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June 1, 2019
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Can I dedut student loan interest payments if it is a foreign bank but the money was used to pay tuition from a US university.

  • June 1, 2019
  • 1 reply
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I loan is from a foreign bank but used used for my bachelors degree. I am a tax resident.
Best answer by MargaretL

Yes - you can deduct student loan interest from a foreign country, as long as the loan meets the requirements of being a student loan (a qualified student loan is a loan you took out solely to pay qualified higher education expenses) and you have legal obligation to make the loan payments. 

The year-end statement is sufficient enough to claim the interest. When going through Turbo Tax interview, simply enter the name of your Lender and amount in box 1, as if form is received.

Note: all amounts must be entered in U.S. dollars on the U.S. tax return. You may use "government resources" or "external resources" in the below link for conversion:

https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Foreign-Currency-and-Currency-Exchange-Rates

Additional information:

https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Yearly-Average-Currency-Exchange-Rates

1 reply

MargaretL
MargaretLAnswer
Employee
June 1, 2019

Yes - you can deduct student loan interest from a foreign country, as long as the loan meets the requirements of being a student loan (a qualified student loan is a loan you took out solely to pay qualified higher education expenses) and you have legal obligation to make the loan payments. 

The year-end statement is sufficient enough to claim the interest. When going through Turbo Tax interview, simply enter the name of your Lender and amount in box 1, as if form is received.

Note: all amounts must be entered in U.S. dollars on the U.S. tax return. You may use "government resources" or "external resources" in the below link for conversion:

https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Foreign-Currency-and-Currency-Exchange-Rates

Additional information:

https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Yearly-Average-Currency-Exchange-Rates

June 1, 2019
If I have taken loan from a bank in foreign country to pay for education. How can show IRS without the need of attaching form 1098-E. What should I attach in my application when I send them a mail with my 1040 NR EZ form