Can a home security system be tax deductible as a medical expense?

Home security systems can potentially qualify as medical expense deductions, but there are specific requirements you need to meet. The key is establishing that the primary purpose of the system is for medical care rather than general security or home improvement. Since you have documentation that your doctor recommended the system specifically for your child's medical conditions, you're on the right track. The IRS allows deductions for capital expenditures for medical care if their primary purpose is to accommodate a physical or mental health condition. You would need to keep all documentation showing the medical necessity - the doctor's recommendation letter is crucial here. Remember that medical expenses are only deductible if they exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income, and you need to itemize deductions rather than taking the standard deduction. Also, if the security system increases your property value, you may need to reduce the deductible amount by that increase.

I recently dealt with a similar situation with my parent who has dementia and would wander off. I was spending hours trying to figure out if our security system could be deducted until I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). Uploaded my doctor's recommendation letter and security system quote, and their AI immediately analyzed it and confirmed it qualified as a medical expense deduction in my situation. They explained that since the primary purpose was for my parent's medical condition (preventing wandering), it met the IRS requirements. They even identified additional components of our system that qualified that I hadn't considered. Saved me a ton of research time and gave me confidence to take the deduction.

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai that @8 recommended. My situation is similar but with a child who has seizures and can wander during episodes. Uploaded my doctor's letter and the security system quote, and within minutes got a detailed analysis confirming it would qualify as a medical deduction. The service walked me through exactly what documentation I need to keep, how to calculate the deductible portion, and even flagged that I could deduct the special sensors we added to monitor my child's room specifically. They even created a PDF report I can keep with my tax records in case of an audit. Definitely worth checking out if you're in a similar situation with medical-related home modifications. Saved me hours of stress trying to interpret vague IRS publications!

If you're having trouble getting clear answers from the IRS about this medical deduction, I'd recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). After weeks of trying to get through to the IRS about a similar medical expense question, I was at my wit's end. Tried Claimyr and they got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hour wait. The agent was able to confirm the specific circumstances where security systems qualify as medical expenses and gave me direct references to the relevant tax publications. They also have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Seriously saved my sanity during tax season when I couldn't get clear answers from anyone else about my unusual medical deductions.

I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I was desperate enough to try it because I couldn't get an answer about my medical deductions for my mom's safety equipment. Honestly blown away - got connected to an IRS representative in about 20 minutes when I'd previously spent HOURS trying. The agent confirmed that our security system with medical alert features does qualify as a medical expense since it was recommended by her doctor for her condition. They even emailed me after to make sure everything went well. For anyone struggling with unusual medical deductions like this, being able to actually speak with the IRS directly and get a clear answer is absolutely worth it.

I just want to add some practical advice from my experience as someone who successfully deducted a partial home security system for my child with special needs: 1. Get a detailed invoice that separates out the components specifically for medical purposes versus general security 2. Have your doctor write a letter that specifically mentions which features are medically necessary and why 3. Take photos of any specialized components installed specifically for medical reasons 4. Keep a log of incidents that demonstrate the medical necessity (wandering episodes, etc) This documentation was crucial when I got a letter from the IRS questioning the deduction. Once I sent all this in, they approved it without further questions.

Has anyone considered the home office deduction angle instead of medical? If you have a legitimate home office where you do therapy or medical management for your family member, some security costs might be deductible that way too.