We are excited that you are interested in making a dollar-for-dollar tax CREDIT contribution to support children in private schools. “Taking the Credit” is simple…just learn your A-B-C’s!

AArizona Private School Tuition Tax Credit Law, A.R.S. Section 43-1089 allows individuals to re-direct their State income tax to School Tuition Organizations, like APESF, that provide scholarships to private school students in Arizona. It’s a WIN-WIN School Choice Program — donors control how their tax dollars are spent and children receive quality private education!

BThanks to the Overflow/PLUS tax credit that was signed into law in 2012, donors are now allowed to claim an additional tax credit – OVER AND ABOVE the original tax credit. Married taxpayers filing jointly are now allowed an annual credit up to $2,062 or $1,031 for single taxpayers. Married taxpayers filing separate returns are allowed up to $1,031 for each individual. Donors must first meet the $1,032 (married) or $517 (single) Original Tax Credit Program maximum in order to claim the Overflow/PLUS tax credit. A tax credit donation to APESF will reduce the amount of tax you owe to the State or increase the amount of your refund, dollar-for-dollar. There is NO COST to you, and children receive the benefit!

CCredit yourself with knowing that by making your tax credit contribution online or by mailing a check, you will be showing your support for school choice by voting with your resources while providing scholarships for students that would otherwise be unavailable. Every parent deserves the right to choose the education that is best for their child. Thank you for making the choice possible.

Other Important Benefits

• A 5 year carry-forward is allowed if the credit received is in excess of the actual State income tax due.
• The public school tax credit of $400 can be taken in addition to the private school tax credit.
• The tax credit contribution may be eligible for a federal deduction. Please consult your tax adviser on this or any other matters that effect your tax planning.

Questions?

Did you know that the Arizona Tuition Tax Credit law was recently amended?

A key part of the amendment reads as follows:

A School Tuition Organization (STO) cannot award, restrict or reserve scholarships solely on the basis of a donor’s recommendation. A taxpayer may not claim a tax credit if the taxpayer agrees to swap donations with another taxpayer to benefit either taxpayer’s own dependent.

These recent changes to the law, while positive, have mandated new operational requirement for STO’s like APESF to ensure the integrity of this vital program and proper stewardship of public funds. Among these changes is a requirement that all STO’s must consider financial need as part of their application review and scholarship award process. Donor recommendations are still permitted but cannot be the only basis for scholarship awards.

APESF has embraced these changes by including a pre-qualification step in our application review process. By determining the need and merit of each applicant in advance, APESF is now able to provide our applicants with a pre-qualified funding goal that will take the ambiguity out of the process and establish a strong basis for securing donation support from individuals. It will also assist APESF in raising support from the greater AZ community to benefit your family and others.

In 2012, Arizona signed the new Overflow/PLUS tax credit into law which allows donors to receive an additional credit over and above the original tax credit limits.  This new addition virtually doubles the amount that Arizona taxpayers can now contribute to this valuable program.