Medical bills and taxes

[ABCDboys]

My family has never had a year where we've had a lot of medical bills - at least until this year. I am unfamiliar with who can list medical bills when you file for taxes. Does anyone have experience with claiming medical bills on end of the year taxes?

[buddys]

I'm not sure what amount any more.  I do know you can claim a certain amount of unreimbursed bills.  Check with the tax preparer and they will be able to tell you.  I would advise you to save all of your bills and medicine receipts to make sure you have the correct information for them to use.

[knchatty]

First off you have to be sure that you can itemize on your taxes.  Sometimes it is better to claim the standard deduction over the itemized deduction.  The Government keeps raising the standard deduction (a good thing).

If you look through the tax booklet you will see that it is simple to fill out the itemized deduction part.  Follow the rules in the book and you will see how much you can claim.  For the life of me I can't remember.  I know it's only a certain % of what you spend.

You can also use the H&R block website to fill out your taxes (just to double check your numbers).  You don't have to pay to use it if you don't file that way.

[annika3in1]

Another way to try and figure it out is to use a computer program.  My friend has one, and as many people as want to can use it without any extra charge.  The only way I would get charged would be if I wanted to electronically submit.  She used the program and it calculated both the standard and itemized deductions to see which was better for her.

[ABCDboys]

For the last two years I've used TurboTax online to file our income taxes. It's a great program and I'm sure I'll use it again for 2009. I wonder if it has information on the site about medical fees. I'll have to look. Thanks for the answers.