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Deduction vs. Credit
example:
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Assume that in 2002, a
family with AGI of $40,000 spends $5,000 on qualified education
expenses. It would be more
advantageous for this family to take a $1,000 Lifetime Learning credit
compared to a $3,000 deduction (which would produce a $450 reduction in taxes
based on them being in the 15% tax bracket).
The credit reduces tax liability dollar for dollar versus a deduction
which reduces tax liability by a percentage.
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In contrast, a family with
modified AGI of $110,000 would be ineligible to take the Lifetime Learning
credit, but still would be eligible to take a $3,000 deduction for a net tax
reduction of approximately $900 assuming they were in the 30% tax bracket.
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