Q. If I paid off my $4,000 in student loans this year, but I am no longer enrolled (graduated, working), does that count as "paid college expenses or tuition"?
A. No. You "paid college expenses or tuition" when you used the loan money to make actual payments, back when you were in school. You, or your parents, if you were a dependent, should have claimed the tuition credit, or deduction, at that time. If you failed to do so because you thought "loan money didn't count", you can file amended returns going back three years (2021 must be amended by 4-15-25).
