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The Daily Insight

How much do you get back in taxes for tuition?

Author

Andrew Ramirez

Published Mar 02, 2026

A3. It is a tax credit of up to $2,500 of the cost of tuition, certain required fees and course materials needed for attendance and paid during the tax year. Also, 40 percent of the credit for which you qualify that is more than the tax you owe (up to $1,000) can be refunded to you.

How do you report tuition on your taxes?

Colleges and universities use the IRS form to report the total dollar amount a student or their parents paid for qualified tuition and expenses during the tax year. Schools are supposed to give a Form 1098-T to students by Jan. 31 of the calendar year following the tax year in which the expenses were paid.

Where do I Report tuition and fees on my tax return?

The deductions for these tuition costs and fees are reported on Schedule 1 of Form 1040. You’ll also use Form 8917 to detail and calculate your deduction. Another impact of the TCJA was that the IRS redesigned Form 1040. 3  These adjustments to income are particularly advantageous, because you don’t have to itemize to claim them.

Can You claim tuition and fees on the same tax return?

It hasn’t yet been renewed for the 2018 or 2019 tax years. You can’t claim both the tuition and fees deduction and either of the education tax credits in the same tax year, so you might want to prepare your return both ways to see which is most advantageous for you.

Is the tuition and Fees deduction renewed for 2017?

This time the tuition and fees deduction was saved, at least for one more year. 11  The BBA retroactively renewed it for the 2017 tax year, so it didn’t die at the end of 2016 after all. It hasn’t yet been renewed for the 2018 or 2019 tax years.

What are the rules for the tuition and Fees deduction?

Qualifying Rules for the Deduction This deduction is available to taxpayers who paid tuition and other required fees for attending college or another post-secondary school. Parents can deduct tuition for their child as long as the student was their dependent. 5 People can also claim this deduction for their own education expenses.