Today TaxMama hears from Susan in the TaxQuips Forum with an ever more common  situation. “My dad (age 88) is in a nursing home because my mom can no longer care for him. I wanted to know which nursing home expenses are considered medical expenses.”

WASHINGTON — For tax year 2012, personal exemptions and standard deductions will rise and tax brackets will widen due to inflation, the Internal Revenue Service announced today.

By law, the dollar amounts for a variety of tax provisions, affecting virtually every taxpayer, must be revised each year to keep pace with inflation. New dollar amounts affecting 2012 returns, filed by most taxpayers in early 2013, include the following:

Today TaxMama hears from Tawfiq in the TaxQuips Forum with questions. “Can I deduct my qualified medical expenses with other itemized deductions if I used HSA funds to pay them? And where can I find health insurance that specifically qualifies as an HSA (Health Savings Arrangement)?

Today TaxMama hears from Angela in the TaxQuips Forum, who did something clever “When my children were born I paid for a service to have their umbilical cord blood stored (stem cells). We pay a yearly storage fee (about $200), and have not been able to use our Flexible Savings Account for it in the past. We wonder, would it be deductible since we have enough medical expenses to have a deduction already?”

Today TaxMama hears from Angela in the TaxQuips Forum, who wants to do this. “I’m trying to maximize my deductions and this is the first time I’m able to use medical deductions. My husband is unemployed and has high co-pays and COBRA payments. When I was reading the IRS info on what can be deducted, it included acupuncture. That made me wonder if I could deduct my massages (done by a certified massage therapist)?”

Today TaxMama hears from Chris in the TaxQuips Forum, who puts out a challenge to TaxMama. He says, “Tax mama has advice for business owners. But how does an individual get more money on their paychecks?”