by Kate Kew

Most of us recall this famous quote by Benjamin Franklin, “…nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Those of us who are a bit “leaky”, or who care for someone who leaks a little, also live with the certainty of incontinence expenses. No matter where you buy them, fancy pants (adult diapers) ain’t cheap.

The Internal Revenue Service provides Pub 502 in order to precisely explain which medical expenses are deductible and which medical costs will need to be borne by the taxpayer without the benefit of a tax deduction. This paper is a light read and a degree in tax law is not required in order to understand the contents.

If you are interested, you can look at this document yourself. You will find it here: http://www.irs.gov/publications/p502/ar02.html#en_US_publink100014757

Home care products that are a necessary part of caring for a particular illness (in this case the illness would be incontinence) are clearly tax deductible. Adult diapers and their related maintenance items such as wipes, ointments, changing pads and disposable gloves definitely fall into this category. Our government, it seems, would like to encourage us to look after ourselves and I, for one, am a grateful citizen. I am not incontinent yet, but Im glad to know about this provision as I can sense my own approaching ends.

It might seem odd that the general population does not get to deduct the cost of their underwear. For instance, my husband was appalled that he is discriminated against in this way; when he learned that adult diapers could be deducted but that he was not going to be allowed to deduct his own normal underwear, he took an informal vow to never wear his underwear again. He even took issue with the idea that normal underwear is not a disposable commodity, explaining that he does, in fact, occasionally throw away his ordinary loincloths.

If my husband passes away before me, I do not think I will try to fill that terrible void with another man. In my opinion, the legislators in Washington got it exactly right; it is simple and fair.

So find the best deal going and hang on to your receipts. Its time to put a silver lining in those adult diapers!

About the Author:
Ms. Kate Kew lives and works near Charleston, South Carolina. She is an experienced adult caregiver and she is also the Director of Community Support for Golden Age Medical where she is creating a most helpful library to assist others as they encounter adult incontinence. You are invited to visit, use and add to this online resource at All about incontinence.

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