Singleton Introduces Bill to Provide Financial Relief for Costs Incurred During Remote Learning

Trenton – Senator Troy Singleton introduced legislation today that would provide gross income tax credits to cover education and child care costs incurred by families who have children learning remotely at home.

“All families are struggling right now, and especially those with young children learning remotely. School closures have forced many parents to choose between paying for child care or leaving the workforce altogether,” said Senator Singleton (D-Burlington). “Over the last seven months, I have been fighting to address the needs of our young families. This legislation would provide much needed financial relief for those taking on new expenses as a result of remote and hybrid learning.”

The bill would provide tax credit equal to 25 percent of the total qualified education and child care costs incurred by families. The amount could not exceed $3,000 per child. When combined with other credits and deductions, the credit could not reduce the taxpayer’s liability to an amount less than zero.

Senator Singleton has prioritized working families and their need for child care throughout the pandemic. He previously sponsored S-2918, which would allow licensed child care centers to operate at regular capacity provided they can meet all established health and safety standards.

Last week, the Senator introduced S-3084, which would provide $50 million to child care facilities for expenses related to providing additional hours of care to school-aged children during the 2020-2021 school year. To further assist working families and their children’s learning needs, he has also sponsored S-2899, which would require the New Jersey Department of Education to establish a remote instruction facility program, which would help establish state-sponsored learning pods.