Press Releases

As the school year nears for students in Virginia’s Ninth Congressional District, U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) has introduced H.R. 9256, the Educator Expense Deduction Increasement Act, which amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to raise the Educator Expense Deduction. Current law permits eligible educators for taxable years after 2015 to deduct up to $250 worth of qualified classroom expenses on their annual tax return. Because of inflation adjustments, the deduction increased to $300 in 2022. Congressman Griffith’s bill will increase the deduction to $1,000.

“A schoolteacher approached me at the New River Valley Fair about the amount of money she and most teachers spend at the beginning and throughout the school year for supplies, decorations, etc. to improve the learning experience of their students,” said Griffith. “She said that the $300 was not coming close to covering the expenses in part because of the high inflation of the last few years. She suggested raising the limit to $1,000 even if it meant her having to keep her receipts. I agreed it was a good idea and remember my mother who was a schoolteacher in excess of forty years doing the same thing. Accordingly, I have introduced the bill suggested by the teacher.

“Educators contribute time, effort, and in many cases, money, in their instruction of children. But many teachers may refrain from doing everything they would like to do in their classroom because the Educator Expense Deduction is limited to $300.

“Many teachers are having to make difficult financial decisions on top of spending money for their classrooms. The Educator Expense Deduction Increasement Act provides breathing room for educators and increases the Educator Expense Deduction to $1,000.”

Bill text can be found here.

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