Can I claim mileage for doctor appts for my adult daughter who doesn't drive or work but has regular monthly doctor appointments that are 137km away?

[brownowl1976]

I drive her to these appointments

[ayseleren18]

Thank you for choosing TurboTax,

Many of the expenses that you may incur to travel for medical treatment or expenses that you incur on behalf of your dependent are tax-deductible. Eligible expenses may include transportation costs, meals, and accommodation for both the patient and an attendant if required. 

Depending upon how far you have to go for your care,  you may claim medical expense travel credits. 

As per CRA,  you can claim the cost of the travel expenses, including accommodations, meals, and parking, if you travel at least 80 kilometers (one way) from their home to get medical services.

To claim transportation and travel expenses, all of the following conditions must be met:

• Substantially equivalent medical services were not available near your home.
• You took a reasonably direct traveling route.
• It is reasonable, under the circumstances, for you to have traveled to that place to get those medical services.

There are two methods to calculate vehicle expenses — the detailed and the simplified method. If you use the detailed method, keep track of the number of kilometers driven in the 12-month period you choose for medical expenses. Then, calculate the percentage of your total vehicle expenses that relate to the kilometers driven for medical treatment.

For example; if you drove 10,000 km during the year and 5000 of those kilometers were related to medical treatment (more than 40 km away), you can claim half of your total vehicle expenses on your tax return.

If you chose the simplified method, you only need to determine how many km you traveled for medical treatment in the 12-month period. Multiply the km by the rate for your province. The rates are different for each province or territory, are updated annually, and can be found at the Canada Revenue Agency’s website.

Whether you choose the detailed method or the simplified method, be sure to save all your receipts in case the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) asks to see them later.

Please see our TurboTax article on Claiming Medical Expense Travel Credits to learn more about the medical expense tax credit.