Where can I find out how many years of the American Opportunity Credit I have claimed?

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
June 1, 2019
2 replies
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I finished my bachelors degree this spring 2015 and don't know how many years I have claimed the American Opportunity Credit.

TurboTax Free Edition Online

Best answer by IsabellaG

If you have copies of your prior year tax returns, you can check them to see how many times you claimed the credit. If you started college in 2011 and were a student for four years in a row, from Fall Semester of 2011 to Spring Semester of 2015, it is possible that you claimed the American Opportunity Credit in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

If you don't have copies of your prior year tax returns, but you prepared them using TurboTax, you can unlock access to those returns by purchasing PLUS.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2758553-how-to-unlock-prior-year-returns-through-turbotax-online

If you didn't use TurboTax, you can request transcripts of these returns from the IRS.

https://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Request-a-Transcript-or-Copy-of-a-Prior-Year-Tax-Return

In any case, you would see an entries on line 50 &68 of your 1040 or lines 33 &44 of your 1040-A for years that you claimed the credit.

However, if your parents claimed you as a dependent during any of those years, the credit should have been claimed on their tax return, not yours.

IsabellaGAnswer

Employee

If you don't have copies of your prior year tax returns, but you prepared them using TurboTax, you can unlock access to those returns by purchasing PLUS.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2758553-how-to-unlock-prior-year-returns-through-turbotax-online

If you didn't use TurboTax, you can request transcripts of these returns from the IRS.

https://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Request-a-Transcript-or-Copy-of-a-Prior-Year-Tax-Return

In any case, you would see an entries on line 50 &68 of your 1040 or lines 33 &44 of your 1040-A for years that you claimed the credit.

However, if your parents claimed you as a dependent during any of those years, the credit should have been claimed on their tax return, not yours.

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amberstorm94

Employee

so does this mean that if the parents claimed you as a dependent for the first of the 4 years that this does not count toward your four years?

videocom

Employee

I also need to know this. I was in school back in 1999-2003 and I don't remember, neither did I use turbo tax. Do you know whether AOC or the Lifetime credit was offered that long ago?

Hal_Al

Employee

You do not need to account for any Lifetime Learning Credits (LLC), you claimed. There is no limit on the number of times the LLC can be claimed. The American Opportunity Credit (AOC) dates from 2009. It's predecessor, the Hope Credit dates from 1999. Any Hope credits claimed by either you or your parents (on your education) count for the 4 time limit on claiming the AOC.

Back then, there was a line for the education credit on form 1040, with the details shown on form 8863 (same as more recent forms). No part of the Hope credit (unlike the AOC) was refundable. It could only be used to offset a tax liability.