Paying tuition bill in one year for classes the following year.

[TaxPayerPete]

In December of 2019 I had to pay my spring tuition bill for 2020. I was not a student in 2019.  TurboTax is flagging my return because I claimed educational expenses in 2019 but was not a student.

 Is this OK to ignore? or should I be documenting the expense a different way?

[Hal_Al · Accepted solution]

When asked if you attended college in 2019, answer yes.  The fact that you paid for 2020 expenses, in 2019, means you were an "enrolled" student. You (or your parents if you are a dependent) can claim the tuition credit, on your 2019 return, based on what you paid in 2019 for 2020.  In fact, you will not be allowed to claim that payment on your 2020 return, because it was made in 2019. 

Although you "were a student in 2019" for purposes of claiming the tuition credit, you were not a student for purposes of the dependent rules (unless you were a student earlier in the year, including high school)