Greetings to FHUSD Parents, Guardians and Friends,
As we progress towards the end of the calendar year and thoughts turn to getting tax records in order, I want to remind everyone about the Arizona Public School Tax Credit program. An updated FHUSD donation form for 2019 is now being mailed to all households in Fountain Hills with a description of this program that benefits both the taxpayer and the schools. Additionally, you can access the form using this link:
(
https://www.fountainhillsschools.org/Tax_Credit
). To qualify for the credit, an individual must make contributions to an extracurricular program offered by the school. The credit is limited annually to $400 for married couples filing jointly and $200 for individuals.
Extracurricular programs are school sponsored optional activities or noncredit activities that may require enrolled students to pay a fee in order to participate. The activities must supplement the school’s education program and can be offered before, during or after regular school hours. Such activities may include after-school clubs, the use of equipment or uniforms for band and athletics, the use of scientific laboratory materials, and field trips or in-state or out-of-state trips that are solely for competitive events. Extracurricular activities do not include any senior trips or events that are exclusively recreational, amusement or tourist activities.
To claim your Arizona state tax credit, just make a donation in an amount you feel comfortable contributing to the school of your choice along with the Tax Credit form. The school will then provide you with a receipt to verify the contribution. Whatever amount you give will be offset by a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for the applicable tax year—up to $400 per tax return! The schools and programs you support are entirely your choice. The law simply states that your donation must go directly to a local school to be used for its extracurricular activities. The FHUSD donation form identifies several specific clubs or activities you can select but you can also direct your donation to the school’s General Tax Credit fund and the school can then use those funds to support any of its extra-curricular programs. The tax credit is available to anyone in Arizona who files a Resident Personal Income Tax return so if you have family members or friends elsewhere in the state, they can also contribute to an FHUSD school using the form in the included link above.
This is truly a win-win situation and helps FHUSD provide a wide variety of sports, arts, STEM, cultural and civic oriented student activities that enhance the development of our students and benefit the local community.
Regards,
Robert Allen, Ed.D.
Superintendent
