Did You Spend on a Veterinarian? Project Could Allow Tax Break on Income Tax
The Project Provides Deduction of Up to R$ 2,275.08 on Veterinary Expenses for Income Tax. Find Out Who Is Eligible and When It Could Take Effect.
Those who have a dog or cat at home know that caring for the health of the animals can weigh on the budget. But a proposal that has begun to process in the Federal Senate may bring financial relief to guardians. The project provides that veterinary expenses, examinations and treatments of pets can be deducted from the basis of calculation of the Income Tax, up to the annual limit of R$ 2,275.08.
The measure is provided for in Bill 5.668/2026, presented by Senator Plínio Valério (PSDB-AM). The idea is to allow expenses for the health of pets to be considered in the declaration of the Income Tax of the Natural Person (IRPF), in a similar way to other deductions already provided for in the legislation.
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What expenses with pets can be discounted?
If the project is approved, guardians may include different expenses related to animal health in the income tax return.
Expenditures included:
- Consultations with veterinarians;
- Care in veterinary clinics and hospitals;
- Laboratory and radiological examinations;
- Health treatments;
- Orthopaedic devices and prostheses;
- Veterinary care plans, according to the rules of the proposal.
For expenses for orthopedic appliances and prostheses, it will be necessary to present the veterinary prescription and the required tax documentation.
On the other hand, amounts reimbursed by companies or covered by insurance may not be used to obtain the tax benefit.
How much can the tutor save?
The project establishes an annual limit of R$ 2,275.08 in deductions, regardless of the amount of dogs and cats that the taxpayer owns.
In practice, this does not mean receiving that amount back, but reducing the income used by the IRS to calculate the tax due.
For example, a person who has R$ 50,000 of taxable income and can prove R$ 2,000 in veterinary expenses can, by the proposed rules, reduce the calculation base to R$ 48,000.
The amount effectively saved will depend on the tax situation of each taxpayer.
Animals will need to be registered
One of the requirements foreseen in the project is that the animals be registered in the National Registry of Domestic Animals, known as SinPatinhas.
Currently, the system allows the registration of dogs and cats. Therefore, these would be the first species contemplated by the benefit.
Senator Plínio Valério argues that the proposal seeks to encourage animal health care and alleviate some of the expenses faced by Brazilian families.
The possibility of enlarging the registry could also allow other species of pets to be contemplated in the future.
When can the discount start to apply?
Despite the positive repercussions that the measure may have among guardians, the discount is not yet in force.
The draft was presented on October 27, 2026 and, according to the consultation with the Senate, remains awaiting submission for legislative analysis.
To begin to apply, the proposal must go through the Congresso Nacional process and become law.
According to the text presented, the benefit would last for five years and would begin to take effect on January 1 of the year following the publication of the law.
Until this happens, the expenses for veterinary consultations and treatments continue without this possibility of deduction in the Income Tax. (The information is from the Senate Agency)
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