Eligible Back-to-School Expenses Could Yield Tax Benefits for Parents & Educators
With the new school year upon us, you may be able to claim school expenses for K-12 students on your 2023 Illinois individual income tax returns.
Qualified educational expenses include:
- Parents/Guardians
- tuition
- book and lab fees in excess of $250 paid to the school where the student is enrolled on a full-time basis
- for home schooled students - book rental, and lab fees greater than $250 are eligible when attending a qualified home school program
- Educators
Illinois Education Expense Credit
The Illinois Education Expense Credit allows parents or legal guardians of a full-time K-12 student under the age of 21 to take a 25% tax credit on qualified education expenses over $250. The total credit may not exceed $750, regardless of the number of qualifying students. Make sure you keep any receipts received from your student's school with your income tax records.
To learn more, please read IDOR Publication 132 (for public & non-public enrolled students), Publication 119 (for home schooled students), Publication 112 (for schools' rules and requirements), and the Schedule ICR Instructions.
Instructional Materials & Supply Credit
The Instructional Materials and Supply Tax Credit allows eligible full-time educators of K-12 students to receive a tax break for qualified expenses on classroom materials paid during the taxable year. The total credit may not exceed $500 for single filers. If spouses are both educators and are filing jointly, the maximum credit is $1,000.
To learn more, please read IDOR's Q&A on K-12 Instructional Materials and Supplies.
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