My daughter paid over $6,000 in student loan interest on a loan in her name. Why wouldn't she get the deduction because she was a dependent on our return? We didn't.

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
April 26, 2020
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Best answer by DoninGA

Student loan interest cannot be reported on her tax return because she is being claimed as a dependent on your tax return.

See IRS Form 1040 instructions on page 89 - https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040gi.pdf#page=89

Student Loan Interest Deduction
You can take this deduction only if all of the following apply.
• You paid interest in 2019 on a qualified student loan (defined later).
• Your filing status is any status except married filing separately.
• Your modified adjusted gross income (AGI) is less than: $85,000 if single, head of household, or qualifying
widow(er); $170,000 if married filing jointly. Use lines 2 through 4 of the worksheet in these instructions to figure your modified AGI.

• You, or your spouse if filing jointly, aren't claimed as a dependent on someone else's (such as your parent's) 2019 tax return.

macuser_22

Employee

Yes. A dependent cannot claim student loan interest and neither can you if she paid it and not you.

**Disclaimer: This post is for discussion purposes only and is NOT tax advice. The author takes no responsibility for the accuracy of any information in this post.**

DoninGAAnswer

Employee

Student loan interest cannot be reported on her tax return because she is being claimed as a dependent on your tax return.

See IRS Form 1040 instructions on page 89 - https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040gi.pdf#page=89

• You, or your spouse if filing jointly, aren't claimed as a dependent on someone else's (such as your parent's) 2019 tax return.

jennaditoreAuthor

The loan is in her name. We didn't get the deduction.

Hal_Al

Employee

Q. Why wouldn't she get the deduction? Was it because she was a dependent on our return?

A. Yes, dependents aren't allowed that deduction.

A side issue: The amount of student loan payments (not just the interest), she makes, is counted as support, is determining if you can claim her as a dependent.