How to maximize education-related tax breaks
This article organizes the original guidance on how to maximize education-related tax breaks into clear sections for easier reading and reference.
Overview
This opening section presents the main context from the original post.
If there was a college student in your family last year, you may be eligible for some valuable tax breaks on your 2015 return. To max out your education-related breaks, you need to see which ones you’re eligible for and then claim the one(s) that will provide the greatest benefit.
In most cases you can take only one break per student, and, for some breaks, only one per tax return.
Credits vs. deductions
This section keeps the original guidance focused on credits vs. deductions.
Tax credits can be especially valuable because they reduce taxes dollar-for-dollar; deductions reduce only the amount of income that’s taxed. A couple of credits are available for higher education expenses:
- The American Opportunity credit — up to $2,500 per year per student for qualifying expenses for the first four years of postsecondary education.
- The Lifetime Learning credit — up to $2,000 per tax return for postsecondary education expenses, even beyond the first four years.
But income-based phaseouts apply to these credits.
If you’re eligible for the American Opportunity credit, it will likely provide the most tax savings. If you’re not, the Lifetime Learning credit isn’t necessarily the best alternative.
Despite the dollar-for-dollar tax savings credits offer, you might be better off deducting up to $4,000 of qualified higher education tuition and fees. Because it’s an above-the-line deduction, it reduces your adjusted gross income, which could provide additional tax benefits.
But income-based limits also apply to the tuition and fees deduction.
How much can your family save?
This section keeps the original guidance focused on how much can your family save?.
Keep in mind that, if you don’t qualify for breaks for your child’s higher education expenses because your income is too high, your child might. Many additional rules and limits apply to the credits and deduction, however.
To learn which breaks your family might be eligible for on your 2015 tax returns — and which will provide the greatest tax savings — contact us at 607-272-5550 or info@swcllp.com.
Related Resources
These resources connect the article topic with related Bowers service pages and approved professional reading.
FAQ
The questions below summarize the main points already covered in the article.
What is the main focus of How to maximize education-related tax breaks?
The article focuses on how to maximize education-related tax breaks and organizes the original guidance into sections for easier review.
What topics does the article cover first?
The article begins with credits vs. deductions and then continues through the remaining points in the original post.
Which additional areas are included?
Additional sections include how much can your family save?.
Does the post include action items or reminders?
Yes. The original post includes listed items that have been kept in list format for easier scanning.
Was the original post wording changed?
The revision keeps the author wording and updates the structure so the post is easier to read online.