Casten, Burchett Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Ease Tax Burden on Teachers
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL-06) and Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) introduced the bipartisan Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act of 2025, legislation that would ease the tax burden on teachers by increasing the amount educators are able to deduct on qualified out-of-pocket classroom expenses on their annual tax return from $250 to $1,000. The increase would also be indexed to inflation.
“Educators are the backbone of American society,” said Congressman Sean Casten. “And yet, they are often forced to pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to provide the necessary supplies to build a functional, comfortable, and resource-filled learning environment. It’s past time the federal government invests in our educators and relieves some of the tax burden they face.”
“I come from a family of public educators, and time and time again I saw them gladly spend their own limited income on their students. The federal government has no business putting such a low cap on what teachers can deduct from their taxes when they are being so generous with these kids,” said Congressman Tim Burchett.
America’s educators are foundational in preparing the next generation of leaders and promoting students’ academic, social, and emotional well-being. Teachers serve as role models for students and connect young people, families, and communities with essential student support and services. Despite this, teachers are paid 23 percent less in weekly wages than other college graduates and nearly one-fifth of all teachers work a second job to compensate for their low earnings.
Too many school districts have yet to invest in education and raise educator salaries, leading to 94% of public-school teachers reportedly digging into their own pockets to pay for classroom supplies, without reimbursement. Nearly 1-in-10 teachers are reportedly spending more than $1,000 on supplies they need to run their classrooms and educate our nation’s students, with one analysis suggesting that they spend an average of more than $820 out-of-pocket on school supplies.
In addition to increasing the amount educators can deduct on qualified out-of-pocket classroom expenses on their annual tax return from $250 to $1,000, the Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act would also expand the deduction to all eligible K-12 educators – including teachers, but also counselors, principals, and other educational instructors and aides. This small but meaningful change would demonstrate how much we value our country’s educators and recognize the personal sacrifices they make to ensure our students have the resources to learn.
Text of the Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act can be found here.
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