teachers and travel

[princesslily]

I thought someone once told me that teachers can write off some of their travel expenses! Has anyone ever done this?

 

[averysmom]

I'm Canadian, so our tax rules aren't exactly the same, but I can claim travel expenses if I have to travel to conferences.

 

[NotUrsula]

Anyone can write off travel expenses if the type of travel qualifies:

http://www.irs.gov/publications/p463/ch01.html#en_US_publink100033779

 

[Oz!]

and as a teacher you can get a $250 deduction for supplies for your classroom...which does not even come close to covering what teacher spends on their classroom

 

[Kathi OD]

I thought someone once told me that teachers can write off some of their travel expenses! Has anyone ever done this?

Yes. You can deduct travel expenses that relate to your job. So if you go to a conference that is not paid for by your employer, you can deduct transportation, food, and accommodations, as well as fees to attend the conference. You have to be able to itemize deductions though.

and as a teacher you can get a $250 deduction for supplies for your classroom...which does not even come close to covering what teacher spends on their classroom

You actually can deduct more that that, IF you spend more than that and itemize your deductions. However, it's just the first $250 that is a dollar-for-dollar credit. The remaining deduction is just a percentage of what you've spent.

 

[richmond282]

Yes, you can if it's job related and you didn't get get reimbursed the full amount the government stipulates per mile. I'm a system-wide teacher so I drive between 6 schools during the week. I get a travel stipend of $600/year (laughable right?). When I file my taxes, I enter the estimated miles I drive per year. Then Turbo tax asks if you were reimbursed for it and how much. I enter $600 and it figures out the rest. For "other" travel expenses, you need exact amounts and such, but it basically works the same as the mileage.