Tax time - surrogacy and taxes!

Just started on the pile of business receipts and all of the related tax stuff.  I did some research today on what is allowable under medical as deductions for surrogacy for US clients.  Basically, you can't deduct surrogate compensation, surrogate medical costs, donor costs, agency fees, etc.  You can deduct any medical care that you received as part of the treatment, including semen transport, IVF related costs that you or your married spouse incurred, travel, and newborn care.   Anything that you, your spouse or your born children incurred for care and expenses, write it off!   I of course, am not a tax expert, but thought this might be on the minds of a few people out there.   Also, if you've completed a second parent adoption, don't forget the tax credit!   Surrogacy is a grey area tax wise in the US - but I would certainly ask your accountant to be creative!  Keep those receipts.

UPDATE:
I was getting various reports on Aussie taxes - so I looked up the table of allowable medical expenses and found the attached.  Obviously, consult your accountant if you have questions regarding this.  Seems everyone in every country needs a tax accountant these days to keep abreast of changes!

http://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Tax-Return/2013/Supplementary-tax-return/Tax-offset-questions-T4-T11/T6---Total-net-medical-expenses/

http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/BudgetReview201314/MedicalExpenses

http://www.bdo.com.au/resources/publications/federal-budget-2013/personal/net-medical-expenses-tax-offset-phase-out


Please let me know if you've found anything that others might be able to include.

Kim
Complete Surrogacy Solutions
Eggspecting

The ups and downs of this journey still take me off guard

J and M did not receive good news today.  No visible sac.  They are, we are, very disappointed and sad.  I found myself reliving all of those false starts D and I had along the way.  All the hopes at the positive tests, and the crash back down to earth at the ultrasounds.   It never EVER gets easier.  Even after having my own children, I never forget what those hard years felt like.  I felt it again today.

However, we all know that these things can and do happen.   J feels terrible for the surrogate, she knows that this woman has a heart, and will feel disappointment as well.   Dr. S. feels terrible too, I know that she takes each pregnancy and each negative personally.   We all know in our family that we are with the best in the industry.  We all have faith and trust and we KNOW that Dr. Shivani will make it happen for J&M, it's just going to take a bit more time and patience.

I told J to go out today and purchase a pint of Ben & Jerry's.  It's a sad ritual that my girlfriend A and I used to do when we got a negative test, or when I had another m/c.   A bottle of wine and a pint of B&J.  Each.   A temporary solace, but a good one.

K.

Eggcellent Retrieval

YEAH!!!! 19!!!  Just got the retrieval number from J&M's donor.  We took a little poll last night, and guess who picked the lucky number?   The good thing about ICSI is that extra bit of science which makes the odds so much more in J&M's favor.  The perfect single sperm injected into the perfect egg, and hopefully they all grow beautifully.  Surrogate has been selected, J&M wanted Dr. Shivani to select the best person for them, which made that part so simple.   We all have so much faith in Dr. Shivani.  We know she cares for every single person involved in this transaction, from the Intended parents, to the donors, to the surrogates, and to her staff.   And, I know she cares about each baby born as if it were her own, and in some ways, they are all her children.   Such a miracle for all of us involved.  Yes, it takes time, money, emotional investment, and the first try or two might not work, but we are all confident that it will work in the end.   We are so fortunate to live in such a world of science and technology.

Eggs a coming...

Egg retrieval set for the 11th, we're all hoping that J&M's donor is doing well and full of wonderfully developing follicles.   Next step is the selection of the Surrogate.  Should have the profiles in the next day or so, but I wish we could just ask Dr. Shivani to pick the best candidate based on her endometrial lining and "child birthing" hips.   In reality, we all know the hips don't play as much of a role as the lining, which is important when it comes to implantation of embryos, still it's one of those things that we think about.   I have excellent child birthing hips, but still ended up with c-sections.

Our kiddos are still down in NC hanging out with my parents and J&M.   J&M are so amazing with our kids and I know that they are going to make excellent parents.   We have some news on our home front, we are moving from Maine to Dallas, TX at the end of this month, so we have a flurry of activity going on at the house, yard sales, purging of junk, and I start packing today.  Movers come on the 18th, and we depart Maine on the 20th to go pick up our kiddos and make the long drive down to TX.  

Very busy time for all of us!  Hope that everyone is doing well.