Educator exps deductions on average...

[RitaB]

Exactly

But considering the small tax benefit it produces, it contrasts with the strange fact they they cannot keep such good track of other documents that are more valuable for taxes- like stock basis, or charitable receipts, or real estate taxes paid, etc.

Yeah, I had people with an article and three e-mails on the $40 phone tax credit, all laminated, and no basis for their $69,000 stock sales. Yeah, that 40 bucks is lookin good... This bunch could probably all get re-elected if they only do another phone tax credit...

[Lion]

Teachers

I'm married to a teacher (who's retiring at the end of this school year!) so prepare returns for a lot of teachers. Haven't had anyone with less than $250 in receipts. $1,200-2,000 is more typical. My husband has three choruses with before and after school rehearsals and maybe 73 in each class, so he has Munchkins to get them there before school, and folders for all those kids, and sheet music when it's not in the budget, and his own costs to the chorus competition at the end of the year, and some half scholarships for kids who wouldn't be able to go, and mileage around the district, and union dues, and small gifts to the school staff who print his programs and repair his keyboards and tally the kids' fund raising candy sales for the trips, and this is the first year ever he didn't take any courses due to retiring anyway, and.... I make him put it all together for me, and it's been anywhere from $1,500 up to a high of $3,500.

[BP.]

mileage around the district, and union dues

Teachers' union dues & unreimbursed mileage around the district- I haven't been using them for the Educator Expense deduction, just on the Sched A.

[RitaB]

Yeah, some teachers do spend a lot

Yeah, many teachers have a lot of expenses for supplies purchased. I taught high school math for eight years before this (and before this deduction, yay), and I usually spent $300 or more on bulletin board supplies, pencils, protractors, compasses, math games for kids finishing tests early, etc. Course, math is boring and there was only one trip to Tennessee Tech for the math contest per year, which only required two #2 pencils, so I came out pretty good (comparatively speaking) on the out-of-pocket supplies. LOL.

[Lion]

Break it out

Oh, I make my husband break it out for me, and when interviewing clients I ask them about one category at a time. I start with the classroom supplies so deal with the adjustment and excess to Sch A and then get into A or 2106 items and often need to work continuing ed a couple of ways. My husband's in a city school, so the tissues and hand sanitizer and pencils and...that the kids need and don't have is different than my teachers in the suburbs who spend more on bulletin boards and demonstration items and reference books for the classroom. He gets staff and our church members to give him used white shirts for the kids to wear for performances, but I launder them; and those that need some heavy duty help go to the dry cleaners with receipts saved. We don't deduct for the poinsettias or tulips to decorate the stage for the holiday and spring concerts, because we bring them home during school break.

[BP.]

Wow, Lion! Sounds like a lot of fun, but no wonder you are happy he's retiring. Whew!

[Lion]

What am I going to do with him?!

What am I going to do with him underfoot?! I'm rethinking this home office thing! He's a music teacher, for pete's sake, and not math, so tax prep is out of the question even though he's a fast typist, piano and organ and keyboard. There's copying and bank runs and maybe I'll get my scanner set up to use Scan & AutoFlow and pick ups and deliveries, oh my!

[Burke]

Teachers' union dues & unreimbursed mileage around the district- I haven't been using them for the Educator Expense deduction, just on the Sched A.

That would be the correct treatment for those items. They are not part of the $250 deducted on front of 1040.