Tax season is upon us, and the Herald's TaxSmart experts are here every Friday to help.
Today, Joy Child of Alexander, Aronson, Finning & Co. discusses potential tax benefits for city employees.
I am a teacher in the Boston Public Schools system. Are there any special tax benefits that teachers need to look for? Also, my husband is a fireman and pays into the city's retirement system. Is there anything he needs to look out for?
There are several benefits that teachers and other town, city or state employees may overlook. The contributions to the various Massachusetts retirement systems are deductible on the Massachusetts return, up to $2,000. Although teachers do not pay into Social Security, they are entitled to the same deduction as people who do pay into Social Security. In addition, teachers hired after 1986 pay into the Medicare system, so this is deductible as well.
However, if a teacher is full-time, usually the Massachusetts retirement contribution is more than the maximum $2,000 deduction, anyway. Because tax software may not always recognize that Massachusetts retirement contributions are similar to Social Security contributions, teachers need to make sure they get this deduction, which will usually max out at the $2,000 level.
In addition, federal wages are different from state wages for an employee who contributes to a Massachusetts retirement system. The federal government allows the wages to be reduced by the entire contribution to Massachusetts retirement, not just the $2,000 deduction that Massachusetts allows. So if your W-2 shows a difference between the federal wages and the state wages, be sure to use the appropriate amount on each return.
Teachers also may deduct as a direct adjustment to their income up to $250 of the money they spend for school supplies. In these difficult economic times for school systems, teachers often have to spend quite a bit on supplies for their classroom. They should be sure to keep the receipts.
Email your tax questions to bizsmart@bostonherald.com
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