Canadian teachers will get some help from the federal budget when buying school supplies with their own money.
The federal budget includes a teacher and early educational supply tax credit. It will allow an eligible educator to claim a 15 per cent refundable tax credit based on up to $1,000 in expenditures made by an employee for eligible supplies. That credit is worth $150 if the full amount is claimed.
Eligible educators must have a teacher’s certificate or a diploma or certificate in early childhood development recognized in the province or territory they work.
The Teacher and Early Childhood Educator School Supply Tax Benefit will apply to expenses incurred after Jan. 1, 2016, and will generate $60 million annually in tax savings for teachers and early childhood educators across the country, the government says.
A variety of expenditures are eligible, from art supplies to board games and educational software.
Science experiments count and the government has a list of ingredients it suggests, including seeds, potting soil, vinegar, baking soda and stir sticks.
According to the budget, the list of allowable school supplies also includes items like:
- Bulletin board decorative items, such as borders and illustrations;
- Construction paper and Bristol board for activities, flashcards, or activity centres;
- Posters with instructions, such as punctuation rules or chemistry formulas;
- Items for science experiments, such as seeds, vegetables, fruits, potting soil, milk, vinegar, coffee stir sticks, straws, spaghetti for building structures, etc.;
- Specialized art supplies;
- Games and puzzles;
- Supplementary books (novels, non-fiction, and reference) for classrooms;
- Supplementary technology for classrooms, such as tablets, laptops, graphing calculators, and projectors;
- Stickers and motivational items;
- Support software for teaching and learning purposes; and
- Containers, such as plastic boxes or banker boxes for themes and kits.