Problems entering 1098-T and other college expenses

[polyalanine]

In the step-by-step forms it does not allow me to enter information for my children's college expenses at all.  It gives the option of my name or my wife's name as students, but we are not the students.  What is going on?

[Hal_Al]

You may only claim an education credit if your student kids are your dependent.  If you failed to qualify them as dependents back in the personal info section, they will not be presented as a choice in the education (1088-T) section.

[polyalanine]

I am not trying to claim the credit, but I do want to claim their college expenses against the 1099-Q distributions.  Turbotax premier seems to think that only myself and my wife could be the students for this purpose.  This is clearly not correct!

[Hal_Al · Accepted solution]

If the student-beneficiary is not your dependent, you enter expenses in the 1099-Q section, rather than the 1098-T section.