Pet Medical Bills?

[Abigail]

Do our pet's medical bills we paid count towards itemizing our taxes or only our human family's medical bills?

[Thriftylady]

Well I never tried or looked it up for daycare. I know it has come up in trucking since hubby drives a semi. This is my answer and I think it would hold true. DH has a cat in his semi with him, it is his "truckin' kitty", his companion. But it isn't a need like special clothing and tools are. I think for something to be deductible it needs to be a need, or it needs to be 100 percent for the daycare (trucking in dh's case). His cat is neither. His cat comes home, plays with the other pets, DD takes her to bed etc. To tax deduct that IMHO would be fraud. The cat needs taken care of regardless needs her shots, go to vet if sick etc. If it was a fish in the playroom and only for the benefit of the kids I could see it but a cat or a dog, I highly doubt it and wouldn't even consider it.

[TomCopeland]

Pets

Do our pet's medical bills we paid count towards itemizing our taxes or only our human family's medical bills?

Never try to deduct expenses associated with a dog or cat. The IRS will consider them too personal to be a business expense, even though you might have these animals incorporated into your business.

You could deduct other pets (fish, gerbils, ducks, chickens, etc.) if, and only if, you incorporate them into your curriculum. You would need to show what children are learning with their interaction with these pets.

But, no matter what you do with dogs and cats, don't try to deduct them.

[Abigail]

What about if rabies shots are required for pets in the home, which would be our cat, or else we can't be licensed? Wouldn't we be able to consider it a shared expense for services?

[Thriftylady]

What about if rabies shots are required for pets in the home, which would be our cat, or else we can't be licensed? Wouldn't we be able to consider it a shared expense for services?

Probably not. Likely those shots are required by law anyway in owning a pet, therefore not deductible.

[TomCopeland]

rabies shots

What about if rabies shots are required for pets in the home, which would be our cat, or else we can't be licensed? Wouldn't we be able to consider it a shared expense for services?

If you weren't a child care provider and were required to get rabies shots for your cat, then you can't deduct them. If the only reason you have to get rabies shots is because you need them to get licensed, then you can deduct them.

[Blackcat31]

Tom, can we deduct food for wildlife?

Not necessarily as a child care provider but as anyone feeding wildlife?

Some one told me people can write off bird food and deer food but I have never heard that before so I thought I'd toss that in here since this thread is about animals.

[TomCopeland]

wildlife

Tom, can we deduct food for wildlife?

Not necessarily as a child care provider but as anyone feeding wildlife?

Some one told me people can write off bird food and deer food but I have never heard that before so I thought I'd toss that in here since this thread is about animals.

Now this is one of the more unusual questions I've gotten!

To be deductible, the item must be "ordinary and necessary" for your business. The only way this might be deductible is if you incorporated the feeding of wild animals in your curriculum. You taught children about birds and deer and the feeding of them was part of this. I would want the provider to have some written records showing what children were learning about birds and deer. Then go ahead and deduct it.