What qualifies as acceptable proof for the AOTC besides a 1098-T form?

The American Opportunity Tax Credit allows for qualified education expenses beyond just tuition, including required books, supplies, and equipment. Your documentation sounds reasonable for substantiating these expenses. For your textbook rental, the emailed rental agreement showing the amount paid should be sufficient proof. The IRS doesn't specifically require paper receipts - they want documentation that confirms you paid for qualified educational expenses. Save that email permanently (print and digital copies). Regarding your health and parking fees, these are trickier. Health fees are generally not considered qualified expenses for AOTC unless they were required for enrollment. Parking fees are almost never qualified expenses since they're considered personal expenses, not direct educational costs. Even with receipts, these particular expenses likely wouldn't qualify for the AOTC. Focus on documenting clear educational expenses like tuition, required books, and required course materials. Keep all documentation for at least 3 years after filing.

I went through something similar last year with trying to figure out what counts for AOTC! After lots of frustration, I finally tried https://taxr.ai and it was super helpful. I uploaded my course requirements, textbook receipts (even just email confirmation screenshots), and some other documents I wasn't sure about. The system analyzed everything and clearly identified which of my expenses qualified for AOTC. It also explained WHY certain items qualified while others didn't, which helped me understand the rules better. The biggest help was that it created a detailed documentation report that I saved with my tax records in case of an audit. For your situation, I think they could definitely help clarify whether your email rental agreement for textbooks is sufficient (it probably is) and whether those health/parking fees could qualify (sounds like parking probably won't).

I was skeptical at first about using taxr.ai for my AOTC documentation (as you can see from my question above), but I decided to give it a try since I was really confused about what counted. Honestly, I'm glad I did! I uploaded my course syllabi, book receipts (even just email confirmations), and lab fee information. The system flagged that some of my "recommended" textbooks wouldn't qualify, but confirmed my required materials would. It actually saved me from claiming about $200 in expenses that might have caused problems later. The documentation report it generated clearly explained everything with references to specific IRS rules. It gave me a lot more confidence in what I was claiming. Way more helpful than the vague advice I was getting elsewhere!

If you're struggling to get through to the IRS to confirm what documentation is sufficient for AOTC claims, I'd recommend trying https://claimyr.com - it completely changed my experience with the IRS last year. After waiting on hold for HOURS trying to get clarification about education credits and documentation requirements, I gave up multiple times. Then I found Claimyr which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes! They have this cool system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you, then calls you when an agent is actually on the line. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with confirmed that digital receipts and email confirmations ARE acceptable proof for textbook expenses, as long as they clearly show the amount paid, date, and what was purchased. Saved me so much stress!

OK I need to eat my words here. After my skeptical comment above, I was still desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my education credits documentation, so I tried Claimyr even though I thought it wouldn't work. I'm shocked to say it actually worked! Got a call back in about 25 minutes and talked to a real IRS agent who answered all my questions about what documentation is needed for AOTC claims without a 1098-T. Turns out email confirmations ARE acceptable for textbook expenses if they clearly show what was purchased and the amount. The agent also confirmed that my school's online payment portal records are valid proof of payment as long as they clearly show the expenses were required for enrollment. Definitely worth it to get official answers instead of guessing.

Just wanted to add some info from my audit experience last year. I claimed AOTC and got audited (random bad luck I guess). The IRS specifically asked for: 1) Proof of enrollment - I used my transcript 2) Proof the expenses were required - I used course syllabi showing required materials 3) Proof of payment - receipts, bank statements, etc. For textbooks, my digital receipts and Amazon order history were accepted! They just want to see that you actually paid for educational items. For your emailed rental agreement, I'd suggest also getting a bank or credit card statement showing the payment went through to that company. The health fees weren't questioned because my school listed them as "required institutional fees" on my student account. Parking wasn't accepted though, they considered it a personal expense.

Has anyone successfully claimed AOTC with just a student account statement showing tuition payment but no actual 1098-T? My community college didn't issue me one because my courses were covered by a scholarship, but I paid for all the books out of pocket (about $600). I have receipts for all the books.

Great question about AOTC documentation! I went through similar confusion last year and learned a lot through the process. Your email rental agreement for the digital textbooks should definitely be acceptable proof. The IRS doesn't require specific receipt formats - they just need documentation showing you paid for qualified educational expenses. Make sure to save both digital and printed copies of that email agreement. However, I'd agree with Tyler's assessment about the health and parking fees. Health services fees typically don't qualify unless they were specifically required for enrollment in your courses (not just general campus health services). Parking permits are almost never considered qualified educational expenses since they're personal convenience costs rather than direct educational requirements. One tip that helped me: create a simple spreadsheet listing each expense, the amount, date paid, and what documentation you have. This makes it much easier if you ever need to provide proof to the IRS. Also keep everything organized by tax year and semester. The good news is that your $250 in textbook rentals should qualify perfectly for the AOTC as long as those were required materials for your courses. Focus on documenting those clear educational expenses rather than trying to stretch into questionable categories.