Whether we are small business owners, the kings or queens of side hustles, or 9-5 employees, we could all use a little help covering the costs of living.
If you had plastic or cosmetic surgery at any point during the tax year, you’re probably wondering whether you can deduct the costs that were involved from your taxable income.
In order to get to the good news, we need first address the bad news: unless you have exceptional circumstances, it is doubtful that the IRS would allow you to deduct expenditures for your breast augmentation or liposuction, particularly if it was done solely for cosmetic reasons.
That being said, if you’ve experienced trauma, need reconstructive surgery or have a medical ailment that the surgery sought to correct, you may be able to write it off your taxes. This topic can sometimes become confusing and we hope to simplify and better explain what is and isn’t considered a deductible expense for the purpose of taxes.
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Understanding Tax Deduction For Cosmetic Surgery
It is possible that an individual will not fulfill the insurance company’s standards for some cosmetic surgery procedures, and hence will not be covered by the patient’s insurance. The most common of them is undoubtedly breast reduction surgery for women who suffer from back discomfort as a result of having larger breasts.
Depending on a woman’s height and weight, insurance companies establish their own guidelines, which may include the amount of breast tissue that has to be removed. In the event that a woman suffering from back, neck, or shoulder discomfort has to pay for breast reduction surgery out of pocket, she should be eligible to deduct the cost of the procedure from her taxes.
What about aesthetic plastic surgery, you may wonder. You cannot deduct from your medical expenditures the amount you spend on purely cosmetic surgery, according to the Internal Revenue Service. Among the procedures that Publication 502 condemns are face lifts, hair transplants, hair removal, and liposuction, since these are considered merely cosmetic enhancements, rather than medically necessary procedures.
According to the IRS, medical costs for cosmetic surgery are allowed if they are required to correct a deformity that is the consequence of or directly attributable to a congenital defect, a personal injury sustained in an accident or via trauma, or a disfiguring illness.
Is Plastic Surgery a Personal Appearance Cost That May Be Deducted From One’s Taxes?
Cosmetic surgery technically falls under the category of personal appearance costs, albeit it is a bit of a hazy area when it comes to tax deductions. For the simple reason that permanent change to your body makes it impossible to define as primarily for work purposes; unlike special costumes, you can’t just “take it off” when you clock out.
Despite the well-publicized instance of Cynthia Hess, an adult entertainer who successfully claimed her breast augmentation as a business expenditure in the early 1990s, the chance of being able to deduct the cost of your cosmetic surgery is little to none.
This is simply owing to the fact that this surgery was performed out of want rather than need. If a medical professional has determined that you require a surgical procedure to correct a medical condition that is causing you pain, or if you require reconstructive surgery as a result of an accident or trauma, you are more likely to be covered than if you are seeking cosmetic surgery solely for personal reasons.
Medical Expenses That Are Tax Deductible In The United States
Some medical costs may be deducted from a person’s taxable income. Each medical cost may only be deducted once every tax year, regardless of how many times it occurs.
The definition of medical cost is rather broad, and it might include payments paid to a physician, a dentist, a psychiatrist, and a surgeon, among other providers of healthcare. In addition to prescription glasses, crutches, contact lenses, and hearing aids, medical costs may be deducted for tax purposes.
The treatment of medical disorders such as drooping eyelids also known as blepharoplasty is often covered by insurance since the issue may have a significant effect on a person’s ability to see well. In this case, the operation would very certainly be classified as a cosmetic treatment that is medically essential for the patient’s well-being.
Consequently, since it is a medical expenditure, whatever amount of money that the patient is required to pay has a fair probability of being deducted from his or her taxes.
