Can I get a tax credit or refund as an expat student studying abroad with dual citizenship?

15 Your situation is actually pretty common for American students abroad! The good news is there might be some tax benefits available to you, even without paying tuition. The American Opportunity Credit and Lifetime Learning Credit both consider required course materials (like textbooks) as qualified education expenses. Even without formal receipts, you should keep a log of what you purchased, when, and for which courses. The IRS understands not all transactions come with receipts, especially when buying used items. Since your income is below the filing threshold, you might still benefit from filing because education credits can be partially refundable. This means you could potentially get money back even if you don't owe any taxes. The American Opportunity Credit allows up to $1,000 to be refundable, which could be significant for you. Your dual citizenship doesn't disqualify you from these benefits as long as you're filing US taxes and the school is eligible (which you mentioned it is).

12 After struggling with a similar situation (American studying in France), I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) incredibly helpful for my expat tax situation. I uploaded my foreign university transcript and course materials list, and their system automatically analyzed which expenses qualified for education credits. Even without traditional receipts, they helped me document my second-hand textbook purchases properly for IRS purposes. The software specifically understands how to handle education credits for Americans studying at foreign institutions, which was a game-changer for me. Their document analysis saved me hours of research trying to figure out which expenses qualified and how to properly document them for the IRS without formal receipts.

19 Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I decided to try it after my skepticism and I'm genuinely surprised at how helpful it was. I uploaded my course syllabi showing required materials and some bank statements showing purchases at bookstores, and they helped organize everything into proper documentation for education credits. The system automatically recognized my foreign university and knew exactly which forms and documentation were needed. It even helped me compare claiming the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion versus Foreign Tax Credit to maximize my refund - something I was completely confused about before. I ended up getting back about $850 I would have completely missed otherwise. Definitely worth it for anyone studying abroad with US tax obligations.

5 If you're having trouble getting clear answers from the IRS about your specific situation (which is common for expats), I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in tax limbo with questions about my education credits while studying in Australia, and couldn't get through to the IRS for weeks. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting for hours or days. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with confirmed that I could claim the American Opportunity Credit for my course materials even without paying tuition, and explained exactly what documentation I needed to keep as an international student. Having that official confirmation gave me peace of mind to file confidently.

8 I need to apologize for my skepticism about Claimyr. After my last unsuccessful attempt with the IRS, I decided to try it, and it actually worked exactly as described. I submitted my number through their system around 9am, went about my morning, and got a call around 10:30am connecting me directly to an IRS representative who was already on the line. The agent confirmed that as a dual citizen studying abroad, I qualify for education credits on my required course materials even if I'm not paying tuition due to my second citizenship. She explained I need to keep a detailed log of my purchases with course numbers, professors' names, and syllabi showing required materials. Saved me hours of frustration and gave me definitive answers from an official source. Definitely using this again next time I need to contact them.

4 Something important nobody's mentioned yet - check if your parents are claiming you as a dependent on their US taxes! If they are, you can't claim education credits yourself. They would have to claim them based on any expenses they actually paid for your education. I learned this the hard way last year when both my parents and I tried claiming my education expenses (they paid for my housing, I paid for books and materials), and it caused a whole mess with the IRS that took months to sort out.

10 Quick tip about documenting those second-hand book purchases without receipts: take photos of the books with the course number and your name visible, screenshots of any electronic transfers you made to pay for them, and keep a spreadsheet with dates, amounts, and course information. Also save your course syllabi that show these materials were required. I did this for my study abroad in Spain, and it was enough documentation when I claimed the Lifetime Learning Credit. I got about $200 back, which wasn't huge but definitely helped!