Turbo tax asked me if I paid any student loan for my daughter. I replied yes, and more info was requested- 1098-E. my question is: can I use the form sent to her?

[aconye]

Can I use the 1098-E form sent to my daughter, since I am paying off the loan?

[Vanessa A]

Are you on the loan?  If not, then no, you cannot claim the interest.  If you are a cosigner on the loan and are paying the payments, then yes, you may be able to claim the interest deduction.  in order to claim the interest you must be legally obligated to pay it. 

You can claim the deduction if all of the following apply:

• You paid interest on a qualified student loan in tax year 2025;
• You're legally obligated to pay interest on a qualified student loan;
• Your filing status isn't married filing separately;
• Your MAGI is less than a specified amount which is set annually; and
• Neither you nor your spouse, if filing jointly, were claimed as dependents on someone else's return. Another taxpayer is claiming you as a dependent if they list your name and other required information on page 1 of their Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR.

A qualified student loan is a loan you took out solely to pay qualified higher education expenses that were:

• For you, your spouse, or a person who was your dependent when you took out the loan;
• For education provided during an academic period for an eligible student; and
• Paid or incurred within a reasonable period of time before or after you took out the loan.

[Hal_Al]

You can claim the interest deduction, if you meet the three main requirements:

1. You paid the interest
2. You are legally obligated to pay it (co-signing counts)
3. The student was your dependent, at the time the loan was used to pay for qualified educational expenses (the TT pop up says “when you took out the loan”)

If all that is true, you can claim the deduction even though 1098-E is in the student's name.