Are braces considered medical expenses on tax returns?

Yes, orthodontic work like braces absolutely counts as a qualifying medical expense for tax purposes! The IRS considers dental treatments, including orthodontic procedures, as legitimate medical expenses. There's a catch though - you can only deduct medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), and you'll need to itemize deductions on Schedule A rather than taking the standard deduction. So if your AGI is $100,000, you can only deduct medical expenses that exceed $7,500. Keep all receipts and documentation from the orthodontist. If you paid using a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA), remember those expenses aren't deductible since they were paid with pre-tax dollars. Also worth noting that cosmetic procedures generally don't qualify, but most orthodontic work is considered medically necessary.

I went through this exact situation last year with my son's braces! I discovered this awesome tool that helped me figure out exactly what I could deduct - check out https://taxr.ai and upload your orthodontist receipts. They analyzed all my medical expenses and showed me that not only could I deduct the braces, but also the mileage driving to appointments and some other related costs I had no idea about. The thing that really helped was that they explained exactly how the 7.5% AGI threshold works with real numbers based on my situation. I was honestly confused about the calculation before using this tool, and it turned out I was leaving money on the table with other medical expenses too.

Just wanted to update after trying out taxr.ai that the previous commenter recommended. Wow - total game changer for handling my medical expenses! I uploaded all my receipts (including my daughter's therapy sessions that I wasn't sure counted) and it organized EVERYTHING. Turns out I'm way over the 7.5% threshold this year and can deduct a significant amount. The system even flagged some expenses I didn't realize were deductible, like the special foods I buy for my son's medical condition. Definitely going to be using this every year now since it made the whole process so much easier than the spreadsheet nightmare I was dealing with before.

For anyone struggling to get clarification from the IRS about medical expense deductions, I highly recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent WEEKS trying to get through to the IRS about a specific question on my orthodontic expenses - whether I could deduct them in the year I paid or when services were rendered. After endless busy signals and disconnects, I tried Claimyr and got a callback from the IRS within 2 hours! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent explained that I could deduct the expenses in the year I actually paid for them, even if the treatment spans multiple years. This was a huge relief since I prepaid some of my son's treatment to maximize my deduction in a year when my income was higher.

I need to apologize for my skepticism about Claimyr. I actually tried it out after posting my doubtful comment, and I'm shocked to report it actually worked exactly as described. Got a call back from an IRS agent within about 3 hours who answered all my questions about my complicated medical expense situation. I had a unique situation with braces that were partially covered by insurance in one tax year, with the remainder paid out of pocket the following year. The agent walked me through exactly how to handle the deduction across multiple tax years. The service saved me literally days of frustration and potentially thousands in deductions I might have missed. Sorry for doubting - sometimes good solutions actually exist!

Don't forget to ask your orthodontist for an annual statement showing what you paid! Mine breaks down how much went to the actual orthodontic work versus what portion covered the dental insurance. This makes it SUPER easy at tax time to know exactly what out-of-pocket costs to include. Also, if you're making monthly payments on a treatment plan, you can only deduct what you actually paid during the tax year, not the full treatment cost.

Is anyone using tax software to figure this out? I tried entering my kid's braces expenses in TurboTax but it's not clear if I'm doing it right. It keeps asking me if the expenses were for "dental services" or "medical services" and I don't know which category braces fall under.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who went through this exact situation! My orthodontist actually gave me a really helpful tip - if you're doing a payment plan, you can strategically time your payments to maximize your deduction in a high-income year. For example, if you know you're going to have a bonus or higher income one year, you might want to prepay more of the orthodontic treatment in that year since the 7.5% AGI threshold will be harder to reach. Conversely, if you have a lower income year (maybe due to job loss or reduced hours), that might be the perfect time to bunch your medical expenses since you'll hit the threshold more easily. Also, don't forget about related expenses! You can deduct mileage to and from orthodontic appointments (currently 22 cents per mile for medical purposes), and if you have to travel overnight for specialized treatment, even lodging can be deductible. These little things can really add up over the course of treatment. One last tip - if your employer offers an FSA or HSA, definitely use it for future orthodontic work since it's pre-tax money. You can't deduct FSA/HSA expenses on your taxes, but you're still getting the tax benefit upfront.