Education

How old are you?  Do your parents claim you as a dependent?  What type of degree are you working on?

If you are under 24, you generally can only claim the non-refundable portion of the AOTC if your parents do not claim you.  This means you would need to have a tax liability in order to benefit from the credit.  You cannot claim the refundable portion if you are under 24 unless special conditions apply.

The qualifications of the credits are below:

 Lifetime Learning Credit

• You can take this for an unlimited number of years
• Twenty percent of expenses up to $2,000
• Non-Refundable meaning this can reduce the amount of taxes you owe, but if your tax liability is less than the LLC, your tax will be reduced to $0 and the rest of the credit is lost. 
• Cannot be claimed as a dependent on any one else's return
• As a Married couple, your income must be below $160,000 for the full credit and below $180,000 for a partial credit

American Opportunity Tax Credit.

• Available for the first 4 years of college
• Max amount is $2,500 per student
• Partially refundable credit meaning if your tax liability is $0, 40% (up to $1,000) is refundable
• Be enrolled in a degree or credential seeking program
• Not have a felony drug conviction
• Be enrolled at least half time
• cannot be claimed as a dependent on anyone else's return.
• As a Married couple, your income must be below $160,000 for the full credit and below $180,000 for a partial credit

What Are Education Tax Credits