Is the college tuition deduction still available for 2025 filing?

The Tuition and Fees Deduction you're referring to actually expired permanently after the 2020 tax year. It was temporarily resurrected for 2018-2020, but Congress didn't extend it beyond that. For your 2024 taxes that you'll file in 2025, you should look at the education tax credits instead - specifically the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) or the Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC). The AOTC can be worth up to $2,500 per eligible student for the first four years of higher education, while the LLC is worth up to $2,000 per tax return. The education credits are generally more valuable anyway since they reduce your tax bill dollar-for-dollar, rather than just reducing your taxable income like the deduction did. Plus, the AOTC is partially refundable, meaning you could get up to $1,000 back even if you don't owe any taxes.

I struggled with figuring out education tax benefits last year too. I kept getting conflicting information from different sources. After hours of research and still being confused, I stumbled upon https://taxr.ai which basically analyzed all my education expense receipts and transcripts, then told me exactly which credits I qualified for. Their system actually caught that I was eligible for the American Opportunity Credit even though I was initially focusing on the wrong deduction too. It saved me from missing out on about $1,500 in tax savings! The tool even explained why the tuition deduction was no longer available and why the credit was better for my situation.

Just wanted to update that I tried the taxr.ai service mentioned above. It really helped clear up my confusion about education expenses! I uploaded my daughter's 1098-T and book receipts, and it confirmed I should claim the American Opportunity Credit instead of looking for that expired tuition deduction. The analysis showed I could include $1,200 in textbook expenses that I wasn't sure would qualify. The report it generated made it super easy to understand exactly what I could claim and why. Definitely worth checking out if you're confused about education tax benefits like I was!

If you run into issues with the IRS regarding your education credits (which happens a lot), getting through to a human at the IRS can be incredibly frustrating. I spent weeks trying to resolve a issue with my son's education credit last year. Then I found https://claimyr.com which got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they navigate the phone tree for you and call you back when they have an agent on the line. They helped me reach someone who could actually explain why my education credit had been adjusted and what documentation I needed to provide to fix it. Saved me so much time and frustration!

I need to apologize and report back. After being skeptical about Claimyr, I actually tried it yesterday when I needed to ask about education credits vs. deductions for my tax situation. I was shocked when I got a call back in about 45 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line! The agent confirmed everything people are saying here - the tuition and fees deduction is gone, and for most people the American Opportunity Credit is the better option anyway. She walked me through exactly what I needed to document for my daughter's education expenses to qualify. Saved me hours of research and worry! Sometimes being proven wrong is actually a good thing.

Just wanted to add that if your child is beyond their first 4 years of college (when AOTC no longer applies), don't forget about the Lifetime Learning Credit. It's not as generous as AOTC but it still gives you a 20% credit on up to $10k of qualified expenses (so max $2k). And there's no limit on the number of years you can claim it!

I'm confused about whether my kid qualifies as a dependent for these education credits. She turned 24 last year, lives in her own apartment near campus, but I still pay most of her tuition and living expenses. Can I still claim education credits for her?

One important thing to keep in mind is that you need to receive Form 1098-T from your daughter's school to claim education credits. The school should send this by January 31st showing tuition and fees paid during the tax year. However, don't just rely on the 1098-T amounts - sometimes the form shows payments received by the school rather than what you actually paid. You should use your actual payment records (receipts, bank statements, etc.) to determine the correct amount of qualified expenses. Also, remember that room and board don't qualify for education credits, only tuition, fees, and required course materials like textbooks. Some people mistakenly try to include housing costs which can trigger IRS scrutiny later.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation with my son starting his sophomore year. One thing I learned the hard way is to keep detailed records throughout the year, not just wait until tax time. I created a simple spreadsheet tracking all education payments - tuition, fees, required textbooks, lab fees, etc. - along with dates and payment methods. This made it so much easier when I needed to verify amounts against the 1098-T form. Also, if your daughter buys textbooks from sources other than the school bookstore (like Amazon, used book sites, etc.), make sure those receipts clearly show they were required for her courses. The IRS can ask for documentation proving the books were actually required, not just recommended reading. One last tip: if you're paying tuition in December for spring semester, those payments count toward the current tax year's education credits, not the following year when the classes actually happen. The timing is based on when you pay, not when the education occurs.