Can I deduct my $2,700 tooth crown expense on my taxes if I earned about $32k this year?

Yes, dental expenses including crowns are considered qualified medical expenses that can potentially be deducted! However, there are some important limitations you should know about. For medical expenses (including dental), you can only deduct the amount that exceeds 7.5% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). In your case, with an income of $32k, that means you can only deduct medical/dental expenses that exceed $2,400 (7.5% of $32k). So potentially, you could deduct about $300 of that $2,700 crown. The bigger issue though is that you'd need to itemize deductions instead of taking the standard deduction. For 2025, the standard deduction for a single filer is projected to be around $13,900. Unless your total itemized deductions (including medical, state taxes, mortgage interest, charitable contributions, etc.) exceed that amount, you're still better off taking the standard deduction.

I was in almost this exact situation last year! I needed two crowns that cost $3,200 and nearly cried when my insurance only covered like $500. I tried figuring out the tax situation on my own and kept getting confused, then I discovered this AI tax assistant at https://taxr.ai that helped me understand my options. I uploaded my dental bills and my previous tax return, and it showed me that I wouldn't benefit from itemizing because my standard deduction was higher. BUT it did find that I could use a Health Savings Account (HSA) to save on taxes! If you have an eligible high-deductible health plan, you might be able to contribute to an HSA and use that to pay for dental expenses with pre-tax money. Seriously worth checking out!

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai - it was actually super helpful for my situation! The tool analyzed my self-employment income and found several deductions I was missing, including some home office deductions I didn't realize I qualified for. For my medical expenses situation, it confirmed what others said here - that I wouldn't benefit from itemizing unless my total medical bills were much higher. But it did show me that I could reduce my taxable income by using my company's FSA (Flexible Spending Account) for future dental work. The interface was really straightforward and it explained everything in simple terms instead of tax jargon. Definitely made tax planning way less stressful!

Another option no one's mentioned - if you're having trouble getting through to the IRS to ask about specific tax situations like this, I've had amazing results with https://claimyr.com. They get you through to an actual IRS agent in minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see a demo of how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I used it when I had questions about medical deductions last year and was struggling to understand if my situation qualified. Got connected to an agent in like 10 minutes who walked me through everything. Saved me from potentially making a mistake on my return and risking an audit.

I need to eat my words from my comment earlier. I was really skeptical about Claimyr but I was desperate to figure out if I could still amend my 2023 return to include some medical expenses I forgot about. I gave it a try and...it actually worked exactly as promised. I got a call back in about 25 minutes saying they had an IRS rep on the line. The agent answered all my questions about the timeline for amending returns with medical expenses and even walked me through how to properly document everything. Saved me from making a costly mistake! For what it's worth, the agent confirmed what others are saying here - dental expenses like crowns are deductible as medical expenses, but only if you itemize and only for the portion that exceeds 7.5% of your AGI. For most people, that means it's not worth it unless you have a lot of other deductions too.

Another thing to consider - check if your employer offers a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for next year. You can contribute pre-tax dollars to cover medical and dental expenses, which effectively gives you a discount equal to your tax rate. For someone making $32k, that could save you around 20-25% on medical costs. Just be aware that FSA funds are typically "use it or lose it" each year, so only contribute what you know you'll spend. But if you need another crown or have other planned medical expenses, it's a great way to save.

Just a thought - have u looked into medical credit cards like CareCredit? They sometimes offer no-interest financing for dental work if u pay it off during the promotional period. Doesn't help with taxes but might help with cash flow. I used it for my wisdom teeth removal last year.