Question:   Am I eligible to claim both my job education expenses (minus 2% of AGI) and the Lifetime Learning Credit on my taxes?

Answer:   If you are eligible to deduct educational expenses and are also eligible for the lifetime learning credit, then it is possible to claim both. You cannot use the SAME educational expenses (no “double benefit”) to claim both benefits.

• You may choose to allocate some of your expenses to the deduction and others to the credit.
• This can be desirable because a qualifying expense for one benefit may not be a qualifying expense for the other tax benefit. For example, the cost of course-related books ordinarily qualifies for the deduction, but not for the lifetime learning credit.