Posted on Apr 15, 2021

face masks and hand sanitizer

Recently, the IRS has announced that "medical expenses" can now include purchases that you made that helped stopped the spread of COVID-19. This can include face masks, sanitizer, and any other products you purchased over the course of last year that helped prevent the spread. 

Usually, medical expenses that were tax deductible needed to be significant like long-term care costs, surgeries, medical supplies, or other things among those lines. However, for 2020 taxes, the IRS has said that personal protective equipment can now be considered a medical expense as long as the primary use of those materials was to prevent spreading COVID. 

Of course, there is somewhat of a catch here. To claim the deduction your medical expenses have to total more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. Also, you can only deduct what is not reimbursable by insurance. Nevertheless, your face masks are most likely not insurance reimbursable so you may be in luck. Maybe all that stock buying of face masks, sanitizer, and Lysol wipes has its benefits!

To learn more about IRS information on personal protective equipment and what can be tax-deductible, visit here.

To read more about this topic, read this article by ElderLawAnswers!