Oklahoma 2025 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB684 Amended / Bill

Filed 04/17/2025

                     
 
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION 
 
STATE OF OKLAHOMA 
 
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025) 
 
ENGROSSED SENATE 
BILL NO. 684 	By: Paxton and Daniels of the 
Senate 
 
  and 
 
  Hilbert of the House 
 
 
 
 
 
An Act relating to income tax credit; amending 
Section 2, Chapter 278, O.S.L. 2023, as amended by 
Section 3, Chapter 277, O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. Supp. 
2024, Section 28-101), which relates to the Oklahoma 
Parental Choice Tax Credit Act; defining term; 
modifying definition; modifying tax years for which 
certain annual credit limit is enforced; prescribing 
procedure for enforcement of annual limit; increasing 
the annual credit limitation by the amount of certain 
unused credit; requiring the Department of Human 
Services and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to 
verify certain claims by applicants upon request; 
modifying application period for certain school 
years; requiring the payment of full credit amount by 
certain date; modifying preference for taxpayers who 
received credit in prior years; stipulating that 
authorization to reallocate credit is before certain 
date; requiring participating private schools to 
provide certain information to the Oklahoma Tax 
Commission; updating statutory references; updating 
statutory language; providing an effective date ; and 
declaring an emergency . 
 
 
 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:   
 
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SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     Section 2, Chapter 278, O.S.L. 
2023, as amended by Section 3, Chapter 277, O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. 
Supp. 2024, Section 28 -101), is amended to read as follows: 
Section 28-101.  A.  As used in the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax 
Credit Act: 
1.  “Accrediting association ” means a legal entity, or that part 
of a legal entity, that meets the accreditation requirements set by 
the State Board of Education or another accrediting association 
approved by the State Board of Education; 
2. “Commission” means the Oklahoma Tax Commission; 
2. 3. “Curriculum” means a complete course of study for a 
particular content area or grade level; 
3. 4. “Department” means the State Department of Education; 
4. 5. “Education service provider ” means a person, business, 
public school district, public charter school, magnet school, or 
organization that provides educational goods and/or services to 
eligible students in this state; 
5. 6. “Eligible student” means a resident of this state who is 
eligible to enroll in a public school in this state.  Eligible 
student shall include a student who is enrolled in and attends or is 
expected to enroll in a private school in this state accredited by 
the State Board of Education or another accrediting association or a 
student who is educated pursuant to the other means of education   
 
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exception provided for in subsection A of Section 10 -105 of this 
title; 
6. 7. “Qualified expense” for the purpose of claiming the 
credit authorized by paragraph 1 of subsection C of this section 
means tuition and fees at a private school in this state accredited 
by the State Board of Education or another accrediting association.  
Such private school shal l comply with the provisions of subsection L 
of this section. Provided, the amount of tuition and fees 
considered a qualified expense pursuant to this paragraph shall not 
include tuition and fees paid with any scholarship or tuition and 
fees discounted or otherwise reduced by the school; 
7. 8. “Qualified expense” for the purpose of claiming the 
credit authorized by paragraph 2 of subsection C of this section 
means the following expenditures: 
a. tuition and fees for nonpublic learning programs, 
online or in person, 
b. academic tutoring services provided by an individual 
or a private academic tutoring facility, 
c. textbooks, curriculum, or other instructional 
materials including, but not limited to, supplemental 
materials or associated online instruction req uired by 
an education service provider, and 
d. fees for nationally standardized assessments 
including, but not limited to, assessments used to   
 
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determine college admission and advanced placement 
examinations as well as tuition and fees for tutoring 
or preparatory courses for the assessments; and 
8. 9. “Taxpayer” means a biological or adoptive parent, 
grandparent, aunt, uncle, legal guardian, custodian, or other person 
with legal authority to act on behalf of an eligible student. 
B.  There is hereby created the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax 
Credit Program to provide an income tax credit to a taxpayer for 
qualified expenses to support the education of eligible students in 
this state. 
C.  For the tax year 2024 and subsequent tax years, and fiscal 
year 2026 and subsequent fiscal years, there shall be allowed 
against the tax imposed by Section 2355 of Title 68 of the Oklahoma 
Statutes a credit for any Oklahoma taxpayer who incurs a qualified 
expense on behalf of an eligible student, to be administered subject 
to the following amounts: 
1.  If the eligible student attends a private school in this 
state accredited by the State Board of Education or another 
accrediting association, the annual maximum credit amount for tax 
year 2024, fiscal year 2026, and each subsequent fiscal year shall 
be: 
a. Seven Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($7,500.00) or the 
amount of tuition and fees for the private school, 
whichever is less, if the combined adjusted gross   
 
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income of the parents or legal guardians of the 
eligible student during th e second preceding tax year 
does not exceed Seventy -five Thousand Dollars 
($75,000.00), 
b. Seven Thousand Dollars ($7,000.00) or the amount of 
tuition and fees for the private school, whichever is 
less, if the combined adjusted gross income of the 
parents or legal guardians of the eligible student 
during the second preceding tax year is more than 
Seventy-five Thousand Dollars ($75,000.00) but does 
not exceed One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars 
($150,000.00), 
c. Six Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($6,500.00) o r the 
amount of tuition and fees for the private school, 
whichever is less, if the combined adjusted gross 
income of the parents or legal guardians of the 
eligible student during the second preceding tax year 
is more than One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars 
($150,000.00) but does not exceed Two Hundred Twenty -
five Thousand Dollars ($225,000.00), 
d. Six Thousand Dollars ($6,000.00) or the amount of 
tuition and fees for the private school, whichever is 
less, if the combined adjusted gross income of the 
parents or legal guardians of the eligible student   
 
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during the second preceding tax year is more than Two 
Hundred Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($225,000.00) but 
does not exceed Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars 
($250,000.00), or 
e. Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.0 0) or the amount of 
tuition and fees for the private school, whichever is 
less, if the combined adjusted gross income of the 
parents or legal guardians of the eligible student 
during the second preceding tax year is more than Two 
Hundred Fifty Thousand Dol lars ($250,000.00); 
2.  For tax year 2024 and subsequent tax years, the maximum 
credit amount shall be One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) in qualified 
expenses per eligible student in each tax year if the eligible 
student is educated pursuant to the other me ans of education 
exception provided for in subsection A of Section 10 -105 of this 
title.  To claim the credit, the taxpayer shall submit to the 
Commission receipts for qualified expenses as defined by paragraph 7 
8 of subsection A of this section; 
3.  If the eligible student attends a private school in this 
state, accredited by the State Board of Education or another 
accrediting association, that exclusively serves students 
experiencing homelessness, the credit amount shall be Seven Thousand 
Five Hundred Dollars ($7,500.00) or the amount of the cost to   
 
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educate the eligible student at the private school, whichever is 
less; 
4.  If the eligible student attends a private school in this 
state, accredited by the State Board of Education or another 
accrediting association, that primarily serves financially 
disadvantaged students, the credit amount shall be the maximum 
credit amount authorized by paragraph 1 of this subsection or the 
amount of the cost to educate the eligible student at the private 
school, whichever is less.  The cost to educate the eligible student 
shall be equal to the average cost to educate all students attending 
the private school, which shall be calculated by dividing the 
private school’s total expenditures in the previous year by the 
total enrollment in the previous school year.  A private school 
shall be deemed to be primarily serving financially disadvantaged 
students if ninety percent (90%) of the private school ’s admissions 
are based on enrolling students whose gross family income is two 
hundred fifty percent (250%) of the federal poverty threshold or 
below; 
5.  The taxpayer shall retain all receipts of qualified expenses 
as proof of the amounts paid each tax year the credit is claimed and 
shall submit them to the Commission upon request; 
6.  If the credit exceeds the tax imposed by Section 2355 of 
Title 68 of the Oklahoma Statutes, the excess amount shall be 
refunded to the taxpayer; and   
 
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7.  Credits claimed by a taxpayer pursuant to the provisions of 
this section shall not be used to offset o r pay the following: 
a. delinquent tax liability, 
b. accrued penalty or interest from the failure to file a 
report or return, 
c. accrued penalty or interest from the failure to pay a 
state tax within the statutory period allowed for its 
payment, 
d. tax liability of the taxpayer from any prior tax year, 
or 
e. any debt, unpaid fine, final judgment, or claim filed 
with the Commission by a qualified entity as defined 
in Section 205.2 of Title 68 of the Oklahoma Statutes. 
D. 1. a. For tax year 2024, the total am ount of credits 
authorized by paragraph 1 of subsection C of this 
section shall not exceed One Hundred Fifty Million 
Dollars ($150,000,000.00). 
b. For the period of January 1, 2025, through June 30, 
2025, the total amount of credits authorized by 
paragraph 1 of subsection C of this section shall not 
exceed One Hundred Million Dollars ($100,000,000.00).  
The Commission shall not require a taxpayer who 
received a credit pursuant to paragraph 1 of 
subsection C of this section in tax year 2024 to   
 
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reapply for a credit payable during the period 
described in this subparagraph.  The Commission shall 
base the credit amount payable for the spring 2025 on 
the fall 2024 installment disbursement payment amount. 
c. For fiscal year 2026 and subsequent fiscal years, the 
total amount of credits authorized by paragraph 1 of 
subsection C of this section shall not exceed Two 
Hundred Fifty Million Dollars ($250,000,000.00). 
2.  For tax year 2025 2026 and subsequent tax years, the total 
amount of credits authorized by paragraph 2 of subsection C of this 
section shall not exceed Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00).  The 
Oklahoma Tax Commission shall annually calculate and publish a 
percentage by which the credits authorized by this section shall be 
reduced so the total amount of cr edits used to offset tax does not 
exceed the annual limit.  The formula to be used for the percentage 
adjustment shall be Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) divided by 
the amount of credit claimed in the second preceding tax year.  In 
the event the total tax credits authorized by this section exceed 
the annual limit in any tax year, the Tax Commission shall permit 
any excess but shall factor such excess into the percentage 
adjustment formula for subsequent tax years. 
3.  If a taxpayer, on behalf of an eli gible student in the 
program, chooses not to participate, is no longer eligible to 
participate, or chooses to forgo participation in the program for   
 
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any reason, the credit authorized by paragraph 1 of subsection C of 
this section but not used and not reall ocated pursuant to paragraph 
3 of subsection H of this section shall be added to the subsequent 
fiscal year limitation as provided in paragraph 1 of this 
subsection. 
E.  The Commission shall prescribe applications for the purposes 
of claiming the credits a uthorized by the Oklahoma Parental Choice 
Tax Credit Act and a deadline by which applications shall be 
submitted.  A taxpayer claiming the credit authorized by paragraph 1 
of subsection C of this section shall submit an application 
prescribed by the Commis sion to receive the credit in two 
installments, each of which shall be half of the expected amount of 
tuition and fees for the private school based on the enrollment 
verification form submitted pursuant to this subsection, but in no 
event shall an installment a payment exceed the amount of the credit 
authorized by paragraph 1 of subsection C of this section.  If an 
eligible taxpayer provides documentation on the application that he 
or she is a recipient of income -based government benefits including 
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary 
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or SoonerCare the Oklahoma 
Medicaid Program commonly known as SoonerCare , the eligible taxpayer 
shall not be required to provide additional income verification.  
The Department of Human Services and the Oklahoma Health Care 
Authority shall, upon request by the Oklahoma Tax Commission, verify   
 
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whether an applicant receives income -based government benefits.  The 
taxpayer shall provide authorization for the Oklahoma Ta x Commission 
to disclose application data to the Department of Human Services 
and/or the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and for Department of 
Human Services and/or the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to provide 
confirmation of benefits to the Oklahoma Tax Commission for purposes 
of verifying that the taxpayer is a current recipient of SNAP, TANF , 
or Oklahoma Medicaid Program benefits; provided, the information 
shall not be used for any other purpose.  A taxpayer claiming the 
credit authorized by paragraph 1 of subsection C of this section 
shall submit to the Commission an enrollment verification form from 
the private school in which the eligible student is enrolled or is 
expected to enroll with the tuition and fees to be charged the 
taxpayer for the applicab le school year.  In reviewing applications 
submitted by eligible taxpayers to determine whether they qualify 
for a credit authorized by paragraph 1 of subsection C of this 
section, the Commission shall give first preference in making 
installments payments to taxpayers who qualify pursuant to 
subparagraphs a and b of paragraph 1 of subsection C of this 
section. The Commission shall give second preference in making 
payments to taxpayers who qualify and have received the credit in 
the prior year. For credits issued in the 2025-2026 2026-2027 
school year and subsequent school years, the application period 
shall be open on February 15 March 15 through June 15 prior to the   
 
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beginning of each school year.  For any eligible student whose 
parents or legal guardians have a combined adjusted gross income 
that does not exceed One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars 
($150,000.00) or qualified and received credit in the prior year , 
applications shall be submitted to the Commission within the first 
sixty (60) days of the openin g of the application period to receive 
priority consideration.  For students enrolled in the full school 
year, the full credit amount authorized for the school year shall be 
paid in two installments, one per school semester, to be paid no 
later than August 30 and January 15, each of which shall be half of 
the total expected amount of tuition and fees on the enrollment 
verification form submitted pursuant to this subsection . 
F.  In the event there are more applications submitted by 
eligible taxpayers for a c redit authorized by paragraph 1 of 
subsection C of this section than available credits pursuant to 
subsection D of this section, then the Commission shall give first 
preference in authorizing credits for eligible students of taxpayers 
who qualify pursuant to subparagraphs a and b of paragraph 1 of 
subsection C of this section and have received the credit in the 
prior year. 
G. Taxpayers claiming the credit shall: 
1.  Only claim the credit for qualified expenses as defined in 
paragraphs 6 7 and 7 8 of subsection A of this section to provide an 
education for an eligible student;   
 
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2.  Ensure no other person is claiming a credit for the eligible 
student; 
3.  Not claim the credit for an eligible student who enrolls as 
a full-time student in a public school distric t, public charter 
school, public virtual charter school, or magnet school; 
4.  Comply with rules and requirements established by the 
Commission for administration of the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax 
Credit Program; and 
5.  Notify the Commission not later t han thirty (30) days after 
the date on which the eligible student: 
a. enrolls in a public school, including an open -
enrollment charter school, 
b. enrolls in a nonaccredited private school, 
c. graduates from high school, or 
d. is no longer utilizing credits authorized by paragraph 
1 of subsection C of this section for any reason. 
H. G.  Eligible students may accept a scholarship from the 
Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities 
Program created by Section 13 -101.2 of this title while 
participating in the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit Program. 
I. H.  1.  The Commission shall have the authority to conduct an 
audit or contract for the auditing of receipts for qualified 
expenses submitted pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection C of thi s 
section.   
 
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2.  The Commission shall be authorized to recapture the credits 
otherwise authorized by the provisions of the Oklahoma Parental 
Choice Tax Credit Act on a prorated basis if an audit conducted 
pursuant to this subsection shows that the credit was claimed for 
expenditures that were not qualified expenses or it finds that the 
taxpayer has claimed an eligible student who no longer attends a 
private school or has enrolled in a public school in the state. 
3.  The Commission shall be authorized to reall ocate credits for 
the current application year to the next eligible taxpayer in line 
when a taxpayer, on behalf of an eligible student in the program, 
chooses not to participate, is no longer eligible to participate, or 
chooses to forgo participation in th e program for any reason no 
later than September 1 following the opening of the application 
period of each year. 
4.  The Commission shall provide notification of approval status 
to applicants within thirty (30) days of closure of the application 
window.  Notice to applicants with an eligible student, whose 
parents or legal guardians have a combined adjusted gross income of 
more than One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000.00), shall be 
sent within thirty (30) days or no later than thirty (30) days afte r 
the last day of the priority consideration period. 
J. I.  In the event of a failure of revenue pursuant to the 
Oklahoma State Finance Act, the tax credits otherwise authorized in 
subsection C of this section shall be reduced proportionately to the   
 
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reduction in the amount of money appropriated to the State Board of 
Education for the financial support of public schools for the fiscal 
year in which the failure of revenue occurs. 
K. J.  The Commission shall make available on its website to be 
updated monthly: 
1.  The total amount of credits claimed each year pursuant to 
paragraphs 1 through 4 of subsection C of this section; 
2.  The amount of credits claimed and number of students awarded 
each fiscal year pursuant to paragraph 1 of subsection C of this 
section disaggregated by income categories; 
3.  The total amount of credits claimed and number of students 
awarded who attended a public school in the semester immediately 
preceding the school year for which the application is made each 
year; and 
4.  The total number of applications denied and total amount of 
credits the denied applications represent for each fiscal year. 
L. K.  Credits received pursuant to the Oklahoma Parental Choice 
Tax Credit Act shall not constitute taxable income to a taxpayer who 
received the credit on behalf of an eligible student. 
L.  No later than June 15 of each year, each participating 
private school shall electronically provide information to confirm 
student enrollment and tuition information for the fall and spring 
semesters of the preceding school year and any other information 
requested by the Oklahoma Tax Commission.  Failure to provide this   
 
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information may result in denial of private school participation in 
subsequent school years. 
SECTION 2.  This act shall become effective July 1, 2025. 
SECTION 3.  It being immediately necessary for the preservation 
of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby 
declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and 
be in full force from and after its passage and approval. 
 
COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS AND BUDGET , dated 
04/16/2025 - DO PASS.