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Tax Deductions for Funeral Expenses

OVERVIEW

Are funeral expenses tax deductible? In most cases, funeral costs are not deductible, but there are some exceptions for certain related expenses like unpaid medical bills. Learn what qualifies as deductible and how to handle funeral expenses on your tax return so you don’t miss out on any potential tax savings.

NEW TAX LAW CHANGES

The One Big Beautiful Bill that passed includes permanently extending tax cuts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including increasing the cap on the amount of state and local or sales tax and property tax (SALT) that you can deduct, makes cuts to energy credits passed under the Inflation Reduction Act, makes changes to taxes on tips and overtime for certain workers, reforms Medicaid, increases the Debt ceiling, and reforms Pell Grants and student loans. Updates to this article are in process. Check our One Big Beautiful Bill article for more information.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Female mourner holds single red flower

Key Takeaways

  • You can’t deduct funeral expenses on your personal income tax return because the IRS doesn’t consider them qualified medical expenses.
  • You can deduct funeral expenses if they’re paid using the estate’s funds, but only for estates that are subject to tax.
  • To report funeral expenses for an estate, you need to use Form 706 and complete Schedule J to itemize and total the expenses.
  • Any reimbursements for funeral costs, like from Social Security or Veterans Affairs death benefits, must be deducted from the total expenses before claiming them on Form 706.

Who cannot deduct funeral expenses?

Individual taxpayers cannot deduct funeral expenses on their tax return. While the IRS allows deductions for medical expenses, funeral costs are not included. Qualified medical expenses must be used to prevent or treat a medical illness or condition.

Deducting funeral expenses as part of an estate

If you are settling an estate, you may be able to claim a deduction for funeral expenses if you used the estate’s funds to pay for the costs. Many estates do not actually use this deduction, since most estates are less than the amount that is taxable. However, executors of estates that are subject to tax can use various deductions, including funeral expenses, to reduce the estate’s overall taxable income.

TurboTax Tip:

Most estates don’t use the funeral expense deduction because they’re below the taxable amount threshold.

Reporting funeral expenses on Form 706

If you administer an estate you use Form 706, United States Estate (and Generation Skipping Transfer) Tax Return, to calculate the estate’s tax liability. To report funeral expenses, you must complete Schedule J, Funeral Expenses and Expenses Incurred in Administering Property Subject to Claims, which is attached to Form 706. On this schedule, you should itemize the funeral expenses and enter the total under Total funeral expenses.

Accounting for reimbursed expenses

If the estate was reimbursed for any of the funeral costs, you must deduct the reimbursement from your total expenses before claiming them on Form 706. This includes government payments such as Social Security or Veterans Affairs death benefits. Such reimbursements are not eligible for a deduction.

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