The Hope Credit came into being as part of the Tax Relief Act of 1997 and signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton. The provision was in the form of two education tax credits – the Hope Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit – designed to allow taxpayers to offset the burden of higher education costs.
The President created the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which he signed into law in February 2009.
The Hope Credit was a tax credit for college students that offered up to $1,500 (increased over time to $1,800) that students could claim for the first two years of higher education. The credit was created as part of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 and was in effect from 1998 to 2008.
It can be claimed for the first four years of higher education. If you had claimed any amount of this credit in previous years, you'll see how much at the bottom of Form 8863, Page 2. If you used a TurboTax Online account to file a prior or current year return, you can download the return from yourTax Timeline.
Answer: The Hope credit (renamed the American Opportunity credit for 2009 and 2010) and the Lifetime Learning credit are tax credits for taxpayers who pay certain higher education costs.
Taxpayers can claim the credit for up to four years of postsecondary education to reduce the costs of tuition and other eligible expenses.
The Hope Credit, now known as the American Opportunity Tax Credit, can provide federal tax credits worth up to $2,500 annually per eligible student. The credits are available for up to four years for qualifying expenses, which can include tuition, books and other costs of higher education.
Claiming the American Opportunity Tax Credit
For tax year 2021, the credit begins to phase out for: Single taxpayers who have adjusted gross income between $80,000 and $90,000. Joint tax filers when adjusted gross income is between $160,000 and $180,000.
Another issue that commonly prevents students from claiming the credit is that they have received more money in scholarships and grants (listed on the form 1098-T from your school) than qualified education expenses (including expenses listed on this IRS site and tuition and fees listed on the form 1098-T from your ...
The American Opportunity Education Credit is available to be claimed 4 times per eligible student. This includes the number of times you claimed the Hope Education Credit (which was used for tax years prior to 2009).
The IRS only allows you to claim the education credit if the student is being claimed as a dependent on your tax return. Therefore, if the student is being claimed as a dependent on the parent's tax return, then the parents are the only ones eligible for the education credit.
However, to claim a college student as a dependent on your taxes, the Internal Revenue Service has determined that the qualifying child or qualifying relative must: Be younger than the taxpayer (or spouse if MFJ) and: Be under age 19, Under age 24 and a full-time student for at least five months of the year.
You may only claim the American Opportunity Tax Credit (or the old Hope Credit) for four years of undergraduate education. So, if you have claimed the credit in four previous tax years for a given student, you cannot claim it again in 2012, a fifth time.
First, you need to check income limits. For you to claim a full $2,500 AOTC credit, the claimant's modified adjusted gross income, or MAGI, must be $80,000 or less for an individual or $160,000 or less for a married couple filing jointly.
The Lifetime Learning credit is less restrictive than the American Opportunity Credit. In addition to college expenses, the Lifetime Learning credit covers the tuition expenses of graduate students and students enrolled less than half-time. The Lifetime Learning Credit is generally worth a maximum of $2,000.
Most Pell Grant recipients who are eligible for the AOTC would benefit from allocating a portion their Pell Grant to living expenses so as to be able to claim at least $2,000 of QTRE for the AOTC.
To get a credit for education expenses, you have to pay tuition or related costs for yourself, your spouse, or a dependent on your return. If you paid tuition or other education expenses for someone who's claimed on another person's return, you won't qualify.
For your 2021 taxes, the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Can be claimed in amounts up to $2,500 per student, calculated as 100% of the first $2,000 in college costs and 25% of the next $2,000. May be used toward required course materials (books, supplies and equipment) as well as tuition and fees.
If you were under age 24 at the end of 2020 and the conditions listed below apply to you, you cannot claim any part of the American opportunity credit as a refundable credit on your tax return.
The American Opportunity credit is phased out if your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds certain levels. (MAGI is adjusted gross income plus certain tax-free income from sources outside the United States.) For 2021, the MAGI phase-out range for unmarried individuals is $80,000 to $90,000.
Taking advantage of the HOPE Scholarship Tax Credit is easy, and the forms needed are available form the IRS or from the university's financial aid department. To apply for this credit simply report any and all tuition fees and related college attendance costs during the calendar year for which you are filing.
There is no limit on the number of years you can claim the credit. It is worth up to $2,000 per tax return.
The IRS considers a full-time student as a student enrolled in the minimum number of credit hours the institution considers full-time.
If you fail to file Forms 1098-T by either of the respective due dates above and cannot show reasonable cause, you may be subject to a penalty. The amount of the penalty is based on when the Form 1098-T is filed.
To meet the qualifying child test, your child must be younger than you and either younger than 19 years old or be a "student" younger than 24 years old as of the end of the calendar year. There's no age limit if your child is "permanently and totally disabled" or meets the qualifying relative test.