Changes to the home?
« Thread Started on Jan 19, 2011, 6:54am »
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Have you had to make changes or additions to your home to help your loved one live or breathe easier? Are you aware that some of those things are tax deductible? Has anyone advised you of some of this on your tax return?
There are several things you can claim on your T1, in regards to medical and caregiving. Is your loved one claiming the disability tax credit? Were you aware that it's different from the CPP disability and you don't have to be claiming it in order to get the tax credit?
These are some questions that will be arising soon, as we're heading into tax season. Anything you'd like to discuss?
Hugs,
Mary
Hi Mary
I think we are fortunate in our situation. Because he is over 65 and we are with Community Care, we dont pay for anything. I was quite surprised when they put him on oxygen and it was covered. Today he will start with the Ventilin with a compressor and mask instead of the puffers. The Dr. thought there might be a small charge for this but she wasn't sure.
Re: Changes to the home?
« Reply #2 on Jan 19, 2011, 9:13pm »
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Barbara,
You are very lucky.....that's great that everything is paid for. There were several things we were able to deduct on our taxes, like the humidifier on the furnace, the air conditioner we had in the house we rented, and several other things.
I think what you're talking about with the Ventolin is a nebulizer. That's a very common practice in the U.S. but not so much here. I convinced Doug's doctor that it would be better for him, based on how well he responded to the treatments at the ER when he'd go in. And, we found it was right.....at least for him. He had a nebulizer that he used often and it did help him a lot. I'm sure your hubby will be pleased with the difference. I still don't understand why doctors aren't as open here to use them, it makes sense that the medicine get in deeper and better for a patient that can't breathe well or suck hard.....I had thought of becoming an advocate for that as well but Doug didn't get the chance to use it enough for us to make an issue of it.
Have a great evening!
Hugs.
Mary
Re: Changes to the home?
« Reply #3 on Mar 11, 2011, 10:15pm »
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Anytime that Ed has used a nebulizer with Ventolin, he ends up with a terrible headache.
His Brother used nebulizer treatments for many years.
When we built our home we built many things into our home to make it easier for Ed to breathe, so not sure there any any renovations that we can make that would give us a tax break.
But I do know that we calculate the hydro necessary to run his O2 concentrator and we also keep the receipts for the batteries for his liquid O2 unit.
I wish his weekly parking charges at the hospital were deductable, but unfortunatley we live too close.
I would be intersted to know of any other suggestions that we could put to use.
Thanks
BJ
Re: Changes to the home?
« Reply #4 on Mar 13, 2011, 8:14am »
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Hi BJ,
One thing I think of right off from your post would be repairs or maintenance to anything that was built into the house for assistance to hubby. Also, there are a lot more medical deductions than most people think of....here is a list from CRA:
www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/....eng.html#filterI am trying to think of some other areas to direct you to. Does he claim the disability tax credit on his taxes.....if not, he should. You may know this but the tax credit for income tax is different from disability from CPP.
I am going to add things here as I think of them and I am sure Juanita can help out with this.
Hugs,
Mary
