Student loan interest became deductible beginning with tax year 1998. The interest you pay is an "above the line" adjustment, which means that it is subtracted from your income before the deductions (standard or itemized) or exemptions, so it lowers your adjusted gross income.
The student loan interest deduction is an above-the-line exclusion from income that you can use when filing your annual taxes with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The student loan interest deduction is not an itemized deduction — it's taken above-the-line. That means it's subtracted from your taxable income to save you money. For example, if you fall into the 22% tax bracket, the maximum student loan interest deduction would put $550 back in your pocket.
Student loan interest is interest you paid during the year on a qualified student loan. It includes both required and voluntarily pre-paid interest payments. You may deduct the lesser of $2,500 or the amount of interest you actually paid during the year.
Know Income Eligibility for Student Loan Interest Deduction
For 2020 taxes, which are to be filed in 2021, the maximum student loan interest deduction is $2,500 for a single filer, head of household, or qualifying widow or widower with a modified adjusted gross income of less than $70,000.
Income limits for claiming the deduction
For your 2021 taxes, which you will file in 2021, the student loan interest deduction is worth up to $2,500 for a single filer, head of household, or qualifying widow(er) with MAGI of less than $70,000. This will remain the same for your 2022 taxes.
The student loan interest deduction allows borrowers to deduct up to $2,500 of the interest paid on a loan for higher education directly on Form 1040. Eligibility for the deduction includes an individual's filing status and income level. The deduction is capped at the amount paid for those who paid less than $2,500.
You can't claim the student loan interest deduction if your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds certain limits. For most people, your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is simply your adjusted gross income (AGI) before any adjustment for student loan interest payments.
An above-the-line deduction is a deduction the IRS allows you to subtract from your annual gross income in order to arrive at your “adjusted gross income,” or AGI. It is the AGI on which you are taxed. Above-the-line deductions are beneficial because they reduce your AGI, which reduces the amount of taxes you owe.
You fill in the amount of your student loan interest deduction on Schedule 1, line 20, of the 2022 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040. It will be the total of your interest from all your Forms 1098-E. Add that to any other entries from Schedule 1 and total on Line 22.
If you made federal student loan payments in 2021, you may be eligible to deduct a portion of the interest you paid on your 2021 federal tax return. Student loan interest payments are reported both to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and to you on IRS Form 1098-E, Student Loan Interest Statement.
Student Loan Interest Deduction
You can take a tax deduction for the interest paid on student loans that you took out for yourself, your spouse, or your dependent. This benefit applies to all loans (not just federal student loans) used to pay for higher education expenses. The maximum deduction is $2,500 a year.
For 2021, the deduction is phased out for taxpayers who are married filing jointly with AGI between $140,000 and $170,000 ($70,000 and $85,000 for single filers). Thus, the deduction is unavailable for taxpayers with AGI of $170,000 ($85,000 for single filers) or more.
While both deductions ultimately reduce your taxable income, some can have a more favorable impact on your tax bill than others. In most cases, above-the-line deductions are the better choice.
If you have qualifying student loan debt, you can deduct the interest you paid on the loan during the tax year. This is capped at $2,500 in total interest per return, not per person, each year. In other words, if you're single, you can deduct as much as $2,500 of student loan interest.
A law signed by President Donald Trump in December 2019 added a new qualified expense that can be paid for by 529 plans: student loans.
If you paid less than $600 in interest to a federal loan servicer during the tax year and do not receive a 1098-E, you may contact your servicer for the exact amount of interest you paid during the year so you can then report that amount on your taxes.
If you qualify, you can deduct the interest paid from your overall gross income, thereby lowering the amount of federal income tax you owe. This is not the same as Tax Form 1098-T, which records tuition payments for the year. You may receive more than one Tax Form 1098-E, depending on how many active loans you have.
Your student loans are not included on Form 1098-T.
The 1098-E tax form reports the amount of interest you paid on student loans in a calendar year. Loan servicers send a 1098-E to anyone who pays at least $600 in student loan interest.
There are two boxes on the 1098-E form you'll use to fill out your tax return: Box 1 and Box 2. Box 1 is your student loan interest summary; it's the total dollar amount you paid in interest during the tax year. (Remember: Box 1 only lists interest paid, not your total loan payments.)
When filing taxes, don't report your student loans as income. Student loans aren't taxable because you'll eventually repay them. Free money used for school is treated differently. You don't pay taxes on scholarship or fellowship money used toward tuition, fees and equipment or books required for coursework.