Qualified medical expenses are designated by the IRS. They include medical, dental, vision and prescription expenses.
See IRS publication 502 for a list of specific examples.
AA meetings, transportation to
Activity tracker (Examples: Fitbit, step counter)
Acupuncture
Alcoholism treatment
Allergy medicine (Examples: Alavert, Claritin)
Allergy treatment products other than medicine (e.g., household improvements to treat allergies)
Ambulance
Analgesics (Examples: Advil, Aspirin, Tylenol)
Antacids (Examples: Maalox, Prilosec OTC, Zantac)
Antibiotic ointments (Examples: Neosporin, Polysporin)
Antihistamines (Examples: Claritin, Zyrtec)
Anti-itch creams (Examples: Benadryl, Cortaid)
Arthritis gloves
Artificial limbs
Artificial teeth
Aspirin
Asthma delivery devices and medications
Bactine
Bandages, elastic (Example: Ace)
Bandages, for torn or injured skin (Examples: Band-Aid, Curad)
Behavioral modification programs
Birth-control pills
Blood-pressure monitoring devices
Blood-sugar test kits and test strips
Body scans
Braille books and magazines
Breast pumps
Breast reconstruction surgery following mastectomy
Calamine lotion
Cancer screenings
Carpal tunnel wrist supports
Chelation therapy
Chiropractors
Cholesterol test kits
Christian Science practitioners
Circumcision
Coinsurance amounts
Cold medicine (Examples: Sudafed, Vicks)
Cold sore medicine (Examples: Abreva, Releev)
Condoms
Contact lenses, materials, and equipment
Contraceptives
Controlled substances in violation of federal law
Copayments
Cough suppressants (Examples: Pediacare, Robitussin, cough drops)
CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) devices
CPR classes
Crutches
Decongestants (Examples: Dimetapp, Sudafed)
Dental floss
Dental sealants
Dental services and procedures
Dentures and denture adhesives
Diabetic supplies
Diagnostic items/services
Diaper rash ointments and creams (Examples: Balmex, Desitin)
Diarrhea medicine (Examples:Imodium, Kaopectate)
Disabled dependent care expenses
Drug addiction treatment
Drug overdose, treatment of
Drug testing kits for home use
Drugs and medicines
Durable medical equipment
Ear wax removal products (Examples: Debrox, Murine)
Eczema treatments
Eggs and embryos, storage fees
Exercise equipment or programs
Expectorants (Examples: Mucinex, Triaminic)
Eye drops (Example: Opcon-A, Visine)
Eye examinations, eyeglasses, equipment, and materials
Face lifts
Feminine hygiene products (tampons, female pads, etc.)
Fever-reducing medications (Examples: Aspirin, Motrin, Tylenol)
Fiber supplements (Examples: Citrucel, Metamucil)
First aid cream
First aid kits
Flu shots
Fluoridation services
Foreign countries, medical care received in
Funeral expenses
Gambling problem, treatment for
Gauze pads
Genetic testing and counseling
Glucose-monitoring equipment
Guide dog
Hand sanitizer (Examples: Germ-X, Purell)
Headache medications (Examples: Advil, Aspirin, Tylenol)
Hearing aids
Hemorrhoid treatments (Examples: Preparation H, Tucks)
Holistic or natural healers, dietary substitutes, and drugs and medicines
Home improvements (such as exit ramps, widening doorways, etc.)
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Hospital services
Illegal operations and treatments
Immunizations
Incontinence supplies
Insect repellent (Examples: Cutter, OFF!)
Insect-bite creams and ointments (Examples: Benadryl, Cortaid)
Insulin
Laboratory fees
Lactation consultant
Lactose intolerance tablets (Example: Lactaid)
Laser eye surgery, Lasik
Late fees (e.g., for late payment of bills for medical services)
Laxatives (Examples: Ex-Lax, Miralax)
Learning disability, instructional fees
Legal fees in connection with fertility treatments
Lice treatment
Lip products, medicated
Liquid adhesive for small cuts
Lodging at a hospital or similar institution
Lodging not at a hospital or similar institution
Lodging while attending a medical conference
Long-term care insurance premiums
Marijuana or other controlled substances in violation of federal law
Mastectomy-related special bras
Maternity clothes
Meals at a hospital or similar institution
Meals not at a hospital or similar institution
Meals while attending a medical conference
Medical alert bracelet or necklace
Medical conference admission, transportation, meals, etc.
Medical information plan charges
Medical monitoring and testing devices
Medical records charges
Medicines and drugs
Menstrual pain relievers (Examples: Midol, Pamprin)
Mentally handicapped, special home for
Midwife
Morning-after contraceptive pills
Motion sickness pills (Examples: Bonine, Dramamine)
Motion sickness wristbands
Nicotine gum or patches (Examples: Nicoderm, Nicorette)
Nonprescription drugs and medicines
Norplant insertion or removal
Nursing services provided by a nurse or other attendant
Nutritionist's professional expenses
Obstetrical expenses
Occlusal guards to prevent teeth grinding
Online or telephone consultation, medical practitioner's fee for
Operations
Optometrist
Organ donors
Orthodontia
Orthopedic shoe inserts
Osteopath fees
Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs
Ovulation monitor
Oxygen
Pain relievers (Examples: Advil, Aspirin, Tylenol)
Physical exams
Physical therapy
Pregnancy test kits
Prescription drug discount programs
Prescription drugs and medicines obtained from other countries
Preventive care screenings
Prosthesis
Psychiatric care
Radial keratotomy
Reading glasses
Rehydration solution (Example: Pedialyte)
Rubbing alcohol
Schools and education, residential
Schools and education, special
Screening tests
Service animal, to assist individual with mental health disabilities
Shipping and handling fees
Sinus medications (Examples: Sinutab, Sudafed)
Sleep-deprivation treatment
Smoking-cessation medications
Smoking-cessation programs
Speech therapy
Stem cell, harvesting and/or storage of
Sterilization procedures
Stop-smoking program
Sunburn creams and ointments, medicated (Example: Solarcaine)
Sunscreen
Sunscreen, cosmetics or similar products with
Suntan lotion without sunscreen
Supplies to treat medical condition
Support braces
Surgery
Surrogate or gestational carrier expenses
Taxes on medical services and products
Telemedicine, medical practitioner's fee for
Telephone equipment for persons with hearing or speech disabilities
Television for persons with hearing disabilities
Thermometers
Throat lozenges (Examples: Cepacol, Chloraseptic)
Toothache and teething pain relievers (Examples: Anbesol, Orajel)
Transplants
Transportation costs of disabled individual commuting to and from work
Transportation expenses for person to receive medical care
Transportation of someone other than the person receiving medical care
Transportation to and from a medical conference
Tuition evidencing separate breakdown for medical expenses
Tuition for special-needs program
Usual and customary charges, excess
Vaccines
Vasectomy
Vasectomy reversal
Viagra
Vision correction procedures
Walkers
Wart remover treatments (Examples: Compound W, FreezeAway)
Weight-loss programs and/or drugs prescribed to induce weight loss
Wheelchair
X-ray fees
Yeast infection medications (Examples: Gyne-Lotrimin, Monistat)
Acupuncture
Alcoholism treatment
Allergy medicine (Examples: Alavert, Claritin)
Ambulance
Analgesics (Examples: Advil, Aspirin, Tylenol)
Antacids (Examples: Maalox, Prilosec OTC, Zantac)
Antibiotic ointments (Examples: Neosporin, Polysporin)
Antihistamines (Examples: Claritin, Zyrtec)
Anti-itch creams (Examples: Benadryl, Cortaid)
Arthritis gloves
Artificial limbs
Artificial teeth
Aspirin
Asthma delivery devices and medications
Bactine
Bandages, elastic (Example: Ace)
Bandages, for torn or injured skin (Examples: Band-Aid, Curad)
Birth-control pills
Blood-pressure monitoring devices
Blood-sugar test kits and test strips
Body scans
Braille books and magazines
Breast pumps
Breast reconstruction surgery following mastectomy
Calamine lotion
Cancer screenings
Carpal tunnel wrist supports
Chelation therapy
Chiropractors
Cholesterol test kits
Circumcision
Coinsurance amounts
Cold medicine (Examples: Sudafed, Vicks)
Cold sore medicine (Examples: Abreva, Releev)
Condoms
Contact lenses, materials, and equipment
Contraceptives
Copayments
Cough suppressants (Examples: Pediacare, Robitussin, cough drops)
CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) devices
Crutches
Decongestants (Examples: Dimetapp, Sudafed)
Dental sealants
Dental services and procedures
Dentures and denture adhesives
Diabetic supplies
Diagnostic items/services
Diaper rash ointments and creams (Examples: Balmex, Desitin)
Diarrhea medicine (Examples:Imodium, Kaopectate)
Drug addiction treatment
Drug overdose, treatment of
Drugs and medicines
Durable medical equipment
Ear wax removal products (Examples: Debrox, Murine)
Eczema treatments
Expectorants (Examples: Mucinex, Triaminic)
Eye drops (Example: Opcon-A, Visine)
Eye examinations, eyeglasses, equipment, and materials
Feminine hygiene products (tampons, female pads, etc.)
Fever-reducing medications (Examples: Aspirin, Motrin, Tylenol)
First aid cream
First aid kits
Flu shots
Fluoridation services
Gauze pads
Glucose-monitoring equipment
Guide dog
Headache medications (Examples: Advil, Aspirin, Tylenol)
Hearing aids
Hemorrhoid treatments (Examples: Preparation H, Tucks)
Hospital services
Immunizations
Incontinence supplies
Insect-bite creams and ointments (Examples: Benadryl, Cortaid)
Insulin
Laboratory fees
Lactation consultant
Laser eye surgery, Lasik
Laxatives (Examples: Ex-Lax, Miralax)
Lice treatment
Lip products, medicated
Liquid adhesive for small cuts
Lodging at a hospital or similar institution
Mastectomy-related special bras
Medical alert bracelet or necklace
Medical information plan charges
Medical monitoring and testing devices
Medical records charges
Medicines and drugs
Menstrual pain relievers (Examples: Midol, Pamprin)
Midwife
Morning-after contraceptive pills
Motion sickness pills (Examples: Bonine, Dramamine)
Motion sickness wristbands
Nicotine gum or patches (Examples: Nicoderm, Nicorette)
Nonprescription drugs and medicines
Norplant insertion or removal
Obstetrical expenses
Occlusal guards to prevent teeth grinding
Online or telephone consultation, medical practitioner's fee for
Operations
Optometrist
Organ donors
Orthodontia
Orthopedic shoe inserts
Osteopath fees
Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs
Ovulation monitor
Oxygen
Pain relievers (Examples: Advil, Aspirin, Tylenol)
Physical exams
Physical therapy
Pregnancy test kits
Preventive care screenings
Prosthesis
Psychiatric care
Radial keratotomy
Reading glasses
Rehydration solution (Example: Pedialyte)
Rubbing alcohol
Screening tests
Shipping and handling fees
Sinus medications (Examples: Sinutab, Sudafed)
Sleep-deprivation treatment
Smoking-cessation medications
Smoking-cessation programs
Speech therapy
Sterilization procedures
Stop-smoking program
Sunburn creams and ointments, medicated (Example: Solarcaine)
Sunscreen
Supplies to treat medical condition
Support braces
Surgery
Taxes on medical services and products
Telemedicine, medical practitioner's fee for
Telephone equipment for persons with hearing or speech disabilities
Television for persons with hearing disabilities
Thermometers
Throat lozenges (Examples: Cepacol, Chloraseptic)
Toothache and teething pain relievers (Examples: Anbesol, Orajel)
Transplants
Transportation expenses for person to receive medical care
Tuition evidencing separate breakdown for medical expenses
Usual and customary charges, excess
Vaccines
Vasectomy
Vasectomy reversal
Viagra
Vision correction procedures
Walkers
Wart remover treatments (Examples: Compound W, FreezeAway)
Wheelchair
X-ray fees
Yeast infection medications (Examples: Gyne-Lotrimin, Monistat)
AA meetings, transportation to
Activity tracker (Examples: Fitbit, step counter)
Allergy treatment products other than medicine (e.g., household improvements to treat allergies)
Behavioral modification programs
Christian Science practitioners
Disabled dependent care expenses
Eggs and embryos, storage fees
Foreign countries, medical care received in
Gambling problem, treatment for
Genetic testing and counseling
Hand sanitizer (Examples: Germ-X, Purell)
Holistic or natural healers, dietary substitutes, and drugs and medicines
Home improvements (such as exit ramps, widening doorways, etc.)
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Insect repellent (Examples: Cutter, OFF!)
Lactose intolerance tablets (Example: Lactaid)
Learning disability, instructional fees
Legal fees in connection with fertility treatments
Lodging not at a hospital or similar institution
Meals at a hospital or similar institution
Medical conference admission, transportation, meals, etc.
Mentally handicapped, special home for
Schools and education, residential
Schools and education, special
Service animal, to assist individual with mental health disabilities
Stem cell, harvesting and/or storage of
Sunscreen, cosmetics or similar products with
Transportation of someone other than the person receiving medical care
Transportation to and from a medical conference
Tuition for special-needs program
Weight-loss programs and/or drugs prescribed to induce weight loss
Controlled substances in violation of federal law
CPR classes
Dental floss
Drug testing kits for home use
Face lifts
Funeral expenses
Illegal operations and treatments
Late fees (e.g., for late payment of bills for medical services)
Lodging while attending a medical conference
Long-term care insurance premiums
Marijuana or other controlled substances in violation of federal law
Maternity clothes
Meals not at a hospital or similar institution