Tutoring expenses

[Taxadvisor VA]

Client is paying for monthly tutoring for his son who is having difficulty in school. He wants to know if he can do anything on his taxes with these payments.
I told him unless a Doctor prescribed this course of action that there was noting he could do. His answer was no Doctor prescribed this treatment. His son is in HS.

What's your read?
Thanks,
Taxadvisor VA

[Burke]

There is no deduction for such expenses. Or credits, or anything else on the tax return.

[mastertaxguy]

Tutoring expenses: maybe a medical expense? Dependent care?

The facts hint the child has a learning disability or some other medical condition requiring the tutoring. If so, the expense may qualify as a deductible medical expense subject to the usual 10% floor (assuming TP is not old enough to qualify for the old 7.5% floor). It may also be a situation where the child is basically getting tutoring in a "child and dependent care" situation and thus, the form 2441 credit may apply if all the usual criteria (parents working or in college. etec) are met.

[AZ-Tax]

Would a student diagnosed with Dyslexia qualfiy as medical expenses?

Would a student diagnosed with Dyslexia qualfiy as medical expenses?

[mastertaxguy]

Dyslexic child

See TTB 11-4/11-5 on child care to see if your facts fit, and TTB 4-6 (right column, lower half of page) as to possible medical expense deduction. There are many people with dyslexic who are not considered disabled (or were not like Tom Edison and Al Einstein). Facts and circumstances as usual determine what can be used as medical or other expense.

It would seem that if a parent is transporting the child to a tutor then returning to work a dependent care expense may be involved.

If a doctor provides a diagnosis supporting a medical need for the tutor, then a medical expenses may be involved.

[FEDUKE404]

Deduction is unlikely

It would seem that if a parent is transporting the child to a tutor then returning to work a dependent care expense may be involved.

Disagree

If you were to follow that logic, then every parent who drove his/her child to the doctor, or to the dentist, or even to an after-school sports event, would somehow be entitled to claim dependent care expenses.

Also, it should be noted the student being mentioned is in high school, so likely he is not under the age of thirteen. (I doubt if "having trouble in school" would be sufficient to meet the alternative requirement of "disabled" for claiming dependent care benefits.)

There may be a slim hope here of pursuing the medical expense route, but that hope is not very likely with the circumstances so far given.

FE

[Taxadvisor VA]

Tutoring Expenses

Disagree

If you were to follow that logic, then every parent who drove his/her child to the doctor, or to the dentist, or even to an after-school sports event, would somehow be entitled to claim dependent care expenses.

Also, it should be noted the student being mentioned is in high school, so likely he is not under the age of thirteen. (I doubt if "having trouble in school" would be sufficient to meet the alternative requirement of "disabled" for claiming dependent care benefits.)

There may be a slim hope here of pursuing the medical expense route, but that hope is not very likely with the circumstances so far given.

FE

FEDUKE404:
I agree with you that slim and none is more like it b/c their is no medical directive to assist this teenager with his school difficulties. Thanks for your help.
Best Regards,
Taxadvisor VA

[S T]

Under certain cirucmstances - I have used "tutoring expenses" one being a Doctors directive for a semi-functional autistic child in special education classes and extra tutoring. Plan was developed with the Doctor and the School.

Don't know if I would take the expense so far as to qualify the expense as a "Child Care Deduction" for form 2441.

Sandy

[ATSMAN]

The OP states that the child's tutoring is not related to any medical condition for which a doctor has prescribed that treatment. I would not deduct it as medical expense.

A lot of parents pay for extra coaching or tutoring of their school aged children. It is a personal expense.