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moandscot
New Member

I've learned the hard way that the American Opportunity Act maxes out at 4 years. TurboTax allowed me to deduct for more than that, are they liable for the interest?

 
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5 Replies

I've learned the hard way that the American Opportunity Act maxes out at 4 years. TurboTax allowed me to deduct for more than that, are they liable for the interest?

TurboTax asks if you had that credit for 4 years. If answered correctly the program would not give you the credit. 

I've learned the hard way that the American Opportunity Act maxes out at 4 years. TurboTax allowed me to deduct for more than that, are they liable for the interest?

TurboTax has no way to know if you ---- or maybe your parents who claimed you as a dependent---- used the AOC a total of four times, which is why it is incumbent upon you to find out if your parents (or whoever claimed you as a dependent) used the credit, so that you can add up how many times it was used.    You can get the credit up to four times while you are an undergraduate, but every time it was used "counts" whether you used it yourself or whether it was used by someone else who claimed you.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
Hal_Al
Level 15

I've learned the hard way that the American Opportunity Act maxes out at 4 years. TurboTax allowed me to deduct for more than that, are they liable for the interest?

Q. Is TurboTax (TT) liable for the interest?

A. No. 

Accuracy Guarantee https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/charges-and-fees/help/how-do-i-submit-a-claim-under-the-turbotax-1...

But it only covers actual calculation errors in the program, not user error (and it’s almost always user error).  As others have said, the  have you claimed the AOTC, in the past, question (then how many times)  is a part of the interview.  I suppose the weakness in the TT program is that it will allow you to skip answering that question. 

I've learned the hard way that the American Opportunity Act maxes out at 4 years. TurboTax allowed me to deduct for more than that, are they liable for the interest?

Just because the IRS disallowed the AOTC  doesn't mean you cannot amend your return to use the Lifetime Learning Credit instead. 

 

 

How to amend (change or correct) a return you already filed

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/amending/help/how-to-amend-change-or-correct-a-return-you-already-...

 

I've learned the hard way that the American Opportunity Act maxes out at 4 years. TurboTax allowed me to deduct for more than that, are they liable for the interest?

If you got a letter disallowing the AOTC, you can try preparing an amended return to claim the LLC instead.  Then, don't mail the amended return to the general address for the amended return, mail it to the office that sent the notice along with a letter of explanation and a check if you owe a difference (but probably less than The IRS said you owed).

 

(The IRS will be quite happy to disallow the AOTC, but they won't automatically give you the LLC even though you probably qualify, because they only consider what you put in writing and don't give freebies even if you qualify.)

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