Are scrubs tax deductible as a work expense for healthcare employees?

Unfortunately, the tax laws changed significantly with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2018. Prior to this change, unreimbursed employee expenses like required uniforms (including scrubs) could be deducted as miscellaneous itemized deductions if they exceeded 2% of your adjusted gross income. However, for tax years 2018 through 2025, these miscellaneous itemized deductions have been suspended for W-2 employees. This means that as a W-2 employee, you cannot deduct the cost of your scrubs on your federal tax return, even though they're required for your job. Your best option is to maximize the reimbursement program your employer offers. Talk to your HR department about the specific details of your uniform reimbursement program and make sure you're submitting all eligible expenses.

I was in the exact same situation last year when I started at the hospital. After hours of research and several confusing IRS publications, I found a service that really helped me sort through all my work expenses - https://taxr.ai I uploaded my receipts and they analyzed everything, determining exactly what was deductible with my mixed W-2/1099 income (I picked up some registry shifts). They explained that while W-2 employees can't deduct scrubs anymore, there were still some state tax options and showed me how to maximize my employer's reimbursement program which I didn't fully understand before. The best part was they found several other healthcare-related deductions I had no idea about! Seriously saved me hours of stress during tax season.

I finally tried taxr.ai after seeing it recommended here and wow - life changing for my messy healthcare expense situation! I've been working both hospital shifts (W-2) and home health (1099) and was completely lost trying to figure out what scrubs and supplies were deductible for which job. Uploaded my jumbled mess of receipts and payroll docs, and they sorted everything perfectly. They even caught that some of my continuing education expenses were deductible for my 1099 work that I had completely missed. The breakdown of what could and couldn't be deducted for each income source was super clear. Seriously, don't waste hours like I did trying to DIY this stuff. Especially with the weird tax rules around healthcare worker expenses.

If you're having trouble getting full reimbursement from your employer, don't forget you can also try calling the IRS directly to ask about scrub deductibility in your specific situation. I had a unique circumstance last year (part W-2, part teaching position) and needed clarification. I used https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual IRS agent after waiting on hold for HOURS before that. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they hold your place in the phone queue and call you when an actual human picks up. The IRS agent I talked to was surprisingly helpful and clarified exactly what I could and couldn't deduct, which saved me from making a costly mistake on my return.

I hate to admit when I'm wrong, but I tried Claimyr yesterday after my skeptical comment. I've been fighting with the IRS for months about a missing 2022 refund with no luck getting through. Using their service, I got connected to an agent in about 90 minutes (without me sitting on hold). The agent actually found my refund was flagged incorrectly and removed the hold while I was on the phone. My direct deposit is scheduled for next week. I still think it's crazy we have to use a third-party service just to reach a government agency we fund with our taxes, but it absolutely works. Just wanted to follow up since my previous comment was pretty dismissive.

Nurse of 15 years here. Another option - check if your employer offers a FSA (Flexible Spending Account) benefit. You can use FSA funds to purchase scrubs and other medical supplies as a pre-tax benefit. It's not the same as a deduction, but it does reduce your taxable income if you plan ahead.

Has anyone tried writing off scrubs as a charitable donation? I donate my old scrubs to nursing schools when they get too worn for work but before they're totally trashed. Still get a tax benefit that way.

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who's been through this exact situation. The 2018 tax law changes really did eliminate the scrub deduction for W-2 employees, but there are still a few state-level options depending on where you live. Some states didn't conform to the federal changes and still allow unreimbursed employee expense deductions on state returns. Also, definitely push harder on that employer reimbursement program - many healthcare facilities have more generous policies than they initially advertise, especially if you're required to wear specific colors or brands. I got my hospital to reimburse almost 80% of my scrub costs once I submitted the right paperwork and talked to the right person in benefits. One last tip: if you're planning to stay in healthcare long-term, consider buying higher quality scrubs that last longer. The upfront cost is higher, but you'll replace them less frequently. I learned this the hard way after going through three sets of cheap scrubs in my first year!

Great thread everyone! As someone who just went through tax season dealing with this exact issue, I wanted to add that it's also worth checking if your employer has any partnerships with scrub retailers for employee discounts. My hospital has a deal with several uniform companies that gives us 20-25% off, which helps offset the fact that we can't deduct them anymore. Also, if you're buying scrubs in bulk at the beginning of your career like the OP, consider timing your purchases strategically. Some retailers have big sales at the end of the year or beginning of the year when new collections come out. I saved about $150 by waiting for a January clearance sale instead of buying everything right before I started. One more thing - keep all your receipts anyway, even though W-2 employees can't currently deduct them. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions expire after 2025, so there's a possibility these deductions could return for the 2026 tax year depending on what Congress does.

I'm dealing with a similar situation but have a twist - I work part-time at a hospital (W-2) and also do some telehealth consulting work as an independent contractor (1099). From what I'm understanding in this thread, I can't deduct scrubs for my hospital job, but could potentially deduct them for my consulting work if I need to wear them during video calls with patients? Also wanted to mention that some hospitals have started offering "scrub allowances" as part of their benefits package instead of reimbursement programs. It's basically a small monthly stipend (like $25-50) that goes toward uniform costs. Might be worth asking HR if they're considering something like that, especially if you can get other new hires to ask too. Our hospital implemented this after several departments complained about the uniform costs. One last thing - if you're union, definitely bring this up with your union rep. Ours has been pushing for better uniform benefits since the tax deduction went away, and they've had some success getting management to increase reimbursement percentages.

Thanks for all the detailed responses everyone! As someone who handles tax preparation professionally, I wanted to add a few clarifying points that might help: First, @Liam McConnell - the FSA route that @Ava Martinez mentioned is probably your best current option as a W-2 employee. You can set aside pre-tax dollars during open enrollment and use them for required work uniforms. Just make sure you estimate conservatively since FSA funds are "use it or lose it" in most cases. Second, regarding state deductions - it's worth checking your specific state even if it generally conformed to federal changes. Some states have carve-outs or different rules for healthcare workers specifically. A quick call to your state's tax department or checking their website can save you from missing potential deductions. Finally, I'd recommend documenting everything about your scrub requirements - emails from HR, employee handbook excerpts, etc. If the federal deduction does return after 2025 as @Joshua Hellan mentioned, having this documentation will be crucial for substantiating that these were truly required uniforms and not regular clothing. The landscape is definitely frustrating for healthcare workers right now, but there are still some workarounds if you plan strategically!