Generally yes, as an adjustment to income — not on Schedule C. Under IRC §162(l) and the IRS Instructions for Form 7206 (2025), a self-employed person with a net profit can deduct medical, dental, vision and qualified long-term care insurance premiums for themselves, their spouse, their dependents, and a child who was under 27 at year end. For 2025 it goes on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 17, figured on Form 7206 (or the Form 1040 worksheet when eligible).
Two tests decide how much:
- Earned income limit. The deduction cannot exceed the earned income from the business the plan is established under (Form 7206 reduces net profit by the matching share of the deductible half of self-employment tax and SEP/SIMPLE/qualified plan contributions). A loss from that business means no deduction from it.
- Subsidized employer plan months. No deduction for any month you were eligible for a subsidized health plan from your employer or your spouse's employer (or a dependent's or under-27 child's employer) — even if you did not enroll. Long-term care plans are tested separately.
What counts: medical, dental and vision premiums; Medicare premiums you voluntarily pay for insurance in your name similar to qualifying private coverage; qualified long-term care premiums up to 2025 age limits ($480 at 40 or under, $900 at 41–50, $1,800 at 51–60, $4,810 at 61–70, $6,020 at 71+).
What it does not do: it is not Schedule C line 15 "Insurance" (that is business insurance), and it does not reduce self-employment tax. Premiums you cannot deduct this way can go on Schedule A as medical expenses if you itemize — but never count the same premiums in both places.
Partners and S corps: a partnership must pay or reimburse premiums and report them to the partner on Schedule K-1. A more-than-2% S corporation shareholder has the premiums reported as W-2 box 1 wages (IRS Notice 2008-1); the Form 7206 limit uses Medicare wages (box 5). Marketplace premium tax credit recipients should use IRS Publication 974 for the interaction.
In ExpenseBot: premium invoices and payment confirmations that arrive in Gmail can be captured into your Google Sheet. Keep them in their own category, separate from business insurance, and leave them out of Schedule C totals — and name that category without the word "insurance" (for example "Health premiums"), because a category named "Health insurance" can be treated as business insurance when Schedule C totals are built — ExpenseBot does not move them to Schedule 1 for you or prepare Form 7206.
Full guide with a month-by-month example: https://www.expensebot.ai/blog/self-employed-health-insurance-deduction. US-only; Canadian readers see https://www.expensebot.ai/blog/phsp-hsa-incorporated-playbook. Estimates — confirm with your tax professional.