I did not Itemize but shouldn't I still be able to claim Educator expenses ?

[alexisbromley07]

Turbo Tax would not allow this unless I paid a processing fee even though I am not Itemizing.

[xmasbaby0]

Educator Expenses are not an itemized deduction for Schedule A, so you should be able to enter that without itemizing any other itemized deductions such as mortgage interest, etc.

TEACHER EXPENSES.   EDUCATOR EXPENSES DEDUCTION

Go to Federal>Deductions and Credits>Employment Expenses>Teacher (Educator) Expenses

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc458

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-credits-deductions/educator-expense-...

What "processing fee" are you referring to?   

How can I see my TurboTax  fees?   

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/intuit-account-billing/review-fees-turbo...

There is not a fee to e-file your tax return or to have direct deposit of your refund.

Did you choose to pay for using TurboTax by having the fee taken out of your federal refund?  That means you will pay an EXTRA FEE of $40 ($45 in CA) to have a third party bank receive your refund from the IRS, take out enough to pay TT, and then send you the rest of the refund.  ( The third party bank keeps the $40 or $45 fee for itself.)

You do not have to do that.   Pay upfront BEFORE you file --- pay using a credit or debit card.

REMOVE REFUND PROCESSING FEE

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/intuit-account-billing/remove-pay-refund...

[SabrinaD2]

Yes, you should still be able to claim Educator expenses even if you did not itemize your deductions. The Educator Expense Deduction is an "above-the-line" deduction, meaning it can be claimed without itemizing

You can claim this credit by upgrading to Fee based TurboTax Deluxe: This version supports the deduction and will guide you through the process.