I accidentally said that I haven't received the American opportunity credit, but I did receive it last year. Last year was the first time. Do I amend it or just leave it?

[Anonymous]

Last year was the first time I received the credit. Also I'm a 6 year senior due to major changes. I do have an associates degree. Can I claim this credit since i have been in school more than 4 years? Like I previously said, last year was the first time I claimed/received the American Opportunity credit.

[DanielV01 · Accepted solution]

It depends, but it looks like you do not need to amend.  Although it would have been ideal to answer in TurboTax the number of years you claimed the credit before, the real question (what is answered on your actual tax return), is whether or not you have claimed American Opportunity Credit for 4 years already.  Now, your question says that you claimed it for the first time last year.  But double-check to see if your parents have claimed the credit in prior years.  They may have done so if they were claiming you as a dependent at that time.  However, if you have only had the AOC claimed once on your behalf, you do not need to amend.  If you find out that the AOC was claimed previous for a total of 4 years, you will need to amend (you may still claim Lifetime Learning Credit but will lose credits in comparison to AOC).

The other question is whether or not your schooling was undergraduate studies.  Even though you were in school for 6 years, you have not yet obtained a bachelor's degree.  So your studies still do qualify as undergraduate studies.

Based on your information, just double-check with your parents.  If they did not (or could not) claim you for these credits in prior years, then you will not need to amend your return for your claim of AOC.  Here's an FAQ with additional information on this:  https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/5358150

[Anonymous]

Thank you! This was very helpful!