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New Member
posted Jun 5, 2019 10:20:57 PM

Can I claim gas and/or mileage for commuting to college as a full time student as school expenses?

Also, my wife graduated from college last year and obtained her bachelors degree in nursing. Is there a section that gives you credit or a deduction for completing college?

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1 Best answer
Alumni
Jun 5, 2019 10:20:59 PM

The cost of commuting to and from school or work is a personal commuting expense and it is not deductible.
There is no special deduction or credit for completing college.
You will find a good list of what is and is not a qualified education expense in IRS Pub. 970,
Tax Benefits for Education at this link;
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf

3 Replies
Alumni
Jun 5, 2019 10:20:59 PM

The cost of commuting to and from school or work is a personal commuting expense and it is not deductible.
There is no special deduction or credit for completing college.
You will find a good list of what is and is not a qualified education expense in IRS Pub. 970,
Tax Benefits for Education at this link;
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf

New Member
Jun 5, 2019 10:21:02 PM

Is this still true? IRS guidelines state you can deduct mileage from work to school, if you are deducting your tuition as a work-related business expense.

"Using your car. If you use your car (whether you own or lease it) for transportation to school, you can deduct your actual expenses or use the standard mileage rate to figure the amount you can deduct. The standard mileage rate for miles driven from January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017, is 53.5 cents a mile. Whichever method you use, you can also deduct parking fees and tolls. See Pub. 463, chapter 4, for information on deducting your actual expenses of using a car."

<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/publications/p970#idm140137342064528">https://www.irs.gov/publications/p970#idm140137342064528</a>

New Member
Jun 5, 2019 10:21:03 PM

If you would like this re-answered I'd recommend posting that as a standalone question