New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer says many teachers are not taking a tax deduction to help them with out-of-pocket classroom expenses.

The “Teacher Tax Deduction” became a permanent part of the tax code in 2015, with the passage of the Protecting Americans From Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015, which also indexed its $250 maximum amount for inflation, with support from Schumer.

He says there are 15,225 teachers in the North Country who may be able to deduct $3,806,250.

Schumer said this “critical deduction” helps teachers deduct out-of-pocket classroom supply costs from their taxes.

Specifically, the Teacher Expense Deduction would enable nearly 215,000 teachers across upstate New York to deduct up to $250 per year from their tax bill. Schumer said this deduction is “vital” to help offset the $485 on average that New York State teachers spend each year to provide additional supplies for their students.

Finally, Schumer released a report on the number of teachers that this benefit could help, as well as the amount of money they could deduct.

“September means two things: kids are going back to school and New York’s teachers are getting ready to do the hard work of educating our children. I have always said it and I’ll say it again: teaching is one of the most difficult and most important professions in our country. That is why when they reach into their own pockets to buy supplies for their classrooms – to the tune of hundreds of dollars a year – we should give them a break for it,” Schumer said in a prepared statement. “Thousands of educators in Upstate New York have the incredibly important task of educating our children and providing them with the knowledge they need to be successful in and out of the classroom. But all too often, due to a lack of sufficient resources, our educators are forced to dig into their own pockets to purchase the supplies our kids need to learn and succeed. That is why I am reminding teachers across the state to use this vital tax deduction, it helps our teachers offset the cost of supplies and helps them reinvest in our students.”

Unlike many tax deductions, the Teacher Expense Deduction is an above-the-line deduction, which means all teachers can take advantage of it regardless of whether they itemize their deductions or take the standard deduction, according to Schumer.

According to the United Federation of Teachers (UTF), newer teachers in their first three years spend $581 on average and those teaching a new grade spend $564. Special education teachers spend $530 on average. Schumer said today’s reminder serves as a win for all teachers because it would allow them to take advantage of the “Teacher Expense Deduction” in addition to the standard deduction or the itemized deductions they chose to take each year, Schumer said.

Information on The Tax Deduction and Eligible Expense is at https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc458.html