Illinois Credits for Home Schooling

What are qualified education expenses for home schooled students?
In general, qualified education expenses are the amounts paid in excess of $250 for tuition, book rental, and lab fees for a student who is in the equivalent of kindergarten through twelfth grade at a home school during the regular school year.

Specifically, qualified education expenses for home schooled children include the amount of

• tuition paid for a student who was in the equivalent of kindergarten through twelfth grade. This includes fees paid for the child to satisfy physical education class requirements at a private facility such as a health club.

• fees for the purchase of student’s workbooks or teacher’s grade books that are significantly used up during the activities of the class. These expenses qualify even if they were paid to an out-of-state company.

• book rental fees paid for the rental of books that were required as part of the student’s education program.

• curriculum rental fees paid for the rental of educational items such as lectures or class lessons on DVD or tape.

• lab fees paid for the use of supplies, equipment, materials, or instruments that were required as part of a lab course in the student’s education program.

Lab courses include those courses, for which the student will receive credit toward graduation, that provide an environment
for organized activity involving observation, experimentation, or practice, i.e., science, music, art, or language.

May I claim an education expense credit for my home schooled child?
You may figure a credit for qualified education expenses, in excess of $250, you paid for your home schooled child during the tax year if you were the parent or legal guardian of a full-time student who was under the age of 21 at the close of the school year, you and your student were Illinois residents when you paid the expenses, and your student attended a school providing educational instruction in a home that satisfies the requirements of the truancy law in Section 26-1 of the School Code [105 ILCS 5/26-1].

If you are the parents or legal guardians of a qualified student and you are filing separate Illinois returns, you may each claim an education expense credit. However, you both may not claim a credit for the same expenses, and the total amount of credit claimed between both parents or guardians may not exceed $500.

What home school education expenses do not qualify for an education expense credit?

• Education expenses that do not qualify for an education expense credit include the amount of expenses paid to purchase items that are not significantly used up during the student’s participation in the class (e.g., non-consumable textbooks, flash cards, wall maps, calculators, etc.).
• Expenses paid to purchase an item that will remain the personal property of the student, parent, or legal guardian at the end of the school year (e.g., payments made toward the purchase of a band instrument or athletic equipment).
• Mileage or travel expenses paid to travel to school, lab activities, or field trips.
• expenses paid for tutoring or enrichment classes that do not count toward meeting the required curriculum.

How much credit will I be allowed?
You will be allowed 25 percent of your student’s qualified education expenses after the first $250. Your total credit may not exceed $500 in any year, regardless of the number of qualifying students.

More details can be found at http://tax.illinois.gov/Publications/Pubs/Pub-119.pdf