Prescribed weight loss pills are tax deductible! The issue of obesity and weight related problems is taken extremely seriously by the US government. So much so that the cost of a properly supervised weight loss program is tax deductible.
"You can include in medical expenses the cost of a weight-loss program undertaken at a physicianıs direction to treat an existing disease (such as heart disease). But you cannot include the cost of a weight-loss program if the purpose of the weight control is to maintain your general good health." This is extracted from this IRS publication. The ruling is retroactive to 1998.
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| Deductible costs include:- |
- The initial fees to join a weight loss program
- Additional fees to attend regular meetings in which participants develop diet plans, receive diet menus and literature and discuss problems encountered in dieting.
- Bariatric surgery
- FDA approved weight-loss drugs
- Physician and hospital-based programs
- Behavioral counseling
- The services of physicians
- dietitians and nutritionists as well as commercial-like programs which are specific for weight loss and maintenance.
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| Deductible costs do NOT include:- |
- Cost of diet foods (this is a personal expense)
- The cost of enrollment in a weight loss program to improve appearance, general health or sense of well-being, rather than to treat a specific medical problem
- Non prescription weight loss products
- Nutritional Supplements
- Any costs that are covered by insurance
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