Home Schooling

[Snaggletooth]

I believe many of us have clients with children who are "home schooled". Most of them tell me the "stay-at-home" moms are better educated and have more one-on-one time than what the kids would receive in public schools. Others have the opportunity but say that home schooling isolates the children from social traits which would be acquired in a larger environment.

I don't participate either way in the above argument. But for some of the parents who have bad years, some are qualified under earned income credit.

This requires identity of the school on the Form EIC. There is seldom room enough in the field to entire the whole name of the school, such as "Franklin D Roosevelt Middle School", or "Christian Training Academy of Truth or Consequences". I do believe even with home schooling there has to be an accrediting agency, am I right?

If you enter "Home School" for the school name on the EIC, what has been your experience?

[kathyc2]

I'm not following what you are asking. The school is not required on either the EIC form or the 8867. The 2016 8867 does have a place to enter what documents you relied on, but I would not think there would be any 3rd party document for home schooled kids as to their residency.

[Snaggletooth]

Needed for Some Reason

Kathy, I ran this to ground, and sure enough you are right, i.e. there is no disclosure on the tax return for EIC or 8867.

But the info is needed on the Drake questionnaire for due diligence. Wonder if this is just a compliance or documentation thing. I don't know how I would respond to the questionnaire if I didn't know the school, except there is a box that says "child is not a student."

I wonder if it is just Drake, or if school is not needed on other software

[kathyc2]

It would be for PartV of the 8867. I've always just checked m- "did not reply on any documents, but made notes in file" without any problem. I don't have that many and have no reason to not believe the kids live with them. I don't see why Drake would make you enter the school unless you were using a document from the school to verify residence.

It's my understanding that for 2016 we need to get a 3rd party document as to residence to keep in our file. I know that they are trying to crack down on EIC fraud but to me it seems silly. Those that legitimately claim the credit will need to waste time tracking down a document that shows residence. Those that lie to preparer as to if the kid(s) live with them would not think twice about lying to someone else about the residence to obtain the document.

[Snaggletooth]

Agree

Agree with you Kathy. They are not really willing to crack down if it means auditing the recipients. The whole thing is a redistribution of wealth scheme and has no correlation to telling the truth. They would rather place redundant and endless reporting on preparers who do not have a clue whether anyone is telling the truth.

[oceanlovin'ea]

Most home scholers are using a particular curriculum or enrolled in a home school program. My granddaughter is home schooled. She is in Florida Virtual School. She has friends that are home schooled and are enrolled in Penn Foster and will receive a diploma from Penn Foster. There are some whose parents make up their own curriculum to meet the needs of their children. If it were necessary to enter the name, most parents could furnish that information.

Linda F.