Skip to main content
Best answer by

Good afternoon, Dominstetc1! 

 Thank you for joining us!

 

Generally, you cannot claim your son's private school tuition as a tax deduction on your federal income tax return. A few states do allow deductions for K-12 education and/or home schooling expenses. 

As of May 2023, the following states offer tax benefits for parents who pay private school tuition for their children: Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina and Wisconsin.
 

Private school tuition is typically not tax deductible under federal tax law, except in cases where the child has special needs and requires access to special needs private education. If a physician's referral is provided to support this, the expenses may qualify as deductible medical expenses.

Please keep in mind, If your child attends a daycare program before or after school, whether at a public or private school, you may qualify for a child care cedit, if qualified.

Also worth noting,  you could potentially  avoid paying taxes on the earnings from a Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA) or make tax-free withdrawals from a Qualified Tuition Plan (529 Plan) by using  the funds to cover qualified K through 12th grade education expenses.

Please see the following for more information:

Please feel free to reach backout with any additional questions or concerns you might have!

Have a great rest of your day!

 

Terri Lynn, EA

 

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post
**Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer.”

2 replies

evelynm
July 31, 2024

Federal tax law doesn’t allow you to deduct private school tuition.

If your child is attending a private school for special needs, you may be able to get a tax break on your K-12 private school tuition. To qualify, you’ll need a physician’s referral proving that your child requires access to specialized private education. And, if your child qualifies, you may also be able to deduct the cost of special tutoring or training in addition to tuition.   See link below for further details:

 

Sending kids to private school 

Have an amazing day. Evelyn M (CPA 20+ years)I would love a thumbs up :) + Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"
Answer
July 31, 2024

Good afternoon, Dominstetc1! 

 Thank you for joining us!

 

Generally, you cannot claim your son's private school tuition as a tax deduction on your federal income tax return. A few states do allow deductions for K-12 education and/or home schooling expenses. 

As of May 2023, the following states offer tax benefits for parents who pay private school tuition for their children: Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina and Wisconsin.
 

Private school tuition is typically not tax deductible under federal tax law, except in cases where the child has special needs and requires access to special needs private education. If a physician's referral is provided to support this, the expenses may qualify as deductible medical expenses.

Please keep in mind, If your child attends a daycare program before or after school, whether at a public or private school, you may qualify for a child care cedit, if qualified.

Also worth noting,  you could potentially  avoid paying taxes on the earnings from a Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA) or make tax-free withdrawals from a Qualified Tuition Plan (529 Plan) by using  the funds to cover qualified K through 12th grade education expenses.

Please see the following for more information:

Please feel free to reach backout with any additional questions or concerns you might have!

Have a great rest of your day!

 

Terri Lynn, EA

 

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post
**Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer.”

March 30, 2025

If I live in one of the states that allow me to deduct my child's private school tuition, where would I list?  I have read that my state has allowed it since 2018, but do not see it on any of the scheduled forms.  Please advise

Employee
March 30, 2025

@asb42    Anything about your child's private school tuition will be on the state return if your state has any sort of credit for K-12 education.

 

 

EDUCATION EXPENSES

Education expenses for grades K-12 are not deductible on your Federal return, whether for private, public, or home schooling, nor are the expenses for tutoring, after school lessons or after school activities, such as dance lessons, sports, etc.  Some states allow deductions/credits for K-12 education and/or home schooling expenses; if your state has these deductions available, you will be prompted to enter them when you prepare your state return.  (As far as I know, the states that offer any sort of K-12 deductions/credits are Arizona,  Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin)

 

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**