Massage as a medical Expense

[Janey]

Has anyone deducted massage therapy as a medical deduction on sch A?

[Absolut]

Massage as medical

If their doctor has referred them to a massage therapist for back problems, accident or something, than yes. Sometimes a Chiropractor will refer their clients to them. Many Chiropractors have massage therapist in their office now. So yes if the above is true.

[erchess]

Ahhhhh But That's the Rub

Massages are not deductible as a medical expense unless recommended by a medical professional. (Sorry but I couldn't let this one pass.)

[veritas]

lol

good one............

[Gretel]

Massages are not deductible as a medical expense unless recommended by a medical professional. (Sorry but I couldn't let this one pass.)

What am I missing here? Is a Chiropractor not a medical professional?

[oceanlovin'ea]

Yes

a chiropractor is a medical professional. I think they were just saying that a doctor had to refer a person to a massage therapist for it to be deductible as a medical expense.

Maybe someday IRS will wake up and include that in medical expenses. It is a much more accepted form of treatment now.
My husband and I both go to a massage therapist once a month. He hurt his neck pressure washing the house and was in such pain until the chiropractor recommended massage therapy. This was about 3 years ago and he is still going. It keeps him moving.
But I don't deduct it on my income taxes because we just use the standard deduction.

Linda F

[erchess]

Seriously

What am I missing here? Is a Chiropractor not a medical professional?

Any MD would be a medical professional and so would a Chiropractor or Nurse Practitioner or Physician's Assistant. I don't believe a regular RN counts. I would think that a Chiropodist or an Osteopath would count although I think in the real world the Osteopath would probably administer the massage or have someone on staff to do it. I don't know about a Doctor of Chinese Medicine and the one I have as a client would massage you himself rather than send you to someone else. And he claims that everything paid to him is a medical deduction. I have not taken the time to ascertain whether he is correct but I should because North Carolina is very liberal about allowing Alternative Medicine to be practiced subject to Federal law of course and subject to obvious things like not claiming miracle cures or credentials you don't really have. In my area a good 25% of the population uses Alternative Medical Practitioners and Asheville NC has at least two schools that purport to teach Traditional Chinese Medicine. They are both associated with clinics. You spend between two and four years reading on your own then when you think you are ready you take a paper test of some kind and if you pass that you spend two years working in the clinic followed by another test involving paper and involving interactions with people pretending to have particular symptoms.

[Uncle Sam]

Massage Therapist

There ARE licensed professionals called Massage Therapists who are NOT MEDICALLY LICENSED practitioners but who DO perform limited services of massage treatment.
I have a few massage therapists as clients - and they do provide services for individuals who 1) request it at their own leisure, and 2) require it as a healing process from a workman's compensation claim injury (where workman's compensation insurance pays the massage fee).
So to be tax deductible, massage therapy would require a physician's note where the physician authorizing its use does not provide it on his/her own.

[erchess]

Hmmmm

I still think that in addition to MDs, a PA, Nurse Practitioner, Chiropractor, Osteopath, Chiropodist and possibly other alternative medicine providers could provide the necessary referral to a Licensed Massage Therapist. I do agree with Uncle Sam that the Massage Therapist needs to be Licensed. I had not thought of that and I didn't notice it earlier posts.

[bertrans]

I still think that in addition to MDs, a PA, Nurse Practitioner, Chiropractor, Osteopath, Chiropodist and possibly other alternative medicine providers could provide the necessary referral to a Licensed Massage Therapist. I do agree with Uncle Sam that the Massage Therapist needs to be Licensed. I had not thought of that and I didn't notice it earlier posts.

Yes, the massage therapist would need to be licensed.
As to precisly who is recognised by the IRS as a 'medical professional', the courts have taken a very wide view of it. It is truly a facts and circumstances issue, and I would pursue it vigorously.

[Janey]

Thanks for all the comments. Yeterday my brain had quit. This has helped bring me around again.

[Uncle Sam]

Massage as a medical expense

I hope we have massaged your brain.