Short answer: your Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit covers more than tuition. Curriculum, educational software, and materials are eligible, and you access it through a claim on your Idaho tax return (keep itemized receipts). Idaho refunds qualified education costs through a tax credit, so you buy first and claim the curriculum as an eligible expense. Here is the plain-English version for a struggling reader, and the smartest way to spend it.
The basics
- How much: up to $5,000 per student ($7,500 for a disability).
- Status: active. Amounts and rules shift year to year, so confirm the live number with your program before you buy.
- How you access it: a claim on your Idaho tax return (keep itemized receipts). Keep every receipt and your child's progress documentation.
What reading families can buy
- Curriculum and textbooks, including a full structured-literacy reading curriculum.
- Educational software and online learning from approved vendors, the category that stretches your dollars furthest because one annual license covers a full year for every child.
- Tutoring from approved providers. Certified structured-literacy tutors run $80 to $120 an hour, so see what reading tutors cost before you commit.
- Services and therapies for a student with a documented disability such as dyslexia.
One example in the software category
A New Page is a structured-literacy reading program for struggling and dyslexic readers ages 3 to 18, built on the science of reading. A free placement check finds your child's exact level, then explicit phonics is delivered inside illustrated stories they unlock by reading aloud. It is offered as a one-time $399 annual reading-curriculum license that covers every child in the household. Start with the free reading check before you spend anything.
A smart order of operations
- Step 1, free: the free reading check finds your child's exact level and the skill that is breaking down.
- Step 2, $399: a full year of structured-literacy instruction through A New Page, for every child in the family.
- Step 3, the rest: decodable books, the remainder of your curriculum, and targeted tutoring only if the data says you need it.
What you cannot buy
- Anything from a vendor who is not approved in the program. Check before you commit money.
- General household goods and entertainment subscriptions.
- Anything outside the program year's rules. Your Idaho program office has the final word on every purchase.