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Tax Deductions
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Re: Board Certification

Great question. Here are the basics:

Any educational or licensing costs that qualify you for a new trade or business, however, are generally not tax-deductible. Examples of non-deductible expenditures include medical school tuition for physicians and the Bar exam for lawyers. An expense incurred that improves your skills in your current trade or business, however, is deductible.

The question is whether the cost of a Specialty Board Exam is deductible once you already are licensed to practice medicine.

I would say that passing a Specialty Board does not qualify for a new trade or business, and instead, improves your skills as a physician. For that reason, I feel that you should feel comfortable claiming that deduction on your tax return.

Let us know if you've heard the contrary from other tax professionals.

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