Applicants must check the appropriate box for taxpayers who are blind to the left of the Standard Deduction – Age Blindness heading. Since a blind taxpayer receives an additional deduction beyond the standard deduction, they must use Form 1040 or 1040 SR. Martin said it`s important to note that a higher deduction is not the same as a tax credit. This is a tax reduction to be paid. In other words, a credit is deducted from the taxes you owe, while a deduction makes your income appear smaller to the IRS, reducing your tax liability. However, if your tax liability is low, Martin added, saying the blind deduction of your tax refund can give a modest boost. For the 2020 tax year, the tax deduction blind to the law is as follows: taxpayers who are legally blind can be relieved of the tools that allow them to work. The law allows you to deduct what you spend to prevent, diagnose or treat a disease, as well as any costs associated with your blindness or visual impairment. As with any taxpayer, the sum of the two types of medical expenses must be greater than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income in 2021 before you can claim a medical expense deduction. Martin — who was born blind and has supported hundreds of visually impaired people over the past 10 years — noted that if you`re preparing your own tax returns using online software, you should know that you may need to confirm your blind status every year. Then you need to receive a letter from your ophthalmologist. This written statement confirms that you meet the legal definition of blindness described above.

Legal blindness gives tax filers lower tax liability under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax law. The decrease in tax payable results from the increase in the individual deduction or the standard deduction, depending on what the filer claims. The same deduction increase applies to persons or spouses who are blind or over 65 years of age. The IRS defines legal blindness as not being able to see better than 20/200 in your best eye, even with prescription glasses or contacts, or with a field of view below 20 degrees. The return must be certified by a licensed optician or ophthalmologist and must be attached to your tax return. The state of blindness must be determined no later than the last calendar day of a year. Transportation to and from a doctor`s office, prescriptions, insurance premiums and tests are examples of accepted medical deduction costs. The disability-related elements that apply to blind filers are: Why were blind people chosen for a particular benefit? For one thing, blindness is relatively easy to measure. The federal guidelines are pretty self-explanatory: if you can`t see better than 20/200, or if your field of view is less than 20 degrees, you can qualify for the loan.

Other conditions (such as bad knees) are more difficult to assess, although applicants with such conditions can deduct “significant medical expenses” from their income – currently defined as just over 7.5% of adjusted gross income. The minimum amount requirements do not apply to blind applicants, nor does the suspension of expenses for non-reimbursed employees. Depreciation-related labor costs you may have, unless you count them as medical expenses, include the following: Read the rest of the article here. Interestingly, the Blind Liberation Act was passed in 1943 against President Roosevelt`s veto, in part out of gratitude for the work done by blind individuals in the defense industry. The government uses a specific definition of blindness to determine eligibility for job training, rehabilitation, disability benefits and, yes, tax breaks. The Social Security Act of 1935 introduced financial assistance for the blind. This was likely due to an increasing number of blind people in the country, as wounded veterans of World War I returned home after the campaign. The National Federation for the Blind was founded in 1940. If a taxpayer has questions about IRS accessibility services, they can contact the Accessibility Helpline at 833-690-0598. Help for multilingual taxpayers is also available via the telephone interpretation service via the helpline. The new helpline does not have access to taxpayers` IRS accounts. Those who need help with tax fees, refunds, or other account-related issues should visit the Let us help you on IRS.gov page.

The Social Security Act of 1935 included a special provision for “assistance to the blind”, the National Federation of the Blind was established in 1940, and an influx of blind veterans had increased concern. The tax breaks were intended to reduce the higher cost of living for the blind. People who were blind were more likely to hire guides, readers and taxis. And they often had to live closer to work, which meant they often paid higher rents. […] To be considered disabled, you must also have taxable disability income such as Social Security benefits. This credit reduces the amount of taxes owed to the IRS. Unlike the earned income tax credit, it is non-refundable, which means it does not provide a refund if it reduces your tax liability. Taxpayers can file Form 9000, Alternative Media Preference, and attach it to their tax return, submit it to the IRS as a stand-alone form, or contact customer service at 800-829-1040 to make an election.