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June 1, 2019
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Can I deduct private school tuition for a Special Needs child under the age of 18?

  • June 1, 2019
  • 1 reply
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My son has needed to attend a private school to accommodate his special needs. His tuition is all out of pocket (no grants/scholarships available) and is a sizable amount.  Can I deduct this and other related expenses?
Best answer by AmandaR1

Unfortunately, there's no deduction for k-12 education or special needs, in general. However, there are two other areas that you might qualify for depending on the additional specifics of your situation; the Child & Dependent Care Credit and Medical Expenses (Itemized Deduction). The software asks all of the applicable questions to determine if you qualify. Click the blue hyperlink on every screen that contains more info. 

The Child & Dependent Care Credit. While the 'Qualifying individual' for this credit is typically a child under 13 years old, the credit rules are expanded when your child is physically or mentally unable to care for themselves. In this situation they can be any age, so long as you are paying for the care so that you're able to work. To enter:

  1. Login and click 'Take me to my return'
  2. Then click 'Federal Taxes' tab and select the 'Deductions & Credits' tab.  (If you aren't taken directly to the listing of all expenses, you'll have the option to click, 'I'll choose what I work on')
  3. Scroll down to 'You and Your Family' and click 'Show more'
  4. Click 'Start' next to 'Child and Dependent Care Credit'

The Medical Expense deduction is heavily limited (total expenses limited by 10% of Adjusted Gross Income - AGI a subtotal on your tax return) and only affects your return as an itemized deduction. However, if your child has a prescription for the needed expenses then they may qualify for this deduction. The software will do the calculation for you and tell you the amount needed for it to be worth you entering, before you start to enter. 

  1. Login and click 'Take me to my return'  
  2. Then click 'Federal Taxes' tab and select the 'Deductions & Credits' tab.  
  3. If you see medical expenses listed on this summary screen you can click 'Edit' or 'Review' to the right of them. If you do not see medical expenses listed here, click the 'See all tax breaks' button on the bottom left of the screen.  
  4. Scroll down and click 'Show more' to the right of Medical 
  5. Click 'Start' next to 'Medical Expenses' line. The software will ask you about all of your medical costs.

1 reply

AmandaR1Answer
Employee
June 1, 2019

Unfortunately, there's no deduction for k-12 education or special needs, in general. However, there are two other areas that you might qualify for depending on the additional specifics of your situation; the Child & Dependent Care Credit and Medical Expenses (Itemized Deduction). The software asks all of the applicable questions to determine if you qualify. Click the blue hyperlink on every screen that contains more info. 

The Child & Dependent Care Credit. While the 'Qualifying individual' for this credit is typically a child under 13 years old, the credit rules are expanded when your child is physically or mentally unable to care for themselves. In this situation they can be any age, so long as you are paying for the care so that you're able to work. To enter:

  1. Login and click 'Take me to my return'
  2. Then click 'Federal Taxes' tab and select the 'Deductions & Credits' tab.  (If you aren't taken directly to the listing of all expenses, you'll have the option to click, 'I'll choose what I work on')
  3. Scroll down to 'You and Your Family' and click 'Show more'
  4. Click 'Start' next to 'Child and Dependent Care Credit'

The Medical Expense deduction is heavily limited (total expenses limited by 10% of Adjusted Gross Income - AGI a subtotal on your tax return) and only affects your return as an itemized deduction. However, if your child has a prescription for the needed expenses then they may qualify for this deduction. The software will do the calculation for you and tell you the amount needed for it to be worth you entering, before you start to enter. 

  1. Login and click 'Take me to my return'  
  2. Then click 'Federal Taxes' tab and select the 'Deductions & Credits' tab.  
  3. If you see medical expenses listed on this summary screen you can click 'Edit' or 'Review' to the right of them. If you do not see medical expenses listed here, click the 'See all tax breaks' button on the bottom left of the screen.  
  4. Scroll down and click 'Show more' to the right of Medical 
  5. Click 'Start' next to 'Medical Expenses' line. The software will ask you about all of your medical costs.
June 1, 2019
This answer is not necessarily true.  If you have a medical recommendation, and primary function is to address that medical condition, then you can probably do it.  Its a grey area for sure.  I did 1/2 on tuition for my autistic son.
January 13, 2021

hello, i also have an autistic son and he goes to a special school that focuses in this dissability, what do you mean you could do1/2 tuition ? could you explain further? thanks