Table of Contents
For 2011, there are two tax credits available to help you offset the costs of higher education by reducing the amount of your income tax. They are the American opportunity credit and the lifetime learning credit. This chapter discusses the lifetime learning credit. The American opportunity credit is discussed in chapter 2, The American Opportunity Credit .
This chapter explains:
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Who can claim the lifetime learning credit,
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What expenses qualify for the credit,
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Who is an eligible student,
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Who can claim a dependent's expenses,
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How to figure the credit,
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How to claim the credit, and
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When the credit must be repaid.
You can choose the education benefit that will give you the lowest tax. You may want to compare the tuition and fees deduction (chapter 6, Tuition and Fees Deduction) to either of the education credits.
The following rules will help you determine if you are eligible to claim the lifetime learning credit on your tax return.
Generally, you can claim the lifetime learning credit if all three of the following requirements are met.
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You pay qualified education expenses of higher education.
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You pay the education expenses for an eligible student.
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The eligible student is either yourself, your spouse, or a dependent for whom you claim an exemption on your tax return.
Maximum credit | Up to $2,000 credit per return | ||
Limit on modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) | $122,000 if married filling jointly; $61,000 if single, head of household, or qualifying widow(er) |
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Refundable or nonrefundable | Nonrefundable—credit limited to the amount of tax you must pay on your taxable income | ||
Number of years of postsecondary education | Available for all years of postsecondary education and for courses to acquire or improve job skills | ||
Number of tax years credit available | Available for an unlimited number of years | ||
Type of degree required | Student does not need to be pursuing a degree or other recognized education credential | ||
Number of courses | Available for one or more courses | ||
Felony drug conviction | Felony drug convictions are permitted | ||
Qualified expenses | Tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance (including amounts required to be paid to the institution for course-related books, supplies, and equipment) | ||
Payments for academic periods | Payments made in 2011 for academic periods beginning in 2011 or beginning in the first 3 months of 2012 |
Note.
Qualified education expenses paid by a dependent for whom you claim an exemption, or by a third party for that dependent, are considered paid by you.
“Qualified education expenses” are defined later under Qualified Education Expenses . “Eligible students” are defined later under Who Is an Eligible Student . A dependent for whom you claim an exemption is defined later under Who Can Claim a Dependent's Expenses .
You may find Figure 3-1, Can You Claim the Lifetime Learning Credit for 2011 , later, helpful in determining if you can claim a lifetime learning credit on your tax return.
You cannot claim the lifetime learning credit for 2011 if any of the following apply.
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Your filing status is married filing separately.
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You are listed as a dependent on another person's tax return (such as your parents'). See Who Can Claim a Dependent's Expenses , later.
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Your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is $61,000 or more ($122,000 or more in the case of a joint return). MAGI is explained later under Effect of the Amount of Your Income on the Amount of Your Credit .
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You (or your spouse) were a nonresident alien for any part of 2011 and the nonresident alien did not elect to be treated as a resident alien for tax purposes. More information on nonresident aliens can be found in Publication 519.
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You claim the American Opportunity Credit (see chapter 2) or a Tuition and Fees Deduction (see chapter 6) for the same student in 2011.
The lifetime learning credit is based on qualified education expenses you pay for yourself, your spouse, or a dependent for whom you claim an exemption on your tax return. Generally, the credit is allowed for qualified education expenses paid in 2011 for an academic period beginning in 2011 or in the first 3 months of 2012.
For example, if you paid $1,500 in December 2011 for qualified tuition for the spring 2012 semester beginning in January 2012, you may be able to use that $1,500 in figuring your 2011 credit.
For purposes of the lifetime learning credit, qualified education expenses are tuition and certain related expenses required for enrollment in a course at an eligible educational institution. The course must be either part of a postsecondary degree program or taken by the student to acquire or improve job skills.
In the following examples, assume that each student is an eligible student at an eligible educational institution.
You cannot do any of the following:
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Deduct higher education expenses on your income tax return (as, for example, a business expense) and also claim a lifetime learning credit based on those same expenses.
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Claim a lifetime learning credit in the same year that you are claiming a tuition and fees deduction for the same student.
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Claim a lifetime learning credit and an American opportunity credit based on the same qualified education expenses.
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Claim a lifetime learning credit based on the same expenses used to figure the tax-free portion of a distribution from a Coverdell education savings account (ESA) or qualified tuition program (QTP). See Coordination With American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Credits in chapter 7, Coverdell Education Savings Account, and Coordination With American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Credits in chapter 8, Qualified Tuition Program.
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Claim a credit based on qualified education expenses paid with tax-free educational assistance, such as a scholarship, grant, or assistance provided by an employer. See Adjustments to Qualified Education Expenses, next.
If you pay qualified education expenses with certain tax-free funds, you cannot claim a credit for those amounts. You must reduce the qualified education expenses by the amount of any tax-free educational assistance and refund(s) you received.
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The tax-free part of scholarships and fellowships (see Tax-Free Scholarships and Fellowships in chapter 1, Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants, and Tuition Reductions),
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Pell grants (see Pell Grants and Other Title IV Need-Based Education Grants in chapter 1, Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants, and Tuition Reductions),
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Employer-provided educational assistance (see chapter 11, Employer-Provided Educational Assistance ),
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Veterans' educational assistance (see Veterans' Benefits in chapter 1, Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants, and Tuition Reductions), and
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Any other nontaxable (tax-free) payments (other than gifts or inheritances) received as educational assistance.
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Payment for services, such as wages,
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A loan,
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A gift,
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An inheritance, or
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A withdrawal from the student's personal savings.
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The use of the money is restricted, by the terms of the scholarship or fellowship, to costs of attendance (such as room and board) other than qualified education expenses, as defined in Qualified education expenses in chapter 1, Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants, and Tuition Reductions.
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The use of the money is not restricted.
Qualified education expenses do not include amounts paid for:
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Insurance,
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Medical expenses (including student health fees),
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Room and board,
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Transportation, or
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Similar personal, living, or family expenses.
This is true even if the amount must be paid to the institution as a condition of enrollment or attendance.
For purposes of the lifetime learning credit, an eligible student is a student who is enrolled in one or more courses at an eligible educational institution (as defined under Qualified Education Expenses , earlier).
If there are qualified education expenses for your dependent during a tax year, either you or your dependent, but not both of you, can claim a lifetime learning credit for your dependent's expenses for that year.
For you to claim a lifetime learning credit for your dependent's expenses, you must also claim an exemption for your dependent. You do this by listing your dependent's name and other required information on Form 1040 (or Form 1040A), line 6c.
IF you... | THEN only... |
claim an exemption on your tax return for a dependent who is an eligible student | you can claim the lifetime learning credit based on that dependent's expenses. The dependent cannot claim the credit. |
do not claim an exemption on your tax return for a dependent who is an eligible student (even if entitled to the exemption) | the dependent can claim the lifetime learning credit. You cannot claim the credit based on this dependent's expenses. |
Example.
In 2011, Ms. Allen makes a payment directly to an eligible educational institution for her grandson Todd's qualified education expenses. For purposes of claiming a lifetime learning credit, Todd is treated as receiving the money from his grandmother and, in turn, paying his qualified education expenses himself.
Unless an exemption for Todd is claimed on someone else's 2011 tax return, only Todd can use the payment to claim a lifetime learning credit.
If anyone, such as Todd's parents, claims an exemption for Todd on his or her 2011 tax return, whoever claims the exemption may be able to use the expenses to claim a lifetime learning credit. If anyone else claims an exemption for Todd, Todd cannot claim a lifetime learning credit.
The amount of the lifetime learning credit is 20% of the first $10,000 of qualified education expenses you paid for all eligible students. The maximum amount of lifetime learning credit you can claim for 2011 is $2,000 (20% × $10,000). However, that amount may be reduced based on your MAGI. See Effect of the Amount of Your Income on the Amount of Your Credit , later.
Example.
Bruce and Toni Harper are married and file a joint tax return. For 2011, their MAGI is $75,000. Toni is attending a local college (an eligible educational institution) to earn credits toward a degree in nursing. She already has a bachelor's degree in history and wants to become a nurse. In August 2011, Toni paid $5,000 of qualified education expenses for her fall 2011 semester. Bruce and Toni can claim a $1,000 (20% × $5,000) lifetime learning credit on their 2011 joint tax return.
The amount of your lifetime learning credit is phased out (gradually reduced) if your MAGI is between $51,000 and $61,000 ($102,000 and $122,000 if you file a joint return). You cannot claim a lifetime learning credit if your MAGI is $61,000 or more ($122,000 or more if you file a joint return).
1. | Enter your adjusted gross income (Form 1040, line 38) |
1. | |||||
2. | Enter your foreign earned income exclusion and/or housing exclusion (Form 2555, line 45, or Form 2555-EZ, line 18) | 2. | |||||
3. | Enter your foreign housing deduction (Form 2555, line 50) | 3. | |||||
4. | Enter the amount of income from Puerto Rico you are excluding | 4. | |||||
5. | Enter the amount of income from American Samoa you are excluding (Form 4563, line 15) | 5. | |||||
6. | Add the amounts on lines 2, 3, 4, and 5 |
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7. | Add the amounts on lines 1 and 6. This is your modified adjusted gross income. Enter this amount on Form 8863, line 18 |
7. |
Example.
You are filing a joint return with a MAGI of $112,000. In 2011, you paid $6,600 of qualified education expenses.
You figure the tentative lifetime learning credit (20% of the first $10,000 of qualified education expenses you paid for all eligible students). The result is a $1,320 (20% x $6,600) tentative credit.
Because your MAGI is within the range of incomes where the credit must be reduced, you must multiply your tentative credit ($1,320) by a fraction. The numerator of the fraction is $122,000 (the upper limit for those filing a joint return) minus your MAGI. The denominator is $20,000, the range of incomes for the phaseout ($102,000 to $122,000). The result is the amount of your phased out (reduced) lifetime learning credit ($660).
You claim the lifetime learning credit by completing Parts II and IV of Form 8863 and submitting it with your Form 1040 or 1040A. Enter the credit on Form 1040, line 49, or Form 1040A, line 31. A filled-in Form 8863 is shown at the end of this chapter.
If, after you file your 2011 tax return, you or someone else receives tax-free educational assistance for, or a refund of, an expense you used to figure a lifetime learning credit on that return, you may have to repay all or part of the credit. You must refigure your lifetime learning credit for 2011 as if the assistance or refund was received in 2011. Next, you must refigure your tax liability using the revised lifetime learning credit. The increased tax liability is the amount you must repay. Add the repayment (recapture) to your tax liability for the year in which you receive the assistance or refund. See the instructions for your tax return for that year to find out how to report the recapture amount. Your original 2011 tax return does not change.
Example.
You paid $9,300 tuition and fees in December 2011, and your child began college in January 2012. You filed your 2011 tax return on February 15, 2012, and claimed a lifetime learning credit of $1,860. You claimed no other tax credits. After you filed your return, your child dropped two courses and you received a refund of $2,900. You must refigure your 2011 lifetime learning credit using $6,400 of qualified education expenses instead of $9,300. The refigured credit is $1,280. The increase to your tax liability is $580. See the instructions for your 2012 income tax return to determine where to include this tax.
Judy Green, a single taxpayer, is taking courses at a community college to be recertified to teach in public schools. Her MAGI is $27,000. Her tax, before credits, is $2,234. She claims no credits other than the lifetime learning credit. In July 2011 she paid $700 for the summer 2011 semester; in August 2011 she paid $1,900 for the fall 2011 semester; and in December 2011 she paid another $1,900 for the spring semester beginning January 2012. She received Form 1098-T (shown later) from the college. Judy and the college meet all the requirements for the lifetime learning credit. She can use all of the $4,500 tuition she paid in 2011 when figuring her credit for her 2011 tax return. She figures her credit as shown on the filled-in Form 8863, later.
Note.
In Appendix A, Illustrated Example of Education Credits at the end of this publication, there is an example illustrating the use of Form 8863 when both the American opportunity credit and the lifetime learning credit are claimed on the same tax return.
Nonrefundable lifetime learning credit | |||||||
1. | Enter the amount from Form 8863, line 22 | 1. | 900 | ||||
2. | Enter the amount from Form 1040, line 46, or Form 1040A, line 28 | 2. | 2,234 | ||||
3. | Enter the total, if any, of your credits from: | ||||||
• | Form 1040, lines 47, 48, and the amount from Schedule R entered on line 53 | 3. | 0 | ||||
• | Form 1040A, lines 29 and 30 | ||||||
4. | Subtract line 3 from line 2 | 4. | 2,234 | ||||
5. | Nonrefundable lifetime learning credit. Enter the smaller of line 1 or line 4 | 5. | 900 | ||||
Nonrefundable American opportunity credit | |||||||
6. | Enter the amount from Form 8863, line 15 | 6. | 0 | ||||
7. | Enter the amount from Form 1040, line 46, or Form 1040A, line 28 | 7. | |||||
8. | Enter the total, if any, of your credits from: | ||||||
• | Form 1040, lines 47, 48, and the amount from Schedule R entered on line 53, and the amount from line 5 above | 8. | 0 | ||||
• | Form 1040A, lines 29 and 30, and the amount from line 5 above | ||||||
9. | Subtract line 8 from line 7 | 9. | |||||
10. | Nonrefundable American opportunity credit. Enter the smaller of line 6 or line 9 | 10. | 0 | ||||
11. | Nonrefundable education credits. Add line 5 and line 10. Enter here and on Form 8863, line 23 | 11. | 900 |
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