If all the requirements are met for claiming an education credit, then this benefit should be claimed by taxpayer who is claiming the student as a dependent. Please refer to the following website for additional clarification. https://www.irs.gov/individuals/eligible-educational-inst
- When the
page opens, scroll down to "find more
answers to the questions you ask about the education credits".
- Click on
"education credits frequently asked questions".
- Click on question #11: Is
there an education credit for the cost of a high school student taking
college classes before graduation from high school".
For instructions regarding how to enter this information in Turbo Tax, please refer to the following FAQ. https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/4194409
The school where the college course
was taken needs to be an eligible educational institution. Please refer to this
IRS link to learn more. https://www.irs.gov/individuals/eligible-educational-inst.
With respect to the education
credits, there are specific requirements regarding number of courses etc. For the American Opportunity
Credit, page 10 of Pub 970 says,
"for at least one academic period beginning (or treated as beginning) in
2016, the student both: was enrolled in a program that leads to a degree,
certificate, or other recognized educational credential; AND carried at least
one half the normal full-time workload for his/her course of study. The
standard for what is half of the normal full time workload is determined by
each eligible educational institution…."
It also says, "For 2016,
treat an academic period beginning in the first 3 months of 2017 as if it began
in 2016, if qualified education expenses for the student were paid in 2016 for
that academic period".
Per page 11 of Pub 970, "an
academic period includes a semester, trimester, quarter, or other period
of study (such as a summer school session) as reasonably determined by an
educational institution….." https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf
With the respect to the Lifetime
Learning Credit, you would need to have
taken at least one course during the year. However, you can also claim this
credit if your academic period began in the first 3 months of 2017.
Please refer to the following
FAQ to learn more about the education credits.
https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/3301953
