WHAT QUALIFIES AS AT LEAST HALF TIME STUDENT

[shlw]

My son graduated high school in June 2011 attended the fire academy at a college from Aug - November  for 5 days a week.  The 1098T box 8 is not marked.  Can I still mark the Full-time or at least part time section of Turbo tax.  Do I need to get anything from school stating he was at least part time?  Does that meet at least part time for the IRS guidelines?

Or Does high school count toward the 1 day a month for 5 months in 2011 to then be full time? Since the college was 4 months.

[macuser_22]

High school does not count toward the educational credits.

Here are the IRS definitions for at least a 1/2 time student, quoted from form 1098-T instructions "

"Box 8. Check if at Least Half-Time Student

Check this box if the student was at least a half-time student during any academic period that began in 2011. A half-time student is a student enrolled for at least half the full-time academic workload for the course of study the student is pursuing. Your institution's standard for a half-time student work load must equal or exceed the standards established by the Department of Education under the Higher Education Act and set forth in 34 C.F.R. section 674.2(b). "

Here are the IRS definitions for full time student from PUB 17

"Full-time student.   A full-time student is a student who is enrolled for the number of hours or courses the school considers to be full-time attendance.

Student defined.   To qualify as a student, your child must be, during some part of each of any 5 calendar months of the year:

   1. A full-time student at a school that has a regular teaching staff, course of study, and a regularly enrolled student body at the school, or
   2. A student taking a full-time, on-farm training course given by a school described in (1), or by a state, county, or local government agency.

The 5 calendar months do not have to be consecutive.

School defined.   A school can be an elementary school, junior or senior high school, college, university, or technical, trade, or mechanical school. However, an on-the-job training course, correspondence school, or school offering courses only through the Internet does not count as a school.

Vocational high school students.   Students who work on “co-op” jobs in private industry as a part of a school's regular course of classroom and practical training are considered full-time students. "

[shlw]

At high school He was enrolled in the ROP fire training course - I am not sure if this counts toward 1 day a month for 5 months in 2011  (i had meant to say this in my first question)

[macuser_22]

I believe you can only claim an educational credit for a high school student taking college level courses if the course gives credits that will lead to a degree.