Expanding and extending tax deduction for teacher’s out-of-pocket expenses (Rep. Dina Titus)

Never before have our nation’s teachers and educators been asked to do so much for our children with so little as education budgets are stretched thin and schools are cutting back on supplies and resources. The Tax Relief for Educators Act, H.R. 3164, which I recently introduced in the House of Representatives, will provide our educators with an important tax break at a time when they are doing more with less.

The Tax Relief for Educators Act makes important improvements to the teacher tax deduction by making the deduction permanent and increasing the amount while indexing it for inflation. Currently the IRS allows teachers to take an above-the-line tax deduction of $250 for out-of-pocket expenses.  This amount has not increased since it was introduced in 2002. The bill will raise the deduction to $500. It also extends the deduction beyond K-12 classroom teachers to include other educators, such as principals, aides, and early childhood teachers, who are instrumental in the education of our children.

Dedicated teachers continue to face growing out-of-pocket expenses as they go the extra mile to enhance the classroom experience while educating our students. This legislation will show our support for the commitment our teachers and educators demonstrate every day at schools and in classrooms around the country.