Hope credit

The Hope credit, provided by 26 U.S.C. § 25A(b), was available to taxpayers who have incurred expenses related to the first two years of post-secondary education.[1] For this credit to be claimed by a taxpayer, the student must attend school on at least a part-time basis. The credit can be claimed for education expenses incurred by the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or the taxpayer's dependent. Starting with tax year 2009, the Hope credit had been supplanted by the more generous American Opportunity Tax Credit.

This credit allows for the first $1,200 in "qualified tuition and related expenses," as well as half of qualifying expenses between $1,200 and $2,400, to be fully creditable against the taxpayer's total tax liability. The maximum amount of the credit is $1,800 per eligible student.

  1. ^ https://www.irs.gov/publications/p970/ch03.html Publication 970 (2009), Tax Benefits for Education: Hope Credit