Can I deduct my $9500 dental implant expense on taxes when I only make about $24k/year?

Yes, you should be able to deduct your dental expenses, but there are some important things to know about how medical deductions work. Medical and dental expenses are only deductible if you itemize deductions on Schedule A (rather than taking the standard deduction). And even then, you can only deduct the amount that exceeds 7.5% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). In your case, with an income of about $24,000, the 7.5% threshold would be around $1,800. This means you could potentially deduct about $7,700 of your dental expenses ($9,500 - $1,800). However, here's the catch - this only helps if your total itemized deductions exceed the standard deduction, which for 2025 will be around $14,000 for a single filer. Unless you have other significant deductions like mortgage interest, charitable contributions, or state taxes, you might still be better off taking the standard deduction, in which case you wouldn't get any tax benefit from the dental expense.

After dealing with a similar situation last year (had to get two crowns and some other work), I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai that helped me figure out exactly what I could deduct. I was also confused about medical deductions and how they worked with the standard deduction. I just uploaded my medical receipts to https://taxr.ai and it analyzed everything, showed me whether itemizing made sense in my situation, and calculated exactly what I could deduct. It also explained how the 7.5% AGI threshold works in really simple terms that finally made sense to me. The tool even showed me some other deductions I didn't know I qualified for!

I want to apologize for being skeptical about taxr.ai in my earlier comment. I decided to try it out because my situation was similar (had about $8k in uncovered dental surgeries last year on a $30k income). The tool was actually incredibly helpful! It showed me that while my dental expenses alone weren't enough to make itemizing worth it, when combined with my state taxes and charitable donations, I actually did benefit from itemizing instead of taking the standard deduction. It saved me about $820 compared to what I would have gotten just using the standard deduction. The breakdown of how the 7.5% AGI threshold works was super clear, and they showed me exactly how to document everything properly. Definitely worth checking out if you're in a similar situation with high medical expenses.

I see a lot of talk about deductions, but sometimes the best way to handle tax situations is to actually TALK to someone at the IRS. When I had questions about medical deductions last year, I tried calling the IRS for weeks without getting through. Then I found out about this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 15 minutes. I was honestly shocked how well it worked since I'd been trying for weeks on my own. I just went to https://claimyr.com, followed their process, and they called me back when they had an IRS agent on the line. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent walked me through exactly how medical deductions work with itemizing vs standard deduction and helped me understand if it was worth it in my situation. Saved me so much stress trying to figure it out on my own.

I need to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr in my earlier comment. After struggling for THREE DAYS trying to get through to the IRS myself about my medical deductions, I broke down and tried it. I got connected to an IRS representative in about 11 minutes (which is honestly mind-blowing), and they clarified everything about my dental expenses. Turns out I was completing the Schedule A form all wrong, which would have caused me to miss out on several deductions I qualified for. The IRS rep walked me through exactly how to calculate the 7.5% threshold properly and told me which of my expenses qualified. They even explained how medical deductions work across tax years (like if you pay for treatment that spans December to January). I stand corrected - sometimes getting clear information straight from the source is exactly what you need, especially with something as tricky as medical deductions.

Another option you might want to consider is a Health Savings Account (HSA). If you have an HSA-eligible high-deductible health plan, you can contribute pre-tax money to pay for qualified medical expenses, including dental work. For 2025, you can contribute up to $4,150 for an individual plan, and this money goes in tax-free, grows tax-free, and comes out tax-free when used for qualified medical expenses. It's basically a triple tax advantage! I know this doesn't help with expenses you've already paid, but it might be something to look into for future medical/dental costs.

U might b able 2 take advantage of a tax credit instead of a deduction if ur income is low. Look into the Savers Credit if u put $ into retirement or check if ur state has any low income credits. Deductions just reduce ur taxable income but credits directly reduce taxes u owe which is better!!

Has anyone considered that a dental implant might actually count as a capital improvement to your body and should be depreciated over time rather than expensed in a single year? 🤔 Just kidding!! Sorry, tax humor. But on a serious note, make sure you keep ALL your receipts, including costs for traveling to and from dental appointments - mileage can add up and is deductible as a medical expense too!