Can I file my education payment for Penn Forster on my taxes?

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
March 27, 2020
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TurboTax Self Employed Online

hbl3973

Employee

jrejonesllc,

Assuming you meant "Penn Foster" then a search of the US database of accredited institutions (https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home) pulls up two "Penn Foster" institutions:

Penn Foster Career School	Institution	925 Oak Street	Scranton	PA

Penn Foster College	Institution	14300 N. Northsight Boulevard Suite 125	Scottsdale	AZ

both of which are accredited which means, yes, your payments to either institution for tuition are theoretically applicable for claiming an educational credit. Whether they are in practice depends upon details discussed in IRS Publication 970 (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf) such as;

Did you get an 1098-T?

Are you working on a degree or just expanding job skill?

Are you being claimed as a dependent by someone?

With that in mind, please review Publication 970 with regards your individual situation.

RobertG

Education tax credits can help you with higher education costs by reducing the amount of tax you owe. There are two credits available, the American Opportunity Tax Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit. TurboTax will check both of them for you.

American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC)

You can use this credit for the first four years of college when working towards a degree.

Maximum credit is $2,500 per eligible student.
Must be enrolled at least half time for at least one semester during the tax year.
Up to $1,000 can be refunded to you.

Lifetime Learning Credit

There is no limit on the number of years you can use this credit for undergraduate, graduate and professional degree courses, including ones to improve job skills.