Education Tax Benefits

College is expensive, so make sure that you take advantage of the tax relief that that you are entitled to.  The IRS recently offered tips about education tax benefits that can help offset some college costs.  We are presenting some of them here, so you and your student can consider whether they fit your situation.

• American Opportunity Tax Credit.  This credit can be up to $2,500 per eligible student. The AOTC is available for the first four years of post secondary education. Forty percent of the credit is refundable. That means that you may be able to receive up to $1,000 of the credit as a refund, even if you don’t owe any taxes. Qualified expenses include tuition and fees, course related books, supplies and equipment.  A recent law extended the AOTC through the end of December 2017.
• Lifetime Learning Credit.  With the LLC, you may be able to claim up to $2,000 for qualified education expenses on your federal tax return.  There is no limit on the number of years you can claim this credit for an eligible student.

The IRS lets you claim only one type of education credit per student on your federal tax return each year.  If you pay college expenses for more than one student in the same year, you can claim credits on a per-student, per-year basis.  For example, you can claim the AOTC for one student and the LLC for the other student.

To make it easier, you can use the IRS’s Interactive Tax Assistant tool to help determine if you’re eligible for these credits.  The tool is available at IRS.gov.

• Student loan interest deduction.  Other than home mortgage interest, you generally can’t deduct the interest you pay.  However, you may be able to deduct interest you pay on a qualified student loan.  The deduction can reduce your taxable income by up to $2,500. You don’t need to itemize deductions to claim it.

But note, these education benefits are subject to income limitations and may be reduced or eliminated depending on your income.  If you would like  more information, contact Mary Ellen Fillo at Fillo Financial LLC to set up an appointment to review the tax relief that might be available, based on your particular situation.