quasarvs Wrote:Pardon my butting in on the middle of this debate, but
I was curious if anyone had any thoughts regarding getting degrees from TESC
and getting tax credits for school.
I want to get the most tax credit I can, but because I only took 2 courses with TESC, my tax
people want to call me a half-time student, yet I'm earning a full B.A. Shouldn't I get credit as a full-time student?
On page 42 of Publication 970 the IRS defines a "half time student" as the following: Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education
Quote:Half-time student. A student is enrolled “at least half-time” if he or she is enrolled for at least half the full-time academic work load for the course of study the student is pursuing, as determined under the standards of the school where the student is enrolled.
Our school's standards accept CLEP, DSST, SL, etc. so those forms of credit are valid. TESC accepts them, you earned them. That's the way I see it. So, I'd take the total number of credits you've earned this year into consideration, not just the classes.
However, that's just my opinion and people's opinions are going to vary. Submit a ticket to TESC explaining what your situation. Get in writing whether you're a full or part time student. If they say you're a full time student, print it out and keep it for your records since claiming a tax credit may make you more likely for an audit (odds are still VERY low, but it does raise it for a bit).