Premium payments to purchase qualified long-term care insurance by an individual - for yourself, your spouse, and your tax dependents (e.g. your children or dependent parents) are now included as a personal medical expenses if you itemize your taxes [IRC Sec. 213(a)]. Medical expenses in excess of 7 ½% of your adjusted gross income are tax deductible. This means that a portion of your long-term care insurance premium will help you reach the 7 ½% and may even help you to exceed that threshold to receive a tax deduction. Below is a table of the amount of premiums qualifying as medical expenses for the 2008 tax year. This is often referred to as the eligible long-term care premium. Also, benefits paid to an individual under a Tax-Qualified LTCI policy are excluded from taxable income. 

See chart below:

Self-Employed

Qualified long-term care insurance premiums may also be treated like health insurance for the self-employed tax deduction. Self-employed individuals may deduct 100% of the eligible long-term care premium shown above [IRC Sec. 162(1)]. The definition of self-employed includes sole proprietorships, partnerships, “greater than 2% shareholders” of S-corporations, or Limited Liability Corporations.

Example: Bob, age 61, owns his own consulting firm. His long-term care insurance premium is $1,750 per year. Based on the chart listed under the INDIVIDUAL section, he is eligible to deduct up to 100% of the "age based premium" $3,080. Therefore, he can deduct the entire $1,750.

C-Corporations

Premium payments are fully (100%) deductible as a reasonable and necessary business expense- similar to traditional health and accident insurance premiums [IRC Sec. 213(d)1]. This can apply to the owners, their spouses and dependents, and all employees.

Employer-paid long-term care insurance is excludable from the employee’s gross income [IRC Sec. 106(2)] and the benefits received are tax-free.

Partnerships, S-Corporations and Limited Liability Corporations (LLC)

Premium payments purchased for a partner or owner (2%+ shareholder) are subject to the same rules mentioned above for self-employed [IRC Sec. 162(1)].

Premium payments for non-partner/non-owner or less than 2% shareholder-employee are 100% deductible as a reasonable and necessary business expense -- similar to traditional health and accident insurance premiums [IRC Sec. 162(2)].

Employer-paid long-term care insurance is excludable from the employee’s gross income and the benefits received are tax-free [IRC Sec. 106(2)].