Can I Take Off Miles to My Doctor's Office on My Taxes?
Especially if you drive a long distance to get medical care, you should keep track of your mileage driven for medical purposes so that you can claim a larger income tax break when you file your income taxes. Medical miles fall under the medical and dental expenses deduction.
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Calculating Mileage Deduction
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You can deduct the miles that you drive to your doctor's office on your income taxes as part of the medical expenses deduction. At the time of publication, the IRS sets the deduction rate at 19 cents per mile. For example, if you drive 80 miles during the year for medical care, you would be able to count $15.20 toward your medical expenses deduction. You can also deduct miles driven to get your child to medical care, the cost of tolls and parking costs that you pay.
Record Keeping
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To claim a deduction for your medical miles, you need to keep good records of the miles that you drive. In a mileage log, you need to note the date that you traveled, where you traveled, how far you traveled and the purpose for your travel. Also keep receipts for any parking or tolls you pay. You do not need to submit a copy of this log with your federal income tax return, but having the records allows you to substantiate your deduction in the event of an IRS audit.
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Figuring the Value of Your Deduction
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Only medical expenses exceeding 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income can be deducted from your taxes, so your medical miles alone are unlikely to reach the threshold. To figure your deduction, first total your medical miles deduction plus any other qualifying medical expenses, such as surgeries or checkups, to find your total medical expenses for the year. Next, multiply your adjusted gross income by 7.5 percent and subtract the result from your total medical expenses to find the amount you can deduct.
Claiming a Medical Miles Deduction
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To claim the medical miles you drive for medical care, you have to itemize your income tax deductions with Schedule A. Report your total medical expenses on line 1, your adjusted gross income from line 38 of your Form 1040 tax return on line 2 and multiply by 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income. Your total deduction is reported on line 4 of Schedule A. The sum of your itemized deductions, including your medical expenses deduction, reduces your taxable income by replacing the standard deduction on line 40 of your Form 1040 tax return.
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