So I was a college student in 2023, who used the education tax credit (American opportunity credit) for the last 2 years and wanted to know why I didn't qualify for the 2023's tax return. My information stayed the same overall (no major changes in jobs, assets, etc) , My scholarships and grants covered slightly more than my tuition which wasn't an issue when qualifying for it in previous years. I also filed as an independent from 2021 so taxable income was from my part time jobs.
What turbo tax tells me is:
Here is why you may not qualify:
There is no taxable income in your return
Scholarships, grants, and other tax free assistance exceed the education expenses
There were no net qualified education expenses
what qualifies as a net qualified education expense? Because I've inputted the same information in previous years and still qualified. In terms of taxable income, I've used a part-time job for one year, an internship for another year, and another part time job for this year. My scholarships/grants have always slightly exceeded my tuition cost but that can also be cause of loans, however it was not an issue either in previous years. and lastly the factor of someone claiming me as a dependent has never been an issue cause I've always filed my taxes independently.
