If we have in home caregivers, is there a federal tax deduction to claim those expenses? This is care for my elderly husband. We pay them hourly. The care is for assistance in getting him up, cleaned up, dressed, and to the bathroom and then care for getting to bed. These are all out of pocket expenses.

ANSWER

The BIDaWIZ Team's Answer:

You may be able to deduct these expenses as a medical expenses. The main criteria is that he must be chronically ill which appears to be the case and the care givers must be required or prescribed by a physician which we're assuming is likely the case given the situation that you've described. If you meet those two criteria, then you will need to determine if the costs exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. If that's the case and you do itemize on your tax return, then you can certainly claim the expenses as a deduction to your income. You will certainly need to keep documentation that supports these expenses.