Back to School Tax Credit Act

School supply tax credit for parents

If enacted, this bill would create a new tax credit for school supplies of up to $250 for each qualifying dependent child under age 17. For each child, the credit would equal the lesser of what you paid in qualified school supply expenses for that child and $250. Qualified school supplies would include backpacks, notebooks, folders and binders, calculators, lunch boxes, writing instruments, and school uniforms for public, private, or home K–12 schools. The bill describes the credit as a credit against tax and does not explicitly say it is refundable, so it would reduce your tax bill but would not clearly increase your refund beyond tax owed; it would apply to tax years beginning after the date of enactment.