Tax Organizer for Educators

KEY EXPENSES FOR EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS

 

A   PROFESSIONAL FEES & DUES:

Dues paid to professional societies related to your educational profession are deductible. However the cost of initial admission fees paid for memberships in certain organizations or social clubs are considered capital expenses

Deductions are allowed for payments made to a union as a condition of initial or continued membership. Such payments include regular dues, but not those which go toward defraying expenses of a personal nature. However, the part of union dues which goes into a strike fund is deductible.

B   CONTINUING EDUCATION:

Education expenses are deductible under either of two conditions: (1) Your employer requires the education in order for you to keep your job or rate of pay; or (2) The education maintains or improves your skills in the education profession. The cost of courses that are taken to meet the minimum requirements of a job or that qualify you for a new trade or business are not deductible.

NOTE: Education under taken to qualify a classroom teacher as a school administrator or guidance counselor generally meets the criteria for educational expense deductions.

C   TELEPHONE EXPENSES:

The basic local telephone service costs of the first telephone line provided in your residence are not deductible. However, toll calls from that line are deductible if the calls are business related. The costs of a second line (basic service and toll calls) in your home are also deductible if that line is used exclusively for business.

D   AUTO TRAVEL:

Your auto expense is based on the number of qualified business miles you drive. Expenses for travel between business locations or daily transportation expenses in going between your residence and temporary work locations are deductible; include them as business miles. Your trips between home and work each day or between home and one or more regular places of work are COMMUTING and are NOT deductible.

Document business miles in a record book by the following: (1) Give the date and business purpose of each trip; (2) Note the place which you traveled; (3) Record the number of business miles; (4) Record your car’s odometer reading at both the beginning and end of the tax year. Keep receipts for all car operating expenses - gas, oil, repairs, insurance, etc., and of any reimbursement you received for your expenses.

E   TRAVEL – OUT-OF-TOWN:

Expenses of traveling way from “home” overnight on job-related and continuing-education trips are deductible. Your “home” is generally considered to be the entire city or general area where your principal place of employment is located. Out-of-town expenses include transportation, meals, lodging, tips, and miscellaneous items like laundry, valet, etc.

Document away-from-home expenses by nothing the date, destination, and business purpose of your trip. Record business miles if you drove to the out-of-town location. In addition, keep a detailed record of your expenses – lodging, public transportation, meals, etc. Always list meals and lodging separately in your records. Receipts must be retained for each lodging expense. However, if any other business expense is less than $25, a receipt is not necessary if you record all of the information in a diary. You must keep track of the full amount of meal and entertainment expenses even though only a portion of the amount may be deductible.

 

F   CLASSROOM SUPPLIES:

Generally, to be deductible, items must be ordinary and necessary to your profession as an educator and not reimbursable by your employer. Record separately from other supplies, items costing over $100 and having a useful life of more than one year. These items must be recovered differently on your tax return than other recurring, everyday business expenses like photocopies, books, etc.

G   OTHER EXPENSES:

Expenses of looking for new employment in the same line of work in which you are already working are deductible – you do not have to actually obtain a new job in order to deduct the expenses. Out-of-town job seeking expenses are deductible only if the primary purpose of the trip is job seeking, not pursuing personal activities.

 

PROFESSIONAL FEES & DUES Association Dues   License   Alumni Dues   Parent Teacher Groups   School Dues   Union Dues   Other:   Other:     CONTINUING EDUCATION Correspondence Course Fees   Materials & Supplies   Course Registration   Seminar Fees   Reference Material   Text Books   Photocopy Expenses   Lab Fees   Research Expenses   Transcripts   Tuition   Other:     TELEPHONE EXPENSES Cellular Toll Calls   FAX Transmissions   Paging Service   Toll Calls   Other:     AUTO TRAVEL Between Jobs or Job Locations   Away From Home Overnight   Continuing Education   Field Trips   Library   Purchasing job supplies & Materials   Professional Society Meetings   Meetings   School Functions   Seminars   Parking Fees ($)   Tolls ($)   Other:

TRAVEL – OUT OF TOWN
Airfare
Bridge & Highway Tolls
Bus & Subway
Car Rental
Laundry
Lodging (do not combine with meals)
Meals (do not combine with lodging)
Parking
Porter, Bell Caption
Taxi
Telephone Calls (including home)
Train
Other:

CLASSROOM SUPPLIES
Arts & Crafts Material
Audio Visual Rentals
Audio Visual Supplies
Books
Classroom Decorations
Computer Software
Film & Processing
Grading Expenses
Magazines, Newspaper
Music
Paper, Stationery
Party Supplies
Photocopy Expense
Printing
Records, Tapes, etc.
Student Prizes, Awards & Trophies
Visuals Aids
Video Tapes
Other:

MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES
Resume – Job Seeking
Periodicals
Liability Insurance - Business
Professional Subscriptions
Other:
Other:
Other: