Celiac Medical Expenses for Tax Deductions in Canada

Don't forget your Celiac Expense for the 2017 tax year!

Happy New Year everyone!  With the end of one year, simply (and yes I know obviously), is the beginning of another.  Which means, if you have not in the past (because it is probably too late for the 2016 tax year), start collecting your receipts for purchases of gluten free products.

The Canada Revenue Agency allows you claim incremental costs associated with the purchases of gluten free products.  What does this mean?  It means when doing your taxes, you can claim the difference in cost between what you paid for a loaf of gluten free bread to eat vs. what a non-celiac would pay for a loaf of bread.

What you need to know to make the Celiac Medical Expense claim:
  • A doctors note listing your Celiac Diagnosis and the fact you require a gluten free diet
  • Receipt for each gluten free product purchase
  • A summary showing your calculation for the tax year.
Here is Revenue Canada's Example

1. Item: bread
2. Number of items purchased: 52
3. Average cost of non-GF product: $3.49
4. Average cost of GF product: $6.99

So why go through this?  Because afterall, it does require some work right?  Well, for me, it is simple, not even really about having Celiac Disease, it is about getting everything you can back from the government.  You work, you pay taxes, and you can get some of that money back.  Why not get as much of that money back as possible!  Am I right?

Check out the Canada Revenue Agency's gluten free section of the website for more details and updates


  1. Where do they want us to find that cost of a non-GF product?

    1. Calculate the average cost of non-gf, the same way you would calculate the average cost of gf! I hope that helps.

  2. Why not give a monthly allowance to people that have Celiac like some countries do? To have to track each loaf of GF bread, or each package of GF pasta purchased and consumed in the year is a torture regime on top of the punishment of being a Celiac person.