If you are claiming the student as a dependent, then you the parents are entitled to claim the education credits.
If your student is still in High School, then he doesn't qualify for the American Opportunity Credit (because you must be enrolled on at least a half-time basis in a post-secondary education program, and without a college diploma, he wouldn't qualify. Since the American Opportunity Credit is only for the first four years of college, you'd want to wait to claim that anyway,because the credit will be worth more later, when he/she is enrolled full time.
But your student may qualify for the tuition and fees deduction or the LifeTime Learning Credit. if he or she is enrolled at an eligible school. You must have paid tuition to the college and not the high school in order to claim the expenses on your return. You should have received a 1098-T for these expenses.
Find the Educational Expenses section this way:
- Go to the
top of your screen and choose My Account.
- Choose
Tools.
- Choose
Topic Search, then type in your topic (Educational Expenses) and click
Go.
- When you proceed through this section, you will see the question: Was your child Working on an Associate, Bachelor's, or Graduate Degree? Answer NO.
- Next is Alright, Was Child Enrolled in a Certificate or Credential Program? Answer NO.
- Next is Did Child Take College Level Classes in 2016? Answer YES. See the screenshot below. Continue through the section and enter your information from your 1098-T. Say NO, he was not in his first year of college.
TurboTax will compute the credit or deduction that is best for you.
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