How do I choose a claim period for medical expenses?

After you enter your medical expenses, TurboTax prompts you to set your claim period. You can choose any 12-month period for your medical expense claim, as long as the period ends in the current tax year.

• You can use a different 12-month period each year.
• The 12-month period doesn’t have to start where your previous 12-month period ended.

To get the most out of your return, here are some things to consider:

• Do most of your medical expenses occur early in the tax year, or in the second half?
• Do you expect medical expenses in the early part of the next tax year?
• Do you have medical expenses from last year that you haven’t claimed yet?

If you have a large amount of expenses in the latter part of the tax year and you expect expenses in the early part of the following year, it might be better to save your expenses and claim them in the following year.