Sally is a high school math teacher. In 2016, she purchases $400 worth of supplies related to her teaching. Her spouse, Gabe, is a high school math teacher and spends $100 in education supplies for his classes. If married filing jointly, what is the 2016 for-AGI educator's expenses deduction?

Question

​Sally is a high school math teacher. In 2016, she purchases $400 worth of supplies related to her teaching. Her spouse, Gabe, is a high school math teacher and spends $100 in education supplies for his classes. If married filing jointly, what is the 2016 for-AGI educator's expenses deduction?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To qualify for the educator expense deduction, a teacher must be a kindergarten through grade 12 teacher, instructor, counselor, principal, or aide for at least 900 hours a school year in a school that provides elementary or secondary education as determined under state law. The maximum deduction is $250 per taxpayer ($500 if married filing jointly), and both spouses can claim the deduction if they are both eligible educators. Therefore, in this case, Sally and Gabe can claim a total of $500 in educator expenses, which is the maximum deduction for married filing jointly. However, since their total expenses are only $500, they cannot claim more than that.

​Sally Is a High School Math Teacher

Sally Is a High School Math Teacher