Can You Deduct Nursing Home Expenses for an Elderly Parent? – Part 2 of 2

In Part 1, I went through the requirements for claiming your parent(s) as a dependent. This part continues with a discussion of deductible medical/dental expenses.

Nursing home care is discussed in IRS Pub 502, under Nursing Home & Nursing Services. Here are two quotes from the Pub. ”You can include in medical expenses the cost of medical care in a nursing home, home for the aged, or similar institution, for yourself, your spouse, or your dependents. This includes the cost of meals and lodging in the home if a principal reason for being there is to get medical care. And, “This includes services connected with caring for the patient’s condition, such as giving medication or changing dressings, as well as bathing and grooming the patient. These services can be provided in your home or another care facility.”

You don’t necessarily need to hire a nurse, but you have to hire a legitimate health care professional to provide the care. Or, the facility must be a licensed long term care facility or nursing home.

Although you cannot deduct medical/dental expenses until they exceed 10% (for 2013) of your AGI, the cost of long term care can be very expensive. So, it’s not that difficult to exceed the 10% limit. Additionally, among the many other medical/dental expenses, don’t forget to deduct the cost of prescription drugs, hearing aids, eyeglasses, etc.   

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