It’s Tax Time… Make Sure You Have Your Doctor’s Letter Handy — It Could Save You A Lot Of Money…
Here is one of those things I new about but totally forgot to mention it in my blog, just in time for tax season though. I have to many things to talk about and so little time to address it but here goes. I bet the first thing going through your mind is how can I get this for myself. Well, you need a certificate from a medical practitioner that states you require a GF diet because of celiac disease. You can claim the incremental cost of GF products as an eligible medical expense. Well… the “incremental cost” is the escalated cost of purchasing a Gluten Free products as compared to the cost of a similar non-Gluten Free products. It is calculated by subtracting the cost of a non-Gluten Free product from the cost of a Gluten Free product. I know the government makes everything confusing, but I hope the diagram below makes it easier to understand. The best thing to do is to contact your local accountant and ask them to help you out. If you’re in the Ontario region send me a message and I will set you up with a very helpful, trustworthy accountant.
Gluten-free products
Incremental cost of Gluten-free (GF) products, an eligible medical expense.
Persons who suffer from celiac disease (gluten intolerance) are entitled to claim the incremental costs associated with the purchase of gluten-free (GF) products as a medical expense.
You do not qualify for the disability amount (line 316) based on the additional amount of time it takes to shop for or prepare GF products.
What is the “incremental cost”?
The incremental cost is the increased cost of purchasing a GF product as compared to the cost of a similar non-GF product. It is calculated by subtracting the cost of a non-GF product from the cost of a GF product. The calculation is shown below in the sample summary.
What items are eligible?
- Generally, the food items are limited to those produced and marketed specifically for GF diets. Such items include, but are not limited to, GF bread, bagels, muffins, and cereals.
- Intermediate items will also be allowed where the patient suffering from celiac disease uses the items to make GF products for their exclusive use. These include, but are not limited to, rice flour and GF spices.
What if there are several people consuming the GF products?
If several people consume the products, only the costs related to the part of the product consumed by the person with celiac disease are to be used in calculating the medical expense tax credit.
What documents do I need to support a claim for the medical expense tax credit?
If you are filing a paper return, include the following supporting documentation. If you are filing electronically keep the following supporting documentation in case we ask to see them at a later date:
- a letter from a medical practitioner confirming the person suffers from celiac disease and requires GF products as a result of that disease;
- a summary of each item purchased during the 12-month period for which the expenses are being claimed (a sample summary is shown below); and
- a receipt to support the cost shown in column (4) of each GF product or intermediate product claimed.
Sample of summary chart for incremental cost calculation
| (1) Item | (2) Number of items purchased | (3) Average cost of non-GF product | (4) Average cost of GF product | (5) Incremental cost (4)-(3) | (6) Claim for GF item (5)×(2) |
| Bread | 52 | $3.49 | $6.99 | $3.50 | $182.00 |
| Rice flour | 4 | $6.59 | $9.59 | $3.00 | $12.00 |
| $ | $ | $ | $ | ||
| Total Incremental cost allowable (add all amounts in column 6) | $ ______ | ||||
To view the source of this information Click Here
This article was brought to you by FUK Flour and Gluten Free Ottawa.
