To claim the student loan interest deduction as a parent, you must meet three strict IRS requirements. If TurboTax is not allowing the claim, it is likely because one of these criteria—most commonly the legal obligation—is not met. You can only deduct interest on a loan for which you are legally obligated to pay. If the loan is solely in your daughter's name and you are not a co-signer, the IRS does not allow you to deduct the interest, even if you are the one actually making the payments. If your daughter is solely legally responsible for the loan, but you claim her as a dependent, neither of you can claim the deduction. A dependent is never allowed to claim student loan interest on their own return. You cannot claim this deduction if your filing status is Married Filing Separately. The deduction begins to phase out if your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) exceeds certain annual thresholds (e.g., beginning at $170,000 for joint filers in 2025).

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j-santos

Level 1

Question

I am claiming my daughter on my return & i am trying to claim her student loan interest since I paid the loan but turbo tax is not letting claim it. What do I need to do?

Forum|Forum|3 months ago
April 15, 2026
1 reply
63 views

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TurboTax Online

MaryK4

Level 15

To claim the student loan interest deduction as a parent, you must meet three strict IRS requirements. If TurboTax is not allowing the claim, it is likely because one of these criteria—most commonly the legal obligation—is not met.

You can only deduct interest on a loan for which you are legally obligated to pay. If the loan is solely in your daughter's name and you are not a co-signer, the IRS does not allow you to deduct the interest, even if you are the one actually making the payments. If your daughter is solely legally responsible for the loan, but you claim her as a dependent, neither of you can claim the deduction. A dependent is never allowed to claim student loan interest on their own return.
You cannot claim this deduction if your filing status is Married Filing Separately.
The deduction begins to phase out if your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) exceeds certain annual thresholds (e.g., beginning at $170,000 for joint filers in 2025).

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