A plain-language walk through the tax deductions and credits that can put money back in your pocket while your child is in treatment, and where to get your return done for free.
What You Need to Know First
A year of cancer treatment can change your taxes if you keep the receipts. Sometimes it means a bigger refund, sometimes it mainly cuts what you owe. Medical bills, mileage, parking, hotel nights near the hospital, and some premiums can count toward a deduction, and credits for your kids and a lower income can add to it. The only way to know is to keep everything and have a preparer run the numbers both ways, standard deduction versus itemized.
The catch: the federal medical deduction only helps if unreimbursed medical costs exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income and you itemize. In a treatment year, especially one where a parent stopped working, many families clear that bar for the first time. Start a receipt folder today and let a free preparer do the math both ways.
The programs below focus on New Jersey and New York. Many states have similar programs; your hospital social worker can help you find the closest ones where you live.
Resources — 19 verified links Federal and national (10) · New Jersey (5) · New York (4)
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