Are Dental Implant Tax Deductable?

Posted by writeradmin

I’m scheduled for dental implant surgery tomorrow and it just occurred to me that it MIGHT be tax deductible. If so, is there anything I need to know or hoops I have to jump through? I’ve only got a day to figure this out.

Jake

Dear Jake,

You’ve made a great choice on your tooth replacement. Dental implants are the closest thing to having a healthy, natural tooth in your mouth again. Your question is also perfect timing for the end of the year! To answer your question, yes, dental implants can be tax deductible under IRS Topic 502: Medical and Dental Expenses. However, as you would expect with the government, there are some catches.

7.5% of Your Gross Income is the Magic Number

It’s not a straight forward deduct the cost of this procedure type of thing. First, you will have to itemize each expense. Then, you can only deduct the cost of what goes above 7.5%. Let’s say your gross income is $50,000 to make this simple. That means the first $3,750 you have to cover without claiming it. Anything over that is deductible.

The good news is this does not apply to individual procedures. You can itemize all your medical and dental expenses. Then, anything over whatever your magic number is will be what is deductible. Be aware, that whatever your insurance covers cannot be applied to the cost.

Consider an HSA for Next Year

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) allow people to deduct pre-tax money to place into an account for use in medical and dental costs. Typically, these funds are placed on an HSA Debit Card that you can use with your medical and dental providers. Human resources should be able to set you up with one if you don’t have it already. This is just one more way to keep some of your hard earned money.

A word of warning for future readers. Tax laws change each year, but these are accurate as of the date at the top of this post. It is always best to check with a tax professional.

This blog is brought to you by Moline Dentist Dr. Thomas Goebel.