AOTC - Filing as parent and student

[leemarkl]

My daughter started college in the fall semester of 2024 as a full-time student.   Throughout 2024 she had worked full-time and then when school started continued to work part-time until the end of the year.  I had paid her tuition for the fall semester but she had paid out of pocket for the expenses of her curriculum textbooks and a laptop that was required for her major.

My personal tax filing claimed her as a dependent and included the 1098-T form for the tuition expenses, which calculated a $1,500 AOTC educational credit towards my filing.

My daughters personal expenses that she had paid for school total upwards of $1600.   Even though I had claimed a portion of the allowed $2,500 AOTC through my filing, would she still be able to claim those additional expenses that she had paid in her personal income tax filing?

[MindyB]

No, she cannot claim the expenses and also take the AOTC. Being claimed as a dependent on someone else's return is an exclusion for taking the AOTC.  You could add them to your expenses, though and possibly increase your credit. You are allowed to claim expenses paid by yourself, your spouse, or your dependents.

See: Education credits - AOTC and LLC, How do Education Tax Credits Work?

[Hal_Al]

The AOTC comes in two pieces. There are usually amounts on both lines 29 and 20 of form 1040. You may have gotten the full $2500.