I’m a full-time student who earns income, but someone else paid my tuition. Can I claim any tuition tax credits?
You can use education payments made by your parents or third parties to claim tuition tax credits if both of these are true:
- You’re a student.
- You qualify to claim an education credit.
Payments made on your behalf are considered gifts to the student.
However, if you, your parent, or a third party didn’t pay any qualifying expenses, you can’t qualify for education credits. If you paid for other qualifying expenses besides tuition, you might still be eligible to claim the tuition tax credits.
What qualifies as an education expense varies based on which credit you’re claiming. Ex: Textbooks and course materials qualify for the American Opportunity Credit if they’re required for enrollment. But books won’t qualify for the Lifetime Learning Credit unless you’re required to buy them from the institution itself. Buying them at the school bookstore won’t qualify.
Also, if you’re a dependent on anyone’s return, you can’t claim an education credit.
Related Resources
Before filing taxes as a married couple, there are several things you should look into. Here's a checklist from H&R Block to make sure you don't miss anything.
Learn more about qualified mortgage interest and deducting home mortgage interest from your taxes with the experts at H&R Block.
Can you claim a non-child relative as a dependent and does it count as a qualifying relative? Learn more about your tax questions from H&R Block.
