Student loan interest is interest you paid during the year on a qualified student loan. It includes both required and voluntarily prepaid interest payments. You may deduct the lesser of $2,500 or the amount of interest you actually paid during the year. The deduction is gradually reduced and eventually eliminated by phaseout when your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) amount reaches the annual limit for your filing status.
You claim this deduction as an adjustment to income, so you don't need to itemize your deductions.
You can claim the deduction if all of the following apply:
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You paid interest on a qualified student loan in tax year 2023;
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You're legally obligated to pay interest on a qualified student loan;
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Your filing status isn't married filing separately;
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Your MAGI is less than a specified amount which is set annually; and
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Neither you nor your spouse, if filing jointly, were claimed as dependents on someone else's return. Another taxpayer is claiming you as a dependent if they list your name and other required information on page 1 of their Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR.
A qualified student loan is a loan you took out solely to pay qualified higher education expenses that were:
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For you, your spouse, or a person who was your dependent when you took out the loan;
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For education provided during an academic period for an eligible student; and
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Paid or incurred within a reasonable period of time before or after you took out the loan.
Capital Gains Almost everything you own and use for personal or investment purposes is a capital asset. Examples of capital assets include a home, personal-use items like household furnishings, and stocks or bonds held as investments. When you sell a capital asset, the difference between the adjusted basis in the asset and the amount you realized from the sale is a capital gain or a capital loss. Generally, an asset's basis is its cost to the owner, but if you received the asset as a gift or inheritance, refer to Publication 551, Basis of Assets for information about your basis. You have a capital gain if you sell the asset for more than your adjusted basis. You have a capital loss if you sell the asset for less than your adjusted basis. Losses from the sale of personal-use property, such as your home or car, aren't tax deductible.
Child Tax Credit You may be able to claim the child and dependent care credit if you paid expenses for the care of a qualifying individual to enable you (and your spouse, if filing a joint return) to work or actively look for work. Generally, you may not take this credit if your filing status is married filing separately. However, see What's Your Filing Status? in Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses, which describes an exception for certain taxpayers living apart from their spouse and meeting other requirements. The amount of the credit is a percentage of the amount of work-related expenses you paid to a care provider for the care of a qualifying individual. The percentage depends on your adjusted gross income.
Child Tax Credits You may be able to claim the child and dependent care credit if you paid expenses for the care of a qualifying individual to enable you (and your spouse, if filing a joint return) to work or actively look for work. Generally, you may not take this credit if your filing status is married filing separately. However, see What's Your Filing Status? in Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses, which describes an exception for certain taxpayers living apart from their spouse and meeting other requirements. The amount of the credit is a percentage of the amount of work-related expenses you paid to a care provider for the care of a qualifying individual. The percentage depends on your adjusted gross income.
Haven’t received your Form W-2 yet? The IRS can help It’s tax time, and you need your Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, to file an accurate federal tax return. If your employer hasn’t sent you the form yet, contact them and ask for a copy. Make sure they have your correct address. If you’re unable to get your Form W-2 from your employer, contact the Internal Revenue Service at 800-TAX-1040. The IRS will contact your employer or payer and request the missing form. Let them know: • your name, address, Social Security number and phone number; • your employer’s name, address and phone number; • the dates you worked for the employer; and • an estimate of your wages and federal income tax withheld in 2016. You can use your final pay stub to figure these amounts. If, after contacting the IRS, you still do not have your Form W-2, you have two choices: 1. File your return by the April due date and use Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. Try to estimate your wages and withholding as best you can. 2. Ask for more time to file by using Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S Individual Income Tax Return. You can even e-file the request. If it turns out the information on the Form W-2 is different than you reported, you will need to file an amended tax return using Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, to make the change
Didn't Receive a 1099? If you received certain types of income, you may receive a Form 1099 for use with your federal tax return. You should receive these forms from the payer by early February, according to the IRS. Payers have until January 31, 2003, to mail these to you. If you have not received an expected 1099 by a few days after that, contact the payer.
If you still do not get the form by February 15, call the IRS for help at 1-800- 829-1040.
Note: Most companies will not issue a 1099-MISC if your earnings were under $600, but you still may want to make sure if they sent one or not.