Yes, all of the above.
Your employer is allowed to reimburse you (or directly pay) up to $5250 of tuition tax free. Any additional reimbursement is required to be treated as taxable income on your W-2.
Any tuition you pay out of pocket (or with taxable reimbursement) is eligible for the Lifetime learning Credit (LLC) or Tuition and Fees deduction, but not both. The LLC is usually best for most people. It takes $10,000 of paid tuition to get the maximum LLC.
If you pay more than $15,250 of tuition in a year, the excess MAY be eligible for the Business Deduction for Work-Related Education. The general rule is: Educational expenses to improve your current job skills are deductible. But learning a new job is not. The tax court has allowed deductions for MBA expenses where individuals with some managerial or administrative experience took the courses to improve skills needed for their existing jobs. But, it is only an itemized deduction subject to the 2% of AGI Threshold.
