Can I claim medical expenses I paid for my father in South America on my tax return?

You might be able to claim these medical expenses, but there are some important requirements to meet. The key factor is whether your father qualifies as your dependent for tax purposes. To claim someone as a dependent who isn't a US citizen and doesn't live in the US, they need to be a "resident of Mexico or Canada" OR a "qualifying child." Since your father lives in South America (not Mexico or Canada) and isn't your child, this makes things tricky. However, there's a provision for "medical dependent" which has slightly different rules. You could potentially claim medical expenses you paid for someone who would have been your dependent except they don't meet the gross income or joint return tests. But they still need to be a US citizen or resident of the US, Canada, or Mexico. The basic issue here is the residency requirement - if your father lived in Mexico or Canada, you'd have a much clearer path to claiming these expenses.

I was in a similar situation last year when my mom needed medical treatment in Peru. I spent hours researching and trying different tax software options, but kept hitting walls. Then I found https://taxr.ai and it was a game-changer! I uploaded my documentation and explained my situation, and they provided a detailed analysis showing exactly what I could and couldn't claim. They explained that while I couldn't claim her medical expenses directly, there were still some options for optimizing my tax situation given my financial support for her. The guidance was super specific to international family support situations. They also helped me understand some potential deductions I was missing related to currency conversion fees and interest paid on the credit card I used for the hospital bills.

Just wanted to follow up on my experience with taxr.ai after checking them out based on the recommendation here. It was actually really helpful for my situation with supporting family in Colombia! While they confirmed I couldn't claim the medical expenses directly (which saved me from potentially making a mistake on my return), they identified that some of my situation qualified for a different approach. Since I was sending regular support payments in addition to the medical costs, they helped me document everything properly and found some deductions related to foreign transaction fees I was paying. The documentation guidance was super helpful too - I now have everything organized properly in case of an audit. Definitely worth it if you're dealing with international family support situations that standard tax software doesn't handle well.

For what it's worth, I was in a somewhat similar situation and spent WEEKS trying to get through to the IRS to get a definitive answer. Kept getting disconnected or waiting on hold for hours. Finally tried https://claimyr.com and got connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with confirmed that medical expenses for non-dependents living outside North America generally can't be claimed, but they did point me to some specific guidance about foreign medical facilities and documentation requirements that was helpful for my situation. At least I got a definitive answer instead of wondering if I was doing something wrong.

OK I need to eat crow here. After posting my skeptical comment earlier, I decided to try Claimyr because I've been trying to resolve an issue with a missing 1099 for WEEKS. I couldn't believe it when I actually got connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. The agent confirmed what others have said about foreign medical expenses, but was able to check my specific tax situation and give me personalized advice. Turns out I was missing some credits I could have claimed for other support I provide to family members who DO qualify. I'm still shocked this actually worked. Sorry for the skepticism in my earlier comment. Sometimes things that sound too good to be true actually work!

Have you considered gifting money to your dad instead? While you can't deduct gifts on your taxes, you are allowed to gift up to $17,000 per year to any individual without having to file a gift tax return. Anything over that amount would require filing Form 709, but you still wouldn't owe any taxes until you exceed your lifetime gift exemption (currently over $12 million). This isn't a tax deduction, but it at least gives you a way to support your father without any additional tax implications for you.

Just to add another option to consider - you could look at this from a business expense angle if applicable. Do you own a business or are you self-employed? If your father provided any services to your business (consulting, translation, administration, etc.) you could potentially pay him as a contractor and deduct that as a business expense. This needs to be legitimate work with proper documentation, but it's sometimes an option for families with international ties. Just make sure everything is properly documented with contracts, invoices, and evidence of the work performed.