Generally, you can claim the American Opportunity Credit if:
To be eligible for the American Opportunity Credit, the student must have been enrolled at least half-time in a program leading to a degree or other recognized educational credential for at least one academic period beginning in the year of the return.
A student may only claim the credit for a total of four tax years (including years in which the Hope Credit was claimed), and only for the first four years of postsecondary education (usually freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years of college).
Any conviction for felony drug possession or distribution makes the student ineligible.
Qualified education expenses are tuition and certain related expenses (books, supplies, and equipment) required for enrollment or attendance. Materials do not need to be purchased from the educational institution to qualify.
You may not claim both the American Opportunity Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit for the same student in the same tax year. For more information on the differences between these credits, see Form 8863 - Education Credits.
TaxAct will determine which education benefit is most advantageous for you based on the data entered on your return (such as income, filing status, amount of qualified expenses, etc.). See Education Credits & Deductions - Enter, Review, Modify for instructions on how to enter or modify your education information in TaxAct, or to compare the education benefits in your return.
Note that any link in the information above is updated each year automatically and will take you to the most recent version of the webpage or document at the time it is accessed.