Student Loan Debt: Paying and Avoiding It, Plus Tax Benefits

Article Highlights: Tax Advantaged Repayment of Student Loans Employer Provided Educational Assistance Qualified Tuition Programs The Deductibility of Student Loan Interest Student Loans Forgiven in 2021 through 2025 Avoiding Student Loan Debt Section 529 Plans Coverdell Education Savings Account Education Tax Credits The American Opportunity Credit The Lifetime Learning Credit Despite recent rounds of forgiveness…

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Twists and Turns of the Education Tax Credits

Article Highlights: American Opportunity Tax Credit Lifetime Learning Credit Refundable Credit Which Credit to Take Post-secondary Education 3-month Rule Maximizing the Credit Qualified Expenses Who Claims the Credit Qualified Educational Institutions Gift Tax Issues If you have a child or children in college, or perhaps you or your spouse is a student, it can be…

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Take Advantage of the Education Tax Credits

Article Highlights: American Opportunity Tax Credit Lifetime Learning Credit Who Gets the Credit? Qualified Tuition and Related Expenses Eligible Educational Institutions Form 1098-T Scholarships Tax Fraud As with everything taxes, the devil is in the details, and that includes the education tax credits, which come in two types with some different rules for each. Many…

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What You Need to Know about Student Loan Interest

Article Highlights:   Home Equity Loan Home Equity Interest Deduction Alternative Minimum Tax Above-the-Line Interest Deduction Qualified Expenses If you are considering borrowing funds to finance your college education or that of your spouse or children, it is important that you understand that the student loan interest deduction is not limited to the interest paid…

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Big Changes to College Savings Plans

Article Highlights: Sec. 529 Plans Saving for College Elementary and Secondary School Tuition ABLE Account Transfers Tax reform added some new taxpayer-advantageous changes to college savings plans. These plans are also known as qualified tuition programs (QTPs) or Sec. 529 plans, named after the part of the Internal Revenue Code that established them. Background: Sec.…

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Gift Tax Treatment of Tuition Plans

Article Highlights: Purpose of Qualified Tuition Plans Gift Tax Implications Special Five-Year Election Change of Beneficiary Eligible Expenses Direct Payment of Tuition Qualified tuition plans (QTPs) provide a means for family members and others to save for the future educational needs of children. Investment earnings within a QTP account are tax deferred and not taxable…

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