Canadian Taxes write off

[jojobeans]

Have any canadians been able to write off their procedure from the OCC?

[Lindsay]

Have any canadians been able to write off their procedure from the OCC?

You can't in Ontario.

It doesn't quality.

On the govt website, it states every medical procedure that's included, and gastric lapband isn't included - i even called, wondering if just maybe the website hadn't been updated. But no beans. Not the case. It's just not covered.

[CALF]

Have any canadians been able to write off their procedure from the OCC?

I live in B.C and my tax preparer advises that it does qualify..even the transportation back and forth for fills qualifies.

[Lindsay]

I was told that only the procedures listed on the ORA are the ones you can claim travel , ect under.

In Ontario, no weight loss surgery is covered, including Bypass surgery.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-tx/rtrn/cmpltng/ddctns/lns300-350/330/llwbl-eng.html

The Lap-Band surgery and Gastric Balloon procedure are not insured services of the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) or other provincial health plans. Some private insurance companies may reimburse patients for a small portion of the costs. If you have private medical insurance we encourage you to contact your insurance company.

Federal Tax Credits

The Lap-Band surgery and Gastric Balloon procedure have been shown to treat obesity and resolve related health conditions such as Type II diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnea. Therefore they qualify as medical expenses, which are eligible for federal tax credits under Canadian income tax law. To take advantage of this benefit, the procedure has to be recommended or prescribed by a medical practitioner such as your surgeon or Family Doctor. We recommend you check with your accountant or tax planner to determine applicability and potential benefit in individual circumstances. Travel and related caregiver expenses for medical procedures can sometimes also be claimed. [source]

I personally wouldn't want to claim something that's 'sort of-not-really' valid, esp as it will come up as a red flag and will guarantee and audit. The govt' typically audits those who claim variable medical expenses.

Medical Expense and Disability Tax Credits and Attendant Care Expense Deduction

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tp/it519r2-consolid/it519r2-consolid-e.html

[CALF]

I live in B.C and my tax preparer advises that it does qualify..even the transportation back and forth for fills qualifies.

The following info is for B.C residents: In addition to the surgery fees, fill costs and transportation costs, you can also deduct up to $51 dollars per day while out of the country during the course of the medical proceedure. The $51 is the maximum deduction allowed to cover cost of food and accommodations.

As always..consult with your tax preparation firm to determine the correct course of action for your individual situation.

[RevyD]

The following info is for B.C residents: In addition to the surgery fees, fill costs and transportation costs, you can also deduct up to $51 dollars per day while out of the country during the course of the medical proceedure. The $51 is the maximum deduction allowed to cover cost of food and accommodations.

As always..consult with your tax preparation firm to determine the correct course of action for your individual situation.

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Hi Calf that is great news. Where did you get the information from. I will be going to HR Block most likely

Debbie

[jojobeans]

Great, Yes it is true ! in BC you can apply it to your taxes. + the $51 a day. WOW, gotta love BC.

[CALF]

The following info is for B.C residents: In addition to the surgery fees, fill costs and transportation costs, you can also deduct up to $51 dollars per day while out of the country during the course of the medical proceedure. The $51 is the maximum deduction allowed to cover cost of food and accommodations.

As always..consult with your tax preparation firm to determine the correct course of action for your individual situation.

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Hi Calf that is great news. Where did you get the information from. I will be going to HR Block most likely

Debbie

Hi Debbie..email me and I'll give you the name of my tax preparer...she has her own home based business up in Shawnigan Lake and she is also a tax preparer for H&R Block.

She'll make house calls to pick up your paper work if you need that service as well!!!

My husband and I biked into Victoria today (we live near Goldstream Park) ..had soup in Chinatown and biked home..a total of 50K.....it felt great!!

You and I should connect and have some good outdoor time and chat about our lapband experiences.

..Cheryl

[SandyHotBox]

good info to know, i am booked for march 29th and have some forms to send into the government, but wasn't sure about the taxes.

I live in Alberta and submitted to Alberta Healthcare and received $1800 back. Everything else I wrote off on my federal taxes, less the 3% of my income. I ended up writing off about $7000 when all was said and done and didn't have any issues with audits or anything like that. Just submit receipts of everything. When I paid for my surgery the dollar was doing pretty poorly so I submitted receipts that showed what the dollar was at (71 cents vs. 89 cents when I submitted) and they accepted that too. Made a big difference in what I wrote off. I ended up recouping about 50% of my out of pocket expenses. This may have changed over the last taxation year though, I'm not sure on that. You can always give CRA a call, they're usually pretty helpful (once you get off hold and get through to a live person, hehe.)