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ERIC Number: ED607188
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jul-20
Pages: 18
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Higher Education Tax Benefits: Brief Overview and Budgetary Effects. CRS Report R41967, Version 45. Updated
Crandall-Hollick, Margot L.
Congressional Research Service
Since 1997, education tax benefits have become an increasingly important component of federal higher education policy. For the 2019 and 2020 tax years, 12 tax benefits are available for college students and their parents to help pay for higher education. In 2025, absent legislative action, this number will increase to 13: two provisions which are temporarily suspended are scheduled to be in effect--the personal exemption for dependents (including college-age dependents) and miscellaneous itemized deductions (including for unreimbursed work-related education expenses)--while one benefit is scheduled to have expired--the above-the-line tuition and fees deduction, which is currently in effect through the end of 2020. This report provides a brief overview of the higher education tax benefits that are currently available to students and their families. The report contrasts higher education tax benefits with traditional student aid; presents a brief history of higher education tax policy over the past 60 years, including recent legislative proposals to modify these tax incentives; summarizes key features of the available tax benefits; and provides JCT estimates of revenue losses resulting from individual tax provisions. The summary is contained in Table 1 and provides information on various aspects of each tax benefit including the type of benefit (credit, deduction, etc.), the annual dollar amount of the benefit, what expenses qualify for the benefit, what level of education the benefit can be claimed for, income levels at which the benefit phases out, and, if the provision is temporary, when it expires. Table 2 contains estimates of the annual forgone federal revenue attributable to each provision.
Congressional Research Service. Web site: https://crsreports.congress.gov/
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A