Teachers Should Delay Filing Tax Returns Until 2/14

Post date: Jan 17, 2011 3:47:03 AM

The IRS has announced that teachers who wish to claim the Educator Expense Deduction, which is for kindergarten through grade 12 educators with out-of-pocket classroom expenses of up to $250, should not file their tax returns until February 14.  The deduction is claimed on Form 1040, Line 23 and Form 1040A, Line 16.

That deduction was one of three tax provisions which expired at the end of 2009 and were renewed by the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act Of 2010 which was not enacted until December 17, 2010.  The IRS says it will need until Valentine's Day to reprogram its processing systems for taxpayers claiming those deductions.  

The IRS will later announce a specific date when it can start processing tax returns impacted by the recent tax law changes.  In the interim, taxpayers affected by the tax law changes can start working on their tax returns, but they should not submit their returns until IRS systems are ready to process them.

For taxpayers who must wait before filing, the delay affects both paper filers and electronic filers.  The IRS urges taxpayers to use e-file instead of paper tax forms to minimize confusion over the recent tax law changes and ensure accurate tax returns.

Taxpayers will have until Monday, April 18 to file their 2010 tax returns and pay any tax due.  The shift from the usual April 15 date is because Emancipation Day, a holiday observed in the District of Columbia, falls this year on Friday, April 15. By law, District of Columbia holidays impact tax deadlines in the same way that federal holidays do; therefore, all taxpayers will have three extra days to file this year.