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Question

Should I claim the College Tuition Credit or College Tuition Itemized deduction?

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
February 8, 2022
2 replies
0 views

To claim the College Tuition Itemized Deduction do I need to take an itemized deduction or does taking the standard deduction qualify as well?

Not A Product Question

Employee

Simple answer: The College Tuition Credit. So, you can also use the standard deduction.

There is no itemized tuition deduction. W-2 employees used to be able to take an itemized deduction for tuition for courses that improved job skills. That is no longer allowed. The self employed are still allowed a deduction, but it goes on business Schedule C, not itemized deductions (Schedule A).

The "above the line" (not itemized) "Tuition & Fees Deduction" (TFD) was also eliminated this year. So, the tuition credit is your only choice. TurboTax will select the best one (of two) you qualify for.

az148Author

@Hal_Al Oh wow, the college tuition deduction was eliminated back at the end of 2020?

Employee

Simple answer: yes.

It was originally eliminated at the end of 2017, but during covid was temporarily retroactively reinstated.

The college tuition deduction is not extended for tax year 2021.

College tuition is not an itemized deduction. You cannot claim as an itemized deduction.

For 2021, the education credits and deductions are summarized in this TurboTax article.

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