If your school did not issue you a 1098-T, then answer “no” when TurboTax asks you if you have the form. TurboTax will then ask you questions to qualify for a waiver of the form requirement. Assuming you qualify, then you’ll be able to enter your expenses. You must complete Part III for each student for whom you’re claiming either the American opportunity credit or lifetime learning credit before you complete either Part I or Part II. Use additional copies of page 2 as needed for each student.

Education Tax Deductions and Credits to Maximize Your Tax Refund

The Lifetime Learning Credit can give you up to $2,000 in tax credit. It allows you to claim up to 20% of your out-of-pocket college expenses, even if you only took one class this year. There are income limits and filing status restrictions for claiming the credit, but we’ll determine your eligibility and calculate everything for you.

Table 1. Comparison of Education Credits for 2023

Room and board do not count as qualified expenses nor do optional fees to cover things like student health insurance, athletics and other activities. Get unlimited advice, an expert final review and your maximum refund, guaranteed. To qualify for the Lifetime Learning Credit, you have to have made qualifying tuition and fee payments to a post-secondary school (after high school) during the year. It says I have to upgrade because “You have the Lifetime Learning credit.” but I don’t actually qualify. Now I have to wait to talk to someone on the phone because I refuse to pay the $60 to upgrade because the website is glitching to get me to spend money. In the Search box type the word letme (just like that, with no space), then click the link that says “Jump to letme.” That will take you to a screen where you can select which education credit you want to use.

Guide to Education Tax Credits and Deductions

There is no limit to the number of years that a student can qualify for the Lifetime Learning Credit. I went through and refiled through turbo tax and then deleted “Education Tuition and Fees Summary.” However, it still says I need to upgrade. In that case, you may go ahead and delete the 1098T form. But it seems to not delete as when I go through and try to file after deleting it. It still gives me the prompt to upgrade and gives me no option not to. Generally, your MAGI is the amount on your Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 11.

Also, the institution must be eligible to participate in a student aid program administered by the Department of Education. Virtually all accredited postsecondary institutions meet this definition. The result may be different if your child has other income or if you’re the student. If you’re the student and you claim the earned income credit, choosing not to apply a Pell grant to qualified education expenses may decrease your earned income credit at certain income levels by increasing your adjusted gross income. You may be able to increase the combined value of an education credit if the student includes some or all of a scholarship or fellowship grant in income in the year it is received. An academic period is any quarter, semester, trimester, or any other period of study as reasonably determined by an eligible educational institution.

If you don’t qualify for the Lifetime Learning Credit,  or want to eliminate it, you’ll have to delete the forms that are related to education credits. Yes but there is no 8863 form even listed under my forms in TurboTax for me to remove so that I can get rid of the lifetime learning credit. I am just confused because in one section it says I do not qualify for lifetime learning credit but then when I go to file my taxes it says I must upstage upgrade in order to file. The American Opportunity Credit is another popular educational credit that you can claim using Form 8863. As with the LLT, you can claim the American Opportunity Credit for yourself, your spouse or your dependents with qualifying educational expenses while pursuing an undergraduate degree.

Other expenses, such as optional fees and room and board, do not qualify. The Lifetime Learning tax credit can help cover undergraduate costs for a student who is not eligible for the American Opportunity credit because they’re carrying a limited course load or already have four years of college credit. Additionally, the Lifetime Learning credit can also help cover the cost of graduate school and of courses taken to maintain or improve job skills. If your federal income tax bill is $4,500, the $1,500 nonrefundable portion of the credit reduces your tax bill to $3,000.

If a student isn’t claimed as a dependent, though, it’s possible for him or her to claim an education tax credit, or take the deduction. One thing to keep in mind, each student cannot claim more than one tax break. If you were under age 24 at the end of 2023 and the conditions listed below apply to you, you cannot claim any part of the American opportunity credit as a refundable credit on your tax return. Instead, you can claim your allowed credit, figured in Part II, only as a nonrefundable credit to reduce your tax. An eligible educational institution is generally any accredited public, nonprofit, or proprietary (private) college, university, vocational school, or other postsecondary institution.

  1. But it seems to not delete as when I go through and try to file after deleting it.
  2. It is completed eliminated when income reaches $100,000 (single) and $120,000 (joint).
  3. As with the American Opportunity Tax Credit, the IRS allows you to claim the Lifetime Learning Credit even if you use a qualified student loan to pay for your tuition.
  4. The cost of education keeps going up, with no end in sight.
  5. If your federal income tax bill is $4,500, the $1,500 nonrefundable portion of the credit reduces your tax bill to $3,000.

The credit is worth up to $2,500 for qualified tuition and related expenses for each of the 4 years of college. Related expenses include expenses like books, supplies and equipment needed for a course of study if these items are required as a condition of enrollment or attendance. With TurboTax Live Assisted, you can file confidently with experts by your side. No matter how complex your tax situation, you can get advice from tax experts who can help you finish your taxes error-free, review your return at the end, and guarantee you’ll get every dollar you deserve. You don’t need anything but your email address to get started with TurboTax. Just answer a few simple questions and you’re on your way.

But even if the education is required, you can’t claim a  deduction for the cost if it is needed to meet the minimum requirements of your job or qualifies you for a new career. The Tuition and Fees Deduction is taken as an adjustment to income. So even if you don’t itemize, you can benefit from this deduction. Because the income thresholds ($80,000 single and $$160,000 joint) for this deduction are higher than those for the Lifetime Learning Credit, this deduction may prove more valuable. The rules for the Tuition and Fees Deduction are very similar to those for the Lifetime Learning Credit.

As of 2023, the LLC phases out between $80,000 and $90,000 of modified adjusted gross income for single taxpayers. With a MAGI of $90,000 or higher, you can’t claim any credit as a single taxpayer. The range for joint filers is doubled, with the credit phasing out between $160,000 and $180,000 of MAGI. If a student is claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return, all qualified education expenses of the student are treated as having been paid by that person. Therefore, only that person can claim an education credit for the student. If a student isn’t claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return, only the student can claim the credit.

When you use TurboTax to prepare your taxes, we’ll handle all of these calculations for you. Just answer some simple questions about your education expenses and we’ll calculate turbotax lifetime learning credit exactly how much of the credit you qualify for. • The Lifetime Learning Credit can provide you with a credit of up to $2,000 for qualified educational expenses.

You may receive Form 1098-T from the institution reporting payments received in 2023 (box 1). However, the amount in box 1 of Form 1098-T may be different from the amount you paid (or are treated as having paid). In completing Form 8863, use only the amounts you actually paid (plus any amounts you’re treated as having paid) in 2023 (reduced, as necessary, as described under Adjusted Qualified Education Expenses, later). Generally, you can claim the American opportunity credit https://turbo-tax.org/ for a student on a 2023 tax return only if all of the following seven requirements are met. Scholarships and Fellowships- If you receive a scholarship or are paid a stipend for a fellowship, it will be tax-free if you are a degree candidate and you use the funds to pay for tuition, fees, books, supplies and equipment. The full credit is available to those whose “modified adjusted gross income” does not exceed $80,000 and $160,000 for single and joint filers, respectively.