Retirement Savings contri. credit requirement -- Not A Full Time Student. What if you worked full-time 3/4 of the year and full-time student since Sept.2018? (2018)

[massachusetts1]

One requirement to qualify for the Retirement Savings Contribution Credit states, You are not a full-time student.

What if you worked full-time for 3/4 of year (2018), and began school full-time in Sept.2018 and continued work as part-time?   Would you qualify for the requirement towards the Credit?

Thank you.

[dmertz · Accepted solution]

IRS Pub 969 defines a full-time student as follows:

Full-time student.  You are a full-time student if, during some part of each of 5 calendar months (not necessarily consecutive) during the calendar year, you are either:

• A full-time student at a school that has a regular teaching staff, course of study, and regularly enrolled body of students in attendance; or
• A student taking a full-time, on-farm training course given by either a school that has a regular teaching staff, course of study, and regularly enrolled body of students in attendance, or a state, county, or local government.

You are a full-time student if you are enrolled for the number of hours or courses the school considers to be full time.

In your case, it appears that you were a full-time student in only 4 months of 2018, so you are not considered a full-time student for 2018 for the purpose of an HSA contribution.

[massachusetts1]

So interesting. This would be a difficult credit to notice. I would have thought any time enrolled as full-time student was all it took to dis-qualify from the Retirement Contribution Credit.
I appreciate it. thank you.
In the meantime, I realize that my contributions were via my employment at a company with a 401K plan. And these amounts don't count for the Retirement S.C. Credit.
Oh well.
Thanks again.

[dmertz]

Elective deferrals or Roth contributions to your employers 401(k), reported in box 12 of your W-2 with code D or code AA, respectively, do indeed count.

[massachusetts1]

This further clarifies.  And glad I mentioned that. Difficult to know or find the answer.   Thank you!