Can I write off tampons?

Asked by: Collin Torphy  |  Last update: September 21, 2023
Score: 4.8/5 (17 votes)

Expansion of qualified medical expenses
Specifically, the cost of menstrual care products is now reimbursable. These products are defined as tampons, pads, liners, cups, sponges or other similar products. In addition, over-the-counter products and medications are now reimbursable without a prescription.

Can I write off tampons on taxes?

Starting in 2020, the federal government considers menstrual products as a qualified medical expense. And since 2016, twenty-three states exempted these products from state sales taxes, eliminating the so-called “tampon-tax."

Are tampons a qualified medical expense?

Yes! Thanks to the CARES Act, tampons are now considered a “medical expense.” That means you can use pre-tax income to pay for them through your HSA. More questions about tampons? Learn the truth behind some of the most common tampon myths.

Can you claim menstrual products on taxes?

However, you will claim the deduction for these sales on your return as “diapers” and/or “menstrual hygiene products” on and after January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021. For more information If you have additional questions regarding this notice, you may call our Customer Service Center at 1-800-400-7115 (CRS:711).

Are feminine products HSA eligible?

Feminine hygiene products are eligible for reimbursement with a flexible spending account (FSA), health savings account (HSA) or health reimbursement arrangement (HRA).

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41 related questions found

Do condoms count for HSA?

Condoms are eligible for reimbursement with flexible spending accounts (FSA), health savings accounts (HSA), and health reimbursement accounts (HRA). They are not eligible for reimbursement with dependent care flexible spending accounts and limited-purpose flexible spending accounts (LPFSA).

Can you use HSA on condoms?

You can use your FSA or HSA funds to pay for birth control pills and condoms. You can also use them for erectile dysfunction (ED) medications like Viagra®.

Why is there no tampon tax?

Proponents of tax exemption argue that tampons, sanitary napkins, menstrual cups and comparable products constitute basic, unavoidable necessities for women, and any additional taxes constitute a pink tax.

What states exempt tampon tax?

California – In June 2019, California did not include a tax on period products in their two year budget. Two years later California passed AB 150 to make period products tax exempt permanently.

Why is there no tax on tampons?

The sales and use tax exempts items that are deemed the “necessities of life” such as food or medicine.

How do you use HSA for tampons?

This amendment to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 says that money spent on menstrual products—defined as tampons, pads, liners, cups, sponges, or similar products used for menstruation—counts as expenses incurred for medical care, meaning you can use funds in your HSA account or FSA to purchase these essentials.

Can you buy toilet paper with HSA?

Toiletries are not eligible for reimbursement with a flexible spending account (FSA), health savings account (HSA), health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), limited-purpose flexible spending account (LPFSA) or a dependent care flexible spending account (DCFSA). What are toiletries?

How do I get reimbursed for menstrual products?

PayFlex accountholders with debit cards can use their card to purchase period products from drugstores like CVS or they can purchase the items and submit the receipt for reimbursement. Employers may offer an FSA and an HSA for you to enroll in. Or you can open an HSA on your own — like the PayFlex Individual HSA.

Can you write off clothing expenses?

Include your clothing costs with your other "miscellaneous itemized deductions" on the Schedule A attachment to your tax return. Work clothes are among the miscellaneous deductions that are only deductible to the extent the total exceeds 2 percent of your adjusted gross income.

What clothing expenses are tax deductible?

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The cost of some types of protective clothing worn on the job -- like safety shoes or boots, safety glasses, hard hats, and work gloves -- can be deducted on your return.

Who benefits from tampon tax?

In fact, there's economic research that the tax break on tampons really benefits low-income people. That's based on consumer data after New Jersey's tampon tax was repealed back in 2005. Research showed that by eliminating the tax, it made products cheaper and more accessible to lower-income women.

Do you pay taxes on condoms?

The tampon tax is a charge on menstrual products meaning they have a value-added tax or sales tax, whereas items such as other essential health purchases like prescriptions, some over-the-counter drugs, clothes in some regions, toilet paper, condoms, and groceries — and even some less essential items like golf club ...

Are tampons tax free at CVS?

Core CVS Pharmacy locations will pay the so-called “pink tax” on CVS Health brand period products for its customers. The policy is part of the company's effort to help eliminate the pink tax and the tampon tax nationwide and help combat period poverty.

What is the highest tampon tax?

A recent research article found that three Scandinavian countries — Sweden, Denmark, and Norway — have some of the highest “tampon tax” percentages in the world at 25%. Hungary tops the ranking at #1 with the highest tax being 27%.

Which country has free tampons?

Scotland is the first country to offer period products free of charge on a national scale. Others, including New Zealand and Kenya, distribute products for free in public schools. In the U.S., a package of tampons or menstrual pads costs around $7 to $10 for a supply that may last a month or two.

Who benefits from the pink tax?

When a company sells a pink product (the female version) for more than a blue product (the male version), the additional revenue from the pink product does not go to the government. The only beneficiaries of the "pink tax" are the companies who charge women more than men.

What is the pink tax?

The pink tax isn't an actual government tax; it refers to discriminatory pricing that inflates the cost of goods marketed to women. It can also apply to the practice of inflating costs for women seeking services.

Can you use HSA for Apple Watch?

Unfortunately the answer to this question is usually no. This is because according to the IRS, fitness trackers are used to promote what the IRS terms “general health”. Expenses under this general health definition are not considered HSA eligible expenses.

Can I use my HSA for chapstick?

Lip balm with an SPF of 15 or greater is an eligible over-the-counter (OTC) product with a flexible spending account (FSA), health savings account (HSA) or a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA).

Can I buy diapers with HSA?

If the medical issue has symptoms that require diapers to treat the condition, these items may be eligible for reimbursement with a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) from a medical professional.