Taxes

[BigRed23]

Hi guys!

Long time reader, first time poster. Ha! Just had a thought today and wanted to share. It appears that expenses related to our monitoring programs are tax-deductible. It would be entered in the section pertaining to expenses for professional/medical licensure. Makes sense...Hopefully this helps us a little bit!

Here the question was asked and answered pretty straight-forwardly by an Intuit TurboTax representative (hope this link works):

I'm a medical professional enrolled in a drug monitoring program... - TurboTax Support

[dagobah, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Yes, glad to hear you took advantage. The four years I was in, I turned in every expense. Drug screens, the collection fee, the monthly support group, etc, even down to the money in the basket at AA meetings and staple copy of my court card. I didn't realize after 4 years 3 months I amassed $6700 in drug screens. Glad that is over!! Boom!

Now that it is tax season again, I still have my donations, i.e. AA meeting. Yup, still sober and still an active friend of Bill dub. I can't imagine any other way of life. Etoh and opiates cant fix any of my problems, especially this mid term coming up in my MSN program.

Praying for you all that is going through "this" right now! There is an END. Hang in there

[amoLucia]

To OP, PP and others, good luck on your road of recovery.

[catsmeow1972, BSN, RN]

Me personally...i deduct the fees and support groups costs under professional expenses and the pee tests under "un-reimbursed medical expenses." This year's total haul for this nightmare was nearly $3000. The nice thing about the un reimbursed medical expenses is that it pushes me over the threshold of being able to deduct the rest of my medical expenses, which tend toward fairly substantial....Ha! about the only good thing I find about all this.

*disclaimer...I am not a tax professional and have never played one on TV....but it makes sense (about as much as any of the tax code makes sense) to me.

[KyBeagle, ASN]

I love how everyone can get on here & share ideas! Personally, I have a medical flex spending account through my employer. I don't use it throughout the year. Around early November, I submit all the UDT invoices that I've printed from the Affinity website and, BOOM! I get a big check in time for Christmas! I know that the hospital deducts that money for my flex spending account, but since I wouldn't budget that money on my own, I feel like I've just gotten an extra check for Christmas shopping (and my UDTs were paid with pretax dollars).

[mississippiRN71]

Does anyone know if the cost of rehab is tax deductible? I'm not in the monitoring program yet, any info would be helpful , thanks!

[KyBeagle, ASN]

Does anyone know if the cost of rehab is tax deductible? I'm not in the monitoring program yet, any info would be helpful , thanks!

I'm not an accountant so I will not presume to give tax advice. That said, after I completed Intensive Outpatient Rehab (IOP) and joined a Health Professionals Recovery weekly meeting group, I learned that most of the MDs & RNs in the group deducted their expenses on their taxes as a deductible medical expense.

I work & have a medical flex spending account. I submitted my IOP rehab costs & still submit all of my random drug tests receipts & receive reimbursement.