Education Back-to-School Savings: Four Tax Tips for Teachers Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Written by Ginita Wall Published Aug 15, 2023 2 min read Reviewed by Katharina Reekmans, Enrolled Agent This month, teachers say goodbye to the days of summer and embark on another new school year. If you are a teacher, you have a lot of planning to do for the upcoming year, but with the end of the calendar year fast approaching, you should also be planning for your tax deductions. Here are four tips to save you money on your taxes. Keep track of classroom materials you buy. If you own a home or have large deductible expenses, keep track of your classroom expenses. These include classroom supplies, materials, books, computer equipment, software, other equipment, and supplementary materials that you pay from your own pocket, as long as you didn’t receive reimbursement. You can claim up to $300 regardless of whether you itemize your deductions or not. If you and your spouse are both teachers (grades K-12) and married filing jointly you can claim up to $600 ($300 each). Claim a home office deduction if you qualify. Many teachers won’t qualify unless they have a specific place in their home that is used exclusively for business activities. Grading papers at home for your teaching job doesn’t count as business activities. But if you tutor children in your home office or do classes over the internet, those activities might qualify you for the deduction. Keep track of mileage. If you coach a sport or lead after-school activities away from your school, track your mileage to and from the location for the activities. If you do homeschooling and regularly call on students, or if you drive from school to school, the miles can really add up. You can deduct 65.5 cents a mile for all business miles driven if you itemize your deductions. Deduct continuing education expenses. If you are taking classes towards a Master’s degree or to improve your job skills, the Lifetime Learning Credit allows you to take a tax credit of 20% of tuition and fees for all college or vocational classes that you take up to $2,000, which is a handsome reward for keeping track of those expenses. And best of all, you don’t have to itemize your deductions to claim this credit. Previous Post Going Back to School After 40: Know The Tax Benefits Next Post Education Tax Credit: Back-to-School Tax Savings & Deductions Written by Ginita Wall More from Ginita Wall 19 responses to “Four Tax Tips for Teachers” If I use me cell phone to contact parents on a daily basis, can I deduct the phone bill as expenses? Reply I am a substitute teacher (I work more than 900 hours per year) and wondering what I am able to deduct as business expenses. Reply Can you deduct your mileage even if you are reimbursed for your mileage by your employer? Reply Scot, If your employer reimburses you for your mileage, you would need to decrease any deduction you could claim by the amount of the reimbursement. However, if your employer includes the reimbursement in your wages on your W-2, then you can claim the full amount of your mileage expense. Mary Ellen Reply Great!! Thank you very much for the answer. If I am a volunteer coach for a private school can I deduct mileage to and from practice? Reply Todd, If the school is a 501(c)(3) charity, then you can deduct the mileage for volunteering at the school at the rate of $0.14 per mile instead of the $0.56 allowed for business miles. If the school is not a registered charity, there would be no deduction allowed. Mary Ellen Reply What is the limit on deducting classroom expenses for the coming tax year? I ask because I just bought a laptop for $850 that is intended for classroom use. Reply Hi Joe, if the educator expense deduction is extended past 2013, the limit will most likely be $250. Currently, there is no educator expense deduction allowed in 2014. You may qualify for the employee business expense deduction if you itemize deductions. Reply Can I take my Europe trip off my taxes , if I teach World history or if I visit a school overestimate there? Reply I have the same question. Last year I traveled to Ecuador. Lessons were developed from the trip and used with students. The trip was also included as part the documentation on my teacher evaluation. Reply Randy, Whether you can deduct any of the cost of your Europe trip will depend on the particulars of your trip. The IRS Publication 463 (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p463.pdf) has all the details. Mary Ellen Reply Do any of these exemptions work for homeschool teachers? Reply Jennifer, The IRS Publication 17 says that “Qualified expenses do not include expenses for home schooling…” http://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch19.html Mary Ellen Reply I am a new teacher this year. I am teaching at a votech and a community college. Do I get the same breaks as a higher education teacher that the k-12 teachers get? Reply The educator expense deduction is only allowed for K-12 teachers. You may qualify to deduct your expenses as employee business expenses using form 2106. Reply Thanks!! Great info for a new teacher like myself!! Reply What about teachers who are teaching in college and professional school? Any deductions for us? Reply Cindi, The educator expense deduction is only allowed for K-12 teachers. You may qualify to deduct your expenses as employee business expenses using form 2106. 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If I use me cell phone to contact parents on a daily basis, can I deduct the phone bill as expenses? Reply
I am a substitute teacher (I work more than 900 hours per year) and wondering what I am able to deduct as business expenses. Reply
Scot, If your employer reimburses you for your mileage, you would need to decrease any deduction you could claim by the amount of the reimbursement. However, if your employer includes the reimbursement in your wages on your W-2, then you can claim the full amount of your mileage expense. Mary Ellen Reply
Todd, If the school is a 501(c)(3) charity, then you can deduct the mileage for volunteering at the school at the rate of $0.14 per mile instead of the $0.56 allowed for business miles. If the school is not a registered charity, there would be no deduction allowed. Mary Ellen Reply
What is the limit on deducting classroom expenses for the coming tax year? I ask because I just bought a laptop for $850 that is intended for classroom use. Reply
Hi Joe, if the educator expense deduction is extended past 2013, the limit will most likely be $250. Currently, there is no educator expense deduction allowed in 2014. You may qualify for the employee business expense deduction if you itemize deductions. Reply
Can I take my Europe trip off my taxes , if I teach World history or if I visit a school overestimate there? Reply
I have the same question. Last year I traveled to Ecuador. Lessons were developed from the trip and used with students. The trip was also included as part the documentation on my teacher evaluation. Reply
Randy, Whether you can deduct any of the cost of your Europe trip will depend on the particulars of your trip. The IRS Publication 463 (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p463.pdf) has all the details. Mary Ellen Reply
Jennifer, The IRS Publication 17 says that “Qualified expenses do not include expenses for home schooling…” http://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch19.html Mary Ellen Reply
I am a new teacher this year. I am teaching at a votech and a community college. Do I get the same breaks as a higher education teacher that the k-12 teachers get? Reply
The educator expense deduction is only allowed for K-12 teachers. You may qualify to deduct your expenses as employee business expenses using form 2106. Reply
What about teachers who are teaching in college and professional school? Any deductions for us? Reply
Cindi, The educator expense deduction is only allowed for K-12 teachers. You may qualify to deduct your expenses as employee business expenses using form 2106. Mary Ellen Reply