Note: I updated the post to include education subtraction information in addition to credit info.

I always learn something at the State Fair and this year was no exception. I learned that there’s a delicious turkey sandwich near the DNR building. And I learned that Minnesotans are eligible to deduct some K-12 school related expenses on their state tax returns.

The subtraction can be taken by anyone whereas the education credit depends on income. You must make less than $37,500 if you have 1 or 2 children on up to $43,500 for 5 children (more than 5 kids add $2000 per kid).

The Department of Revenue’s booth at the State Fair has envelopes with this information printed on it to store your sales receipts.

Here’s a list courtesy of the Dept of Rev to help you figure out what qualifies for a credit or a subtraction:

Subtraction Only: Private school tuition, Tuition for college courses that are used to satisfy high school graduation requirements

Credit and Subtraction:Tutoring (by qualified instructor)*,
Fees for after-school enrichment programs such as science exploration and study habits courses*,
Tuition for summer camps that are primarily academic in focus such as language or fine arts camps*,
Music lessons*,
Instructor fees for drivers education course,
Nonreligious academic books and materials purchased for use during the regular public, private or home school day,
Purchase or rental of musical instruments used for regular school music class,
Fees paid to others for transportation to/from school or for field trips during the normal school day,
Home computer hardware and educational software
* if the school offers a class as part of the curriculum

For more, and as with all tax code, you need to know way more than you wish, here’s Income Tax Fact Sheet 8.

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