Does you taking online courses/classes for teacher certifications count as school?

[grayce0722]

I work as a full time daycare teacher. I have taken courses online to complete my DCf 45 hrs of courses. I have successsfully completed the courses and paid for them. Does this count as full time student?

[xmasbaby0]

To see if a school is eligible to take education credits

Enter your school at the link below, to see if it's on the dept. of education list.

https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home

[Hal_Al · Accepted solution]

 Q. Does you taking online courses/classes for teacher certifications count as school, for the education/tuition credits?

A. Probably not. Schools that only offer online courses usually do not qualify.  Online classes taken at schools that also have  classroom instruction usually do count. If the school does not issue you a form 1098-T, for the tuition you paid, it is most likely not an "eligible institution".

Q. I have successfully completed the courses and paid for them. Does this count as full time student?
A. No.  "Full time" is defined by the school and usually is set number of hours. But you do not need to be full time to claim an education credit. 

See: https://www.eitc.irs.gov/other-refundable-credits-toolkit/compare-education-credits/compare-educatio...

Continuing Education. Regular W-2 employees are no longer (since 2018) allowed to deduct job expenses, including education. If you're self employed, you can deduct the cost, as a business expense, on schedule C.

If the courses were taken at a recognized college or vocational school (educational institutions eligible to participate in the student aid programs administered by the Department of Education),  you can, instead,  take either the Lifetime Learning Credit or (less likely) the American Opportunity credit.