KrisD15
Expert Alumni

Education

The Lifetime Learning Credit is a non-refundable credit which means it can only be used to lower your tax liability. 

If your tax liability is "zero'ed out" by other credits, there would be nothing to apply it to. 

 

You can check by looking at Schedule 3 line 3, that would list the Lifetime Learning Credit.

Next, look at your 1040 line 20. That is where the credit (as well as other credit on Schedule 3) would be listed. This is added to line 19 and  brought down to line 21. 

If line 21 is larger than line 18, this means your credits were more than your tax, so any remaining credit is "lost".

 

The tax return continues from there, perhaps adding "refundable credits" to get to the final tax owed or refund due. 

 

HERE is how to look at your 1040 online 

 

 

 

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