Son is a senior ths academic year - spring 2016 will be final semester. We did not take the AOTC in 2012 due to income being above limit that year. We have taken it in 2013 and 2014, and will for 2015.
My question is whether we can take it for the 4th and final time in 2016.
His spring 2016 bill is due 1/8/2016. We are using a Parent Plus loan which will disburse 1/18/2016 - which is fine with the school.
I was reading the IRS guidelines and the only problem I see is the 1098-T. It was listed as one of the conditions needed for eligibility. Looking at the 1098-Ts from previous years - it looks like the entire academic year is on the previous year form. I don’t have the 2015 one yet - but it looks like tuition for the 2015-6 year will be on this form as it was all biled in 2015.
So - can we take the AOTC in 2016 even if we do not get a 2016 1098-T? This would be for the spring 2016 semester - billed in 2015, but paid in 2016.
No tuition deduction or credit without a 2016 1098T (no tuition and fees deduction, no AOTC, no Lifetime Learning Credit).
Hopefully the process and/or form will be updated and a 1098T would still be issued to people who were billed in 2015 for Spring 2016 semester and who paid in 2016.
Why couldn’t you request a 1098t if one isn’t automatically issued? It might have a zero in every box, but there was a box to check on the tax return that the 1098 was not correct and then you entered your own numbers. I did that last year and it worked. Some things aren’t on the 1098, like books, and you can include those. I wouldn’t give up so quickly if I didn’t get a 1098 for the final spring semester.
Thanks for the input. I am going to wait for the 2015 1098-T and then contact the school to ask about geting a 2016 1098-T for the money we are paying in 2016.