The tax breaks, which apply for expenditures in 2010 and for tax filings due this April, allow nursing mothers and families to use pre-tax flexible health spending account money for breastfeeding supplies like breast pumps.
However, medical expenses are still only deductible if they collectively account for more than 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income.
The IRS reversal in policy comes after the agency concluded that “breast pumps and supplies that assist lactation are medical care” as defined in the Internal Revenue Code, and affect a lactating mother’s body.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) hailed the IRS announcement as “an important victory for the health of women and children across the country by making breastfeeding a more practical option for new and working mothers.”
Breastfeeding has health benefits for children, such as “protections against asthma and other respiratory illnesses, bacterial and viral infections, and obesity,” and the tax deduction would encourage mothers to breastfeed, the AAP said in a statement.
Breastfeeding Supplies Deductible
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