Can I get a tax deduction for donating school supplies to my kid's classroom?

But what if the teacher just asked verbally for the items? I've donated like $200 worth of stuff this year but have zero documentation from the school itself. Will my Target and Walmart receipts be enough if I get audited?

If the request was verbal, your store receipts are a good start, but try to get some form of acknowledgment. You could email the teacher thanking them for the opportunity to donate and list what you provided - their reply would create documentation. For audit purposes, the IRS looks for reasonable supporting evidence. Keep detailed records of what you purchased, when you donated it, and the educational purpose. For donations under $250, receipts showing what you bought combined with your documented notes about the donation are generally acceptable, though having school acknowledgment is always better.

Does it actually work for school supplies specifically? My daughter's teacher sent a list of like 30 items they need throughout the year and I've been buying them in batches. Would this help me categorize everything correctly?

I'm skeptical... how does some app know what qualifies better than an actual tax professional? And does it account for the fact that most people take the standard deduction anyway so tracking small donations might be pointless?

Yes, it works great for school supplies! You just upload photos of the supply list from the teacher along with your receipts, and it matches everything up automatically. It categorizes which items qualify as charitable donations versus personal expenses for your child. The tool is actually built on tax guidelines and regulations, so it's not just guessing. It references IRS publication 526 for charitable contributions and shows you exactly why certain items qualify. And you're right about the standard deduction - the tool actually calculates whether your total itemized deductions (including these donations plus other things like mortgage interest) would exceed the standard deduction, so you know if it's worth tracking.

Wait, how does this even work? The IRS never calls people back. Are you saying this service somehow gets you to the front of the line? That sounds too good to be true.

This feels like a scam. Why would I pay a service to talk to the IRS when I can just call them myself? And how do I know the person calling me back is actually from the IRS and not some random person pretending to be an agent?

It works by using an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When an actual IRS agent answers, the system connects them to your phone number. It's essentially holding your place in line without you having to listen to the hold music for hours. It's definitely not a scam. The person who calls you is an actual IRS agent because Claimyr just bridges the connection - they're not impersonating anyone. Think of it like having someone physically stand in line for you. You could call the IRS yourself, but if you've ever tried, you know it can sometimes take 2-3 hours on hold or you might not even get through at all during busy periods. The service just saves you from that wait time.

Thanks, that's really helpful! I never thought about just asking for a receipt after the fact. Do you think it's too late to ask now for stuff I donated a few months ago? And would a simple email from the teacher acknowledging the donations be enough for the IRS?

It's definitely not too late! Teachers keep track of parent contributions throughout the year, and most would be happy to acknowledge past donations. Just send an email listing what you donated and approximately when. A return email from the teacher acknowledging the donations would be acceptable documentation for the IRS, especially for smaller donations. For best practices, the acknowledgment should include the date of donation, description of donated items, and an estimated value. Save this email along with your purchase receipts, and you'll have solid documentation for tax purposes.

Is that $300 per teacher or per tax return? My husband and I are both teachers and we've been combining our receipts for a single $300 deduction. Should we be claiming $600?

That's $300 per eligible educator, so if you're both teachers, you can each claim up to $300 for a total of $600 on your joint return! The educator expense deduction is calculated per person, not per tax return. Make sure you keep your receipts separate so you can document which supplies each of you purchased for your respective classrooms. This is one of the few deductions that you can take even if you use the standard deduction, which makes it really valuable for teachers.

This is exactly the kind of systematic approach I wish I had started with! I've been haphazardly buying supplies whenever the teacher sends home those "we're running low" notes, but never thought to track everything properly. Your spreadsheet idea is brilliant - I'm definitely going to set that up for next school year. It would also help me budget better since I never realized how much these small donations add up to over the course of a year. Thanks for the reminder about the timing too - I was getting confused about which tax year to claim things on. Do you have any specific columns you'd recommend for the spreadsheet beyond the basics you mentioned?

Great question about additional spreadsheet columns! I'd suggest adding a few more fields that have been really helpful for me: - "Store/Vendor" (Target, Amazon, etc.) - useful if you need to track down receipts later - "Receipt Photo/File Name" if you're taking photos of receipts for digital storage - "Teacher Request Method" (email, note home, verbal) - helps establish the charitable nature - "School Acknowledgment" (Y/N) and "Acknowledgment Date" - tracks whether you got confirmation - "Running Total" - so you can see when you're approaching that $250 threshold Andre mentioned I also include a "Notes" column for things like "class party supplies" or "winter craft project" to provide context about the educational purpose. This level of detail really helped when I had questions during tax prep, and it makes the whole process feel much more organized rather than scrambling to remember what that random $23 Target receipt was for in March! The key is making it detailed enough to be useful but simple enough that you'll actually maintain it throughout the year.

That's such a smart approach with the running tally on your phone! I wish I had thought of that earlier in the year. I've been keeping receipts in a shoebox but never actually calculated whether I'd even benefit from itemizing. Just checked with my HR department after reading your suggestion, and you're absolutely right - my company has a community giving program that matches donations to educational institutions up to $500 per year! I had no idea this existed. They said classroom supply donations to public schools would qualify as long as I have proper documentation. This could potentially double the impact of my donations while also making the tax documentation even more worthwhile. Thanks for that tip - definitely going to set up that running calculation system for next year and be more strategic about timing larger donations to maximize both the tax benefit and employer matching!

This is such a comprehensive approach, Dmitry! I love how you took action on multiple fronts after reading everyone's suggestions. The tip about the school district office providing official receipts is golden - I had no idea that was even an option. It's amazing how these "small" donations really add up when you track them properly. $200 across two classrooms definitely makes the documentation effort worthwhile, especially when it helps push you over the itemization threshold. I'm curious - did the teachers provide any specific format for their acknowledgment emails, or did they just send informal confirmations? I'm planning to reach out to my son's teacher next week and want to make sure I ask for the right kind of documentation that would satisfy IRS requirements. Also, thanks for mentioning the district office option. That sounds like it might be more "official" than teacher emails for anyone who wants extra peace of mind about their documentation!