in 2017 and 2018.
Floor on medical expenses 2018.
He died in 2019 with unpaid medical expenses of 1 500 from 2018 and 1 800 in 2019.
If you itemize your deductions for a taxable year on schedule a form 1040 or 1040 sr itemized deductions pdf you may be able to deduct expenses you paid that year for medical and dental care for yourself your spouse and your dependents you may deduct only the amount of your total medical expenses that exceed 7 5 of your adjusted gross income.
Average taxpayer with adjusted gross income between 50 000 and 100 000 did not take an average medical expense deduction of 9 426 only the average taxpayer who itemized and claimed a medical expense deduction did.
That means for the 2018 tax year you can claim 2 000 as a deduction or 5 000 in expenses less the floor 7 5 x 40 000 3 000.
The medical expense deduction floor changed for 2018.
In 2019 the floor increases to 10 of agi.
A taxpayer with adjusted gross income of 50 000 would need a minimum of 3 750 in medical expenses to reach the temporary 7 5 percent threshold.
Take the example of a taxpayer with an agi of 100 000 and 9 500 in unreimbursed medical expenses.
Your medical expenses would need to exceed 7 5 of 42 500 that is be greater than 3 187 50 in order for you to deduct any portion of your care costs from your taxable income.
For 2017 and 2018 a taxpayer can deduct expenses based on a floor of only 7 5 percent of agi.
Because it can be difficult to exceed the floor a common strategy is to bunch deductible medical expenses into a particular year where possible.
If the expenses are paid within the 1 year period his survivor or personal representative can file an amended return for 2018 claiming a deduction based on the 1 500 medical expenses.
How much does it matter.
For 2019 and 2020 tax returns the medical expense deduction floor remains at 7 5 due to an extension by the taxpayer certainty and disaster tax relief act.
That level or floor is 7 5 percent.
The tcja reduced the floor for the medical expense deduction for 2017 and 2018 from 10 to 7 5.
What will the medical expense deduction be in 2019 and 2020.
2018 whole ball of tax.