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Homeschool tax credits and deductions (2026)
Several states let families claim curriculum and, in some states, tutoring costs on their state return. These programs usually need no vendor approval: you pay, keep itemized receipts, and claim what qualifies. Life Academy emails a Stripe receipt for every payment (provider, item, amount, date paid).
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Not tax advice. Life Academy is a curriculum and tutoring provider, not a tax preparer. Whether your expenses qualify is up to your state’s tax office. Rules change. Check the official links below or ask a tax professional before you file. We never promise that a credit or deduction will apply to you.
At a glance
| State | What it is | Curriculum? | Tutoring? | Key limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | Parental Choice Tax Credit (refundable) | Yes | Yes | Up to $1,000 per homeschooled student; $5M statewide cap; Form 591-D |
| Minnesota | K–12 Education Credit and Subtraction | Yes (materials) | Yes, if a “qualified instructor” | Credit: 75% of costs, up to $1,500/child, income limits; Subtraction: no income limit |
| Idaho | Parental Choice Tax Credit | Yes (core) | Yes (core subjects) | Up to $5,000/student ($7,500 with a qualifying disability); apply Jan 15–Mar 15, 2027 |
| Louisiana | Home-school expense deduction | Yes | No | Deduction of 50% of costs, up to $6,000 of deduction per child |
| Ohio | Home school expenses credit (nonrefundable) | Yes | No | Up to $250 per qualifying student |
| Indiana | Unreimbursed education expense deduction | Yes | Materials for tutoring; instruction fees not clearly listed | $1,000 flat deduction per qualifying dependent |
| Iowa | Tuition and Textbook Credit | Yes | Not clearly | 25% of the first $2,000 per dependent ($500 max) |
| Illinois | Education Expense Credit | Possibly (curriculum rental / consumed materials) | Only if part of required curriculum | 25% of expenses over $250, max $750 per return; income limits |
Oklahoma · Parental Choice Tax Credit
A refundable credit of up to $1,000 per eligible homeschooled student each tax year. No separate application: claim Form 591-D with your Oklahoma return. Expenses count in the year they are paid. Qualified expenses include nonpublic online program fees, academic tutoring by an individual, textbooks/curriculum, and fees for nationally standardized assessments. A $5 million statewide yearly cap applies, so treat this as something you may qualify for.
Official: OTC Parental Choice Tax Credit · Our Oklahoma Form 591-D guide · Oklahoma state page
Minnesota · K–12 Education Credit and Subtraction
Two benefits: a refundable credit (income limits; see MN DOR for the current AGI phase-out) of up to 75% of qualifying expenses, capped at $1,500 per child, and a subtraction with no income limit (up to $1,625 per child in K–6 and $2,500 in grades 7–12). Qualifying expenses include educational materials and tutoring by a “qualified instructor” (for example, someone with a bachelor’s degree) who is not the child’s parent, sibling or grandparent. Religious materials and some other costs don’t qualify.
Official: MN DOR qualifying expenses · Minnesota state page
Idaho · Parental Choice Tax Credit
A refundable credit of up to $5,000 per eligible student ($7,500 with a qualifying disability) for tuition or a base curriculum covering English language arts, math, science and social studies, plus tutoring in those four subjects, textbooks and certain academic tests. The student must be in a nonpublic school, microschool or learning pod with a learning portfolio. No vendor approval: keep paid receipts. The 2026 application window has closed; the next window is January 15–March 15, 2027.
Official: My School Choice · qualifying expenses · Idaho state page
Louisiana · Home-school expense deduction
A deduction of 50% of qualified expenses, up to a $6,000 deduction per child (so about $12,000 of expenses for the full amount). Qualified expenses are textbooks and curricula necessary for home schooling. Per the Louisiana Department of Revenue, tutoring fees do not qualify.
Official: LDR school expense deduction · La. R.S. 47:297.11 · Louisiana state page
Ohio · Home school expenses credit
A nonrefundable credit of up to $250 per qualifying student for books, supplementary materials, supplies, computer software, applications and subscriptions used directly for home education. Tuition, classroom fees and instructional fees paid to someone else to teach the student (including tutoring) do not qualify. Keep the county superintendent’s excusal letter with your records.
Official: Ohio tax credits documentation · R.C. 5747.72 · Ohio state page
Indiana · Unreimbursed education expense deduction
A flat $1,000 deduction per qualifying dependent (one deduction per married couple) for unreimbursed education expenditures. Eligible costs include software, textbooks, workbooks, curricula, school supplies (not personal computers) and written materials used primarily for academic instruction or academic tutoring. Instruction fees themselves are not clearly listed as a separate category. See Indiana DOR Information Bulletin #107.
Official: IB #107 (PDF) · Indiana state page
Iowa · Tuition and Textbook Credit
A credit of 25% of the first $2,000 in qualifying tuition and textbook expenses per K–12 dependent (up to $500 per child). Homeschool / private-instruction families may qualify when the child receives private instruction in Iowa. Textbooks and instructional materials are the clear fit; tutoring is not clearly listed. Costs already paid with ESA funds generally don’t count again.
Official: Iowa DOR tuition and textbook credit · Iowa state page
Illinois · Education Expense Credit
A credit of 25% of qualifying K–12 education expenses over $250, up to $750 per return, with income limits. Home schools can qualify. Curriculum rental fees and consumed workbooks may count; tutoring or enrichment outside the required curriculum generally does not. See Pub-112.
Official: IL DOR Pub-112 · Illinois state page
Where Life Academy may fit
Curriculum subscription
Parent-directed K–12 lessons: $35/month per student or $69/month for a family plan (up to 4). Week 1 is free. This is the “curriculum / online program / subscription” line in OK, ID, LA, OH, IN, IA and (possibly) IL.
Live 1:1 tutoring
Academic tutoring with a real person over Zoom or Google Meet: $25 for the first full hour, then $35/hour (4-hour pack $130). Tutoring is the clearer fit in OK, MN and ID. It does not qualify for the LA deduction or the OH credit.
Receipts
Stripe emails a receipt showing Life Academy as the vendor, the date paid, and the amount. Save those for your state form. Whether any specific expense qualifies is your state’s call.
Timing tip: in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa and Illinois, expenses usually count in the tax year they are paid. Paying before December 31 can matter for that year’s return.