There are a lot of expenses that you have the option of claiming on your tax return. Several of the expenses you can claim are associated with medical and dental expenses that you might’ve paid throughout the year.
Types of Medical Expenses You Can Claim
You can claim a certain amount of expenses on your tax return if you, your common law partner or spouse paid for any amount of medical expenses in 2015 or didn’t claim expenses in 2014. Even if some of these expenses weren’t paid within Canada, it’s still possible to claim them. While it’s impossible to list all of the medical and dental expenses that can be claimed, an extensive list can be found at the Canada Revenue Agency website.
When looking at some of the more common types of eligible expenses, they include:
- Premiums paid for private health insurance plans
- Payments to dentists, nurses or medical practitioners for any number of medical or dental services
- Costs of any equipment or products that have been purchased or leased as a means of treating a medical condition
- Costs for the purchase of non-gluten food products
- Expenses for trained service animals that assist people with more severe forms of Diabetes
- Total costs of equipment and items that are used by people for anti-coagulation therapy
- Supplemental expenses utilized to change the construction of a home to better accommodate someone that is permanently or temporarily disabled
It’s also important to take a brief look at some of the expenses not covered by these claims. Some of the primary expenses you can’t claim on your tax return include:
- Medications that can be purchased without the use of a prescription
- Birth control devices acquired without a prescription
- Gym memberships
- Funeral costs
- Most cosmetic procedures that are solely for cosmetic purposes
- A lot more
In general, if you want to remain healthy and avoid having to pay medical expenses in the first place, doing what you can to stay healthy is of paramount importance.
How to Claim These Expenses
The only lines that need to be filled out for any kind of medical or dental expenses on your tax return are lines 330 and 331. Each of these two lines accommodate certain types of medical expenses.
Line 330: This line is where you claim any amount of medical expenses for you, your common law partner or spouse, as well as any dependent children born in 1998 or later. These expenses can include anything you paid for yourself, your spouse/common law partner or your dependent child.
Line 331: This line is where you claim eligible expenses that you paid for anyone that is dependent on you for support. This can apply to a child or grandchild born in 1997 or earlier. It can also apply to a large selection of other close relatives that have lived in Canada at any point in the previous year.
Additional Documents You Might Need
It’s important that you’re able to prove that you paid for the medical expenses you claim in the event that you receive questions from the Canada Revenue Agency. These documents include receipts, prescriptions, a written certification that lists all expenses or Form T2201 if you apply for the Disability Tax Credit Certificate. If you’ve followed these instructions, you should have a good idea of what to expect with medical expenses on your tax return.