Four Things You Need to Know This Month

Things You Need To Know Month

Education Opportunity Tax CreditDo You or Your Kids Qualify?

Per the IRS: The American opportunity tax credit (AOTC) is a credit for qualified education expenses paid for an eligible student for the first four years of higher education. You can get a maximum annual credit of $2,500 per eligible student. If the credit brings the amount of tax you owe to zero, you can have 40 percent of any remaining amount of the credit (up to $1,000) refunded to you.

The amount of the credit is 100 percent of the first $2,000 of qualified education expenses you paid for each eligible student and 25 percent of the next $2,000 of qualified education expenses you paid for that student. But, if the credit pays your tax down to zero, you can have 40 percent of the remaining amount of the credit (up to $1,000) refunded to you. To be eligible for AOTC, the student must:

• Be pursuing a degree or other recognized education credential

• Be enrolled at least half time for at least one academic period* beginning in the tax year

• Not have finished the first four years of higher education at the beginning of the tax year

• Not have claimed the AOTC or the former Hope credit for more than four tax years

• Not have a felony drug conviction at the end of the tax year

*Academic Period can be semesters, trimesters, quarters or any other period of study such as a summer school session. The schools determine the academic periods. For schools that use clock or credit hours and do not have academic terms, the payment period may be treated as an academic period.

FMI: https://bit.ly/30b6Clb

Not Receiving Our Emails?

MEA works hard to ensure its members are informed about things that impact your work and life. Please make sure you're getting our messages. If you're not receiving our emails, here's how to fix it.

How to Fix It

Outlook Clutter Folder

1.Check Clutter folder and find the MEA email

2.Right click on the email and choose "Mark as Not Clutter" or just drag it to your inbox.

Junk Email Folder

1.Highlight the MEA email inside the "Junk Email" folder.

2.Right click on the message select "Junk." Select "Not Junk" from the next menu.

3.Outlook will give you the option to add the sender to the "Safe Senders" list as you remove the message from the "Junk Email" folder.

Gmail Promotions Folder

1.Find the MEA email in promotions folder.

2.Right click the email. Hover over "Move to tab" then select "primary"

Spam Folder

1.Find the message you want to move out of your spam folder.

Right click on the MEA email. Mark "Not spam."

Yahoo Promotions Folder

1.Click "Spam" folder.

2.Select the MEA email to open it.

3.Click the "Not Spam" button in the toolbox to immediately send the email to your inbox. If you have a different email provider than one listed and are experiencing difficulties receiving our emails, please visit maineea.org/contactus and send us a message!

Regular Professional Development Available-Keep Checking for Offerings

The MEA and NEA are committed to supporting members' unique needs while working during the pandemic. There are multiple virtual professional development opportunities for members on a variety of topics ranging from race and equity to technology needs to grief and self-care during the pandemic. Webinar offerings are available live and recorded, and there are topics that are specific to both professional and ESP members. For more details on our webinar series, please visit the conferences and trainings page of our website, maineea.org.

MEA COVID-19 Tip Line

As schools close and reopen due to cases of COVID-19, MEA wants to ensure its members we are here to help support you. The MEA created a COVID-19 tip line for members to report any instances where proper guidelines are not being followed. It is important if there is an issue in your district for you to first contact your local representatives to see if the issue can be handled at the local level. If that fails, please fill out MEA's COVID-19 tip line form and let us know what is happening so we can work to keep all staff and students safe. The COVID-19 tip line can be found here: https://maineea.org/covid19