Good Lifestyle

Before fiscal season Each year, many of us are looking for ways to reduce our taxable income. A popular way to do so is to set up a flexible expenditure account (FSA) or a health savings account (HSA), which can help you pay a variety of medical expenses. Both allow you to allocate dollars before taxes for these expenses, which does not affect your adjusted gross income (AG) when you produce your declaration. But while health savings accounts have become popular options to finance health -related products and procedures, the internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued a new warning about certain things such as medical expenses.

In relation: Irs issues a new alert in 5 things that you should declare on your taxes this year .

IRS describes medical spending Publication 502 , listing articles and services such as breast pulling and supplies, contraceptive pills, glasses, long-term care and therapy. However, in a March 6 Press release , the agency warned that certain taxpayers "are misleading" by companies telling them that food and well-being costs can be paid or reimbursed in the context of health spending plans, in particular FSA, HSA, health reimbursement agreements (HRA) and medical savings accounts (MSA).

"Legitimate medical expenses have an important place in tax law that authorizes reimbursements", IRS commissioner Danny Werfel said in the press release. "But taxpayers should take care to follow the rules in the midst of aggressive marketing that suggests personal expenses on things like weight loss food is eligible for reimbursement when they are not considered medical expenses."

According to the IRS, some companies say that taxpayers say that the doctor's note will suffice as documentation for expenses such as gym subscriptions, fitness trackers and food supplements. However, the IRS says that even if a doctor writes a note based on a patient's self -detached health information, this does not automatically legitimate the purchase as medical expenses, which must be "activity or treatment specific to diagnostic".

Sounding confusing? The agency tried to break it down, using an example of a diabetes patient trying to control his blood sugar consuming a low carbohydrate diet. In the example, the patient obtains an advertisement telling him that a doctor will write a note, for fees, explaining that he had bought low carbohydrate food in his attempt to eat healthier. The company tells him that he can then submit the note to his FSA to be reimbursed for the cost.

In relation: The IRS warns that 20% of taxpayers do not claim the major reimbursement credit - are you eligible?

But the IRS says that it is the type of complaint that will be refused, because food is not a medical expenditure "and the administrators of plans are wary of complaints which could invalidate their plans". In fact, a spokesman said The Washington Post This food and food supplements are "rarely" considered as medical expenses.

IRS said Wapo that there is also a problem with a lack of in front of face when they secure these letters. For example, when patients are used have been transmitted, a company that helps people with HSAS getting medical necessities for these purchases, patients fill out an online form and a remote doctor examines their submission.

But while the IRS might not like it, Calley means , co-founder of Truemed, says Wapo That the agency actively makes patients more difficult for patients to obtain "medically tailor -made exercise plans" than for them to obtain antidepressants or weight loss drugs. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

"Let us call this what it is: one attempt by regulators to confuse and freeze the tendency of Americans to learn that they can work with their doctors to reverse the disease with food, not drugs," means saying Wapo .

Also means the cases highlighted where food and regimes have been Under medical expenses for those who have certain medical conditions, noting that the position of IRS also contradicts the " Food is medicine "Program launched by the Office of the Federal Government of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion last year.

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