I have a 1098-T for a high school student for credits toward college. Would I answer that he is working towards a bachelor degree and is a full time student?

[Ashby · Accepted solution]

If he will use the credits he is earning towards a degree, you can answer yes to the bachelor degree. 

As long as he took enough credits to be considered at least half-time by the institution is what the IRS says for the American Opportunity Credit. The Lifetime Learning Credit can be taken whether he is full-time or not.

You can only take the American Opportunity Credit (larger total credit) 4 years total. Depending on the amount of tuition, you may want to save the AOC years and take Lifetime Learning for these courses.

[gigabot]

Answer may be unclear-  He is in high school...Yes - he is working toward the degree....Yes(but he is in high school).  The question is now - is he a full time student?  Where? in the high school or the school that issued the 1098T... I still don't have the clear answer? maybe it is irrelevant?

[gigabot]

I now see that half-time is checked on the 1098T confusing me a little more. That implies the high school. 

[Hal_Al]

High school students are not usually eligible for the more generous American Opportunity Credit (AOC), unless they are officially enrolled as a degree candidate.  From pub 970: "Example 3. During the 2022 fall semester, Larry was a high school student who took classes on a half-time basis at College X. Larry wasn't enrolled as part of a degree program at College X because College X only admits students to a degree program if they have a high school diploma or equivalent. Because Larry wasn't enrolled in a degree program at College X during 2022, Larry wasn't an eligible student for tax year 2022."  Reference: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p970/ch02.html

Even if he is eligible for the AOC, you may not want to claim it.  A student (or his parents can only claim the AOC four times.  If you're not getting the full credit ($2500) for these dual high school/college classes, you may want to save the AOC for later. 

The ability of the parent of a high school student to claim the education credit is limited.  If these courses are provided by an eligible college, this cost qualifies for the Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC). The school must have policy of granting college credit for that course, already taken, if the student ever enrolls there. In other words, it is a requirement that the course be a college credit course, even if the student isn't currently a college student. It’s not that the student is post-secondary, it’s that the course is post secondary. Books are not a qualifying expense, unless included in the course fee. You must have paid tuition to the college and not the high school in order to claim the expenses on your return.

https://www.taxact.com/support/22177/2023/education-credits-high-school-student-taking-college-class...