Fact Check: Yes, the IRS allows tax deductions on some pet expenses, like service animals
Claim:
For tax filing year 2024, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service was allowing deductions on pet expenses.
Rating:
What's True:
It was indeed possible to claim tax deductions in certain scenarios, such as medical costs for licensed service animals, performance animals, donations to qualifying nonprofits that support animal welfare, or pet-related moving costs for active-duty service members forced to relocate due to orders.
What's False:
However, pets couldn't be claimed as dependents in the same way as qualifying children or relatives. Further, tax deductions for service animals existed before the 2024 filing year.
As the deadline for U.S. citizens to file their 2024 tax returns loomed in late March 2025, claims pertaining to purported tax deductions for pet owners circulated on social media.
Multiple users on Instagram (archived, archived), TikTok (archived) and Threads (archived) posted about this alleged "exciting news for pet owners," though most posts buried crucial context, if it was present at all. Nearly all instances claimed these pet-related deductions began in the tax-preparation year of 2025 (for 2024 filings).
@mikeagrusslaw Take advantage of this for your pets! 🙌 #taxdeduction #taxseason #taxbenefits #taxes2025 #pets #lawyer ♬ original sound - MikeAgrussLaw
Some truth exists to the claim that the IRS allows certain tax deductions on pet expenses, but critical requirements must be met.
According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and tax preparation services, these deductions are not simply for standard pet owners, nor can pets be claimed as a dependent in the same way as qualifying children or relatives. Rather, most pet-related deductions pertain to care for a licensed service animal, according to the IRS' Publication 502, which also "explains the itemized deduction for medical and dental expenses that you claim on Schedule A (Form 1040)."
Further, these service-animal deductions have been possible before 2024. For example, Publication 502 for the filing year 2008 also cites possible deductions for service animals. For all of these reasons, we've rated this claim as a mixture of truth and falsehood.
The "Guide Dog or Other Service Animal" section of Publication 502 for the filing year 2024 reads:
You can include in medical expenses the costs of buying, training, and maintaining a guide dog or other service animal to assist a visually impaired or hearing disabled person, or a person with other physical disabilities. In general, this includes any costs, such as food, grooming, and veterinary care, incurred in maintaining the health and vitality of the service animal so that it may perform its duties.
Important to note is the language above specifies "physical disabilities." On a page dedicated to tax deductions on the National Service Animal Registry website, the organization adds that "you are only eligible if your medical expense exceeds 10% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)," which would include "wages, business income, dividends, and other income."
The blog for Intuit TurboTax, a tax preparation service, cites additional instances that may allow for pet-related tax deductions, such as owning a business that requires the use of animals. This could include performance animals (such as those used on a movie set) or even those that work as a social media influencer. TurboTax says:
If your pet is making money as an influencer, it could be viewed by the IRS as your own self-employed business if your pet is generating income for you in the dog modeling/acting category on a regular basis. In some cases, pet-related expenses could be considered business expenses and offset against your pet's earnings.
TurboTax also cites expenses related to fostering animals from a qualified 501(c)(3) organization as a potential write-off, including pet food, veterinary bills and supplies.
IRS Publication 526 additionally cites donations related to qualified nonprofit organizations that "are religious, charitable, educational, scientific, or literary in purpose, or that work to prevent cruelty to children or animals" are also eligible for deduction.
Newsweek points out other scenarios where pet expense tax deductions may be possible: For "active-duty military member[s] moving due to orders, pet relocation costs can still be claimed as part of moving expenses."
The Newsweek article also states, "For those setting up a pet trust, legal fees associated with establishing the trust may be deductible in some cases. However, routine pet expenses such as food and toys are still not deductible under personal tax returns."
However, tax deductions can be complex, nuanced and particular to an individual's financial holdings and employment status. This article should not be considered financial advice. Please visit a qualified financial adviser if you have questions about items that may be eligible for tax deductions.
About Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses | Internal Revenue Service. https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-502. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
"Can You Claim Pets on Tax Returns? What to Know." Newsweek, 1 Feb. 2025, https://www.newsweek.com/can-you-claim-pets-tax-returns-what-we-know-2024512.
Codys. "Service Animal Tax Deductions: Maximizing Tax Benefits." NSARCO, 27 Apr. 2022, https://www.nsarco.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-service-dogs-and-taxes/.
Dependents | Internal Revenue Service. https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/dependents. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
Publication 526 (2024), Charitable Contributions | Internal Revenue Service. https://www.irs.gov/publications/p526. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
TurboTaxBlogTeam. "Is There a Pet Tax Credit? Are Pet Expenses Deductible?" Blog, 22 Jan. 2024, https://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/can-i-claim-my-pet-as-a-dependent-53/.
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