This article was originally published on Jun 08, 2009 and has been carried over from our previous website. Some legal details, dollar figures, and program rules may have changed since then — please contact us for current guidance.
Rep. McDermott (D-WA) has introduced HR 2705, which would provide a tax credit of 30% of qualified costs of legal work up to a maximum of $500 for preparation of advanced directives.
Given current pressures on federal revenues, I'm not holding my breath waiting for this measure to pass, and I question how much of an incentive this credit would give anyone to go see a lawyer. But anything that gets Congress to talk about end-of-life decision-making is a good thing.