Can I claim deductions for foreign medical expenses? Tips for claiming overseas surgery on my tax return?

So last summer I traveled to Costa Rica for surgery to fix my deviated septum. My breathing was getting worse and worse and I couldn't afford the procedure in the US (quotes were astronomical). Even with travel costs, it was cheaper to go abroad. The total cost including the surgery, hospital stay, and follow-up care was about $9,800, which is definitely more than 7.5% of my AGI for the year (my AGI was around $58,000). I'm wondering if I can deduct these medical expenses on my tax return since they were performed outside the US? The surgery was 100% medically necessary - I literally couldn't breathe right through my nose. My ENT confirmed it wasn't cosmetic at all. I have all receipts and medical documentation (translated to English). Does anyone know if foreign medical expenses qualify for the medical expense deduction? And if so, what's the process for claiming this on my tax return? Do I need any special forms beyond Schedule A? This is the first time I've had enough medical expenses to itemize deductions.

0 coins

20 comments

Amara Nnamani

•8M

Yes, you absolutely can deduct qualified medical expenses that were performed in a foreign country! The IRS doesn't care where you received the medical care as long as it meets their definition of a legitimate medical expense. A medically necessary deviated septum surgery definitely qualifies. Since the cost exceeds the 7.5% AGI threshold (which is currently the minimum for medical expense deductions), you're on the right track. You'll need to itemize deductions on Schedule A of your Form 1040. The medical expenses section is where you'll enter the total of all qualified medical expenses, then the form will automatically subtract 7.5% of your AGI to determine your eligible deduction amount. Make sure you keep all documentation - translated receipts, doctor's notes explaining medical necessity, payment records, etc. Also, you'll need to convert the expenses to US dollars using the exchange rate from the date you paid for the services.

0 coins

Amara Nnamani

•8M

You don't need any special forms specifically because the care was received internationally. Just the standard Schedule A for itemizing deductions. However, you should convert all expenses to USD using the exchange rate from the date you paid, and keep documentation of those conversions. As for audit risk, medical deductions themselves aren't automatically a red flag. What tends to trigger scrutiny is when deductions are disproportionately large compared to income or when they seem unusual. Just make sure you have solid documentation of medical necessity and payment, and you'll be fine.

0 coins

Fatima Al-Suwaidi

•8M

I had a similar situation last year with dental work I got done in Mexico. I found this awesome AI tool called taxr.ai that helped me figure out exactly how to document my foreign medical expenses. I was seriously confused about how to handle the currency conversion and what documentation I needed to keep. I uploaded my receipts and medical records to https://taxr.ai and it analyzed everything, told me what qualified, and even helped me determine the correct exchange rates to use based on the dates of my treatments. It really simplified the whole process and gave me confidence I was doing everything properly. Might be worth checking out for your situation too!

0 coins

Fatima Al-Suwaidi

•8M

It actually does work with non-English receipts! The system can process documents in multiple languages and help identify what qualifies as a legitimate medical expense. It handles the translation aspect surprisingly well. Regarding currency conversion, the tool uses historical exchange rate data based on the actual dates of your payments. It pulls from official exchange rate databases to ensure accuracy. You can review all the calculations it makes, and it provides documentation showing which rates were used and why, which is super helpful if you ever get questioned about it.

0 coins

Sofia Morales

•8M

I want to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai. I decided to try it after posting my skeptical comment, and I'm genuinely impressed. I uploaded my mother's Korean medical receipts and the system handled them better than expected. It accurately identified eligible expenses and calculated the correct USD values using proper exchange rates from the payment dates. The documentation it generated would be perfect if we ever got audited. Also discovered I could deduct more things than I realized - like the special transportation we arranged for her after the procedure. Definitely saved us money and gave us peace of mind about doing everything correctly.

0 coins

StarSailor

•8M

If you're having trouble reaching the IRS with questions about your foreign medical deductions, try Claimyr. I spent WEEKS trying to get someone on the phone at the IRS to answer questions about my overseas medical expenses (major dental work in Thailand). I finally used https://claimyr.com and they got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they navigate the IRS phone tree for you and call you back when they've gotten through to a human. The agent I spoke with confirmed exactly how to document my foreign medical expenses and what exchange rates to use.

0 coins

StarSailor

•8M

It's not someone calling for you - the service navigates the complex IRS phone system and waits on hold for you. Once they reach a live agent, they connect you directly to that person. You're the one who actually speaks with the IRS. You absolutely can do it yourself, but in my experience, I spent hours on multiple days trying different times and kept getting disconnected or told to call back later. The IRS phone lines have been overwhelmed for years. I finally calculated that my time was worth more than the service cost, especially since I needed specific guidance on foreign medical expenses for a significant deduction.

0 coins

Ava Garcia

•8M

I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, my tax situation got more complicated (added foreign investment income on top of my own foreign medical expenses), and I couldn't get through to the IRS despite trying for three days straight. I reluctantly tried Claimyr and was connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. The agent was super helpful and answered all my questions about documenting foreign medical expenses and the currency conversion requirements. Saved me hours of frustration and probably prevented me from making errors on my return that could have caused problems later. Definitely worth it for complex tax situations like foreign medical deductions.

0 coins

Miguel Silva

•8M

Don't forget that transportation costs to and from the foreign country MIGHT be deductible too if the primary purpose of the trip was medical care! According to IRS Publication 502: "You can include in medical expenses amounts you pay for transportation to another city if the trip is primarily for, and essential to, receiving medical services." But there's a catch - if the trip was primarily for vacation and you just happened to get medical care, the transportation isn't deductible. But in your case, since you specifically went for the surgery, you might be able to deduct airfare, taxis, etc.

0 coins

Miguel Silva

•8M

Yes, your flights and taxis to/from the hospital would likely qualify since your primary purpose was medical care. For lodging, the rules are a bit more specific - you can deduct up to $50 per night for lodging while receiving medical care if: the lodging is primarily for and essential to medical care, the medical care is provided by a doctor in a licensed hospital or medical care facility, the lodging isn't lavish or extravagant, and there's no significant element of personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation. So your recovery stay at a reasonable hotel would likely qualify up to that $50/night limit.

0 coins

Lucas Schmidt

•4M

Great question about foreign medical expenses! I actually went through something similar when I had dental work done in India a couple years ago. The key thing is that the IRS treats qualified medical expenses the same whether they're domestic or foreign - as long as the treatment is medically necessary and performed by a licensed practitioner. A few additional tips from my experience: 1. Make sure you get detailed invoices/receipts that clearly show what services were performed 2. Keep any pre-authorization or referral documents from your US doctor if you have them 3. For currency conversion, I used the IRS's average annual exchange rates (found on their website) rather than daily rates, which simplified things One thing to watch out for - if you extended your trip for tourism after the surgery, only allocate the medical portion of travel costs to your deduction. But since you went specifically for the procedure, you should be able to include most travel-related expenses. The $9,800 total sounds very reasonable for that type of surgery, and with your AGI, you'll definitely clear the 7.5% threshold. Just document everything well and you should be fine!

0 coins

Hailey O'Leary

•3M

Thanks for sharing your experience with dental work in India! That's really helpful. I'm curious about the IRS average annual exchange rates you mentioned - did you find those easier to use than daily rates? I was planning to use the daily rates from when I actually made each payment, but if there's a simpler approach that the IRS accepts, I'd love to know more about it. Also, did you have any issues with documentation since your receipts were presumably in another language initially?

0 coins