Tax filing in 2014: 7 new rules and 9 wacky deductions

Tax filing season is here, so it's time to ensure you're ready to get the most out of your filing. Read on for new rules for 2014, plus several surprising deductions.

16. Deduction: weight-loss programs

Denis Balibouse/Reuters
The Gnome, weighed 307.65 g (10.8520 oz), on a scale in the Control Room of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva. Though this gnome does not look particularly happy to be weighed, he could be happy to hear that weight-loss programs can sometimes be tax-deductible.

Some people who enrolled in weight-loss programs last year can deduct the money they paid in fees, according to the IRS. But not everyone qualifies: to be eligible, taxpayers must have enrolled to treat specific conditions diagnosed by doctors. Even when recommended by a health care professional, the cost of dance lessons, swim lessons, and health-club dues are not deductible, according to the IRS.

Except in very limited cases, diet foods are also non-deductible.

16 of 16
You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.