Can't remember if I claimed American Opportunity Credit 3 or 4 times - reached my limit?

The American Opportunity Credit (AOC) does have a strict 4-year lifetime limit per student. Since you're unsure about 2011, you have a few options: You can request a tax transcript from the IRS for 2011 to verify whether you claimed it. The fastest way is through the IRS website (irs.gov/transcripts), where you can view and download transcripts immediately. You'd want to request a "Tax Return Transcript" for 2011. If you can't get the transcript and remain uncertain, the conservative approach would be to not claim it for 2021. Claiming it a fifth time would likely trigger an automatic rejection if the IRS records show you've already reached your limit. The good news is that even if you've used all your AOC eligibility, you might still qualify for the Lifetime Learning Credit, which has no limit on the number of years you can claim it. The credit is worth up to $2,000 per tax return (though it covers only 20% of qualifying expenses).

Just wanted to share my experience with a similar situation. I was also confused about whether I had reached my AOC limit and I didn't want to deal with digging through old returns. I used https://taxr.ai to help analyze my previous tax filings. Seriously, it saved me hours of searching! I uploaded my tax documents and it identified that I had already claimed AOC for 4 years, preventing me from making a mistake that could have triggered an audit. The system showed me exactly which years I had claimed it and recommended the Lifetime Learning Credit instead. It also automatically analyzed my education expenses to determine what would qualify for the other education credits. Made everything so much easier than trying to figure it out myself or calling the IRS.

Just wanted to follow up. I was initially skeptical but decided to try taxr.ai for my situation with education credits. My college sent 1098-Ts with different amounts than what I actually paid (due to scholarships), and I was totally confused about which expenses qualified. The system helped me understand that my required course materials were qualified expenses too, not just tuition. It also explained how my scholarships affected the calculation. Ended up finding an additional $750 in tax credits I would have missed on my own! It also confirmed I had only used 3 years of the American Opportunity Credit, so I could claim it one more time. That verification alone saved me so much stress.

For anyone struggling to get tax information from previous years, I had a similar problem and was getting nowhere with the IRS website. Kept getting errors or timeouts when trying to get transcripts. After being on hold for literally 2+ hours multiple times, I found https://claimyr.com and tried their service. You can also see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes after I'd wasted days trying on my own. The agent was able to look up my previous tax years and confirm exactly when I had claimed the American Opportunity Credit. Turns out I had only claimed it 3 times, not 4, so I was eligible to claim it again. Getting that confirmation directly from the IRS gave me total confidence to claim the credit this year without worrying about getting audited or having my return rejected.

I have to apologize for my skeptical comment. I actually broke down and tried Claimyr after spending an entire day on hold with the IRS. I kept getting disconnected after waiting 90+ minutes each time. It actually worked exactly as described. I got a call back in about 35 minutes, and was connected directly to an IRS representative. She confirmed I had only claimed the American Opportunity Credit for 2018, 2019, and 2020, so I still had one year of eligibility left. The peace of mind from getting that information directly from the IRS was worth it. Now I can confidently claim the credit this year without worrying about accidentally going over my lifetime limit.

Don't stress too much about this. If you accidentally claim the AOC a 5th time, the IRS computers will catch it and simply adjust your return. I work with taxes, and this happens more often than you'd think. The Lifetime Learning Credit is still available after your AOC eligibility ends. It's worth up to $2,000 (20% of the first $10,000 in qualified expenses). Not as generous as the AOC's $2,500 but still something! Remember LLC has no limit on how many years you can claim it.

Has anyone had luck getting through to the IRS lately? I tried calling yesterday about this exact same issue (figuring out my AOC history) and was on hold for 2 hours before I had to hang up for a meeting.

I went through this exact same situation last year! The uncertainty about whether you've hit your AOC limit is so stressful. Here's what I learned: First, definitely try to get that 2011 transcript from the IRS website. Even if you think you didn't claim it, it's worth verifying since the AOC actually did exist in 2011 (it started in 2009). The online transcript system usually works pretty well, though sometimes you might need to verify your identity with credit report questions. If you absolutely can't get confirmation and decide to err on the side of caution by not claiming AOC this year, don't forget about the Lifetime Learning Credit as others mentioned. It's not as generous, but with your $7,300 in expenses, you'd still get a decent credit. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier - keep better records going forward! I now keep a simple spreadsheet tracking which education credits I've claimed each year. Makes tax time so much less stressful. The peace of mind from knowing for sure is worth the effort to get that transcript, trust me!