Q: Is there a limit to the deduction I can take for educator expenses?

A: Taxpayers who are eligible educators may deduct up to $250 of the unreimbursed expenses for certain classroom materials. Married taxpayers filing jointly who are both eligible educators may take up to $500, but neither spouse can take more than $250 of his or her individual expenses. This deduction will reduce the taxpayer's adjusted gross income.

Example: A married couple is filing jointly and they are both qualified teachers. The taxpayer has $200 of educator expenses and his spouse has $250 of qualified expenses. They can deduct $450 from their gross income to arrive at their adjusted gross income.