I don't pay student loan interest monthly but I do pay with my taxes each year. Can I claim this on the student loan interest line?

[AndreaG · Accepted solution]

Yes, if you paid student loan interest in 2016 and meet all of the requirements, you can take the deduction. Please refer to the following FAQ to learn more. https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/3302319

[Carl]

If you did not receive a 1098-E reporting the interest you paid on a qualified student loan (key word is *qualified*) then you have no interest to deduct. So if you believe you should have recieved a 1098-E and did not, you will need to contact the lender for clarification on why you didn't get one. Could be something as simple as they sent it to the wrong address. Another possibility is that you are not the "PRIMARY" borrower on the loan. They would have sent it to the primary borrower. But you can still claim it, provided you *actually* paid it with money that *you* earned from self-employment or a W-2 job.

[xmasbaby0]

"I do pay with my taxes each year."

Do you mean that your tax refund is seized for delinquent student loans each year and you want to deduct the interest paid when your refund is offset?  Have you received anything from the lender showing the amount that went to pay interest when they seized your refund?