If your income tax is too high, then you may be missing out on a few unusual tax write-offs that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows. Indeed, you should always discuss each and every possible expense incurred in your personal and professional income streams with your H&R Block tax accountant for this reason. You just never know if a weird expense can actually be claimed, if not this year, then in the next.
Sex Change Operation
You can claim as tax deductions out-of-pocket medical expenses for your sex change surgery including additional hormone therapy. You must, however, have been diagnosed with gender identity disorder, a condition wherein an individual experiences intense distress and discomfort due to the mismatch between his biological sex and gender identity.
You cannot claim all of your related medical expenses because the IRS will only accept as tax write-offs those that are essential to the improvement of your overall health. For example, your breast augmentation surgery expenses cannot be claimed.
Significant Other, Married or Not
You can also claim your significant other, whether you are married or not, as a dependent and, thus, as a tax break. But there’s a catch in the sense that the following requirements must be met first:
- You and your significant other must show proof of living under one roof for an entire tax year
- Your significant other should only have an annual salary of less than $3,900
- You should show that you actually paid for more than 50% of your significant other’s expenses
For example, if you and your girlfriend lived together for 10 years, you can receive the $3,900 per year as tax break when she did not have a job for the entire duration of your relationship.
Babysitting Expenses
But you cannot claim all babysitting expenses either. According to tax courts, you can only claim babysitting expenses as tax deductions when these have been incurred in connection with your charitable activities, such as volunteering in an accredited organization. Otherwise, these are considered as personal expenses that cannot be claimed as expenses for tax purposes.
You may also claim lawn care expenses or landscaping costs if and when your home and office are one and the same as well as that these costs have a certain level of relevance to your business. Your tax accountant should always be updated about the new tax write-offs, especially retroactive ones, as these will work to your benefit.
