3 min read
The two education tax credits, side by side
How the American Opportunity Tax Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit differ, and how to see which one fits your year.
Taxes and money articles
3 min read
Reading Form 1098-T
What each box on the tuition statement from your school means, and why its numbers are a starting point rather than the answer.
2 min read
When scholarship money counts as income
Scholarships and grants are often tax-free, but the part spent on housing, food or travel can be taxable. Here is how to sort it.
2 min read
The student loan interest deduction
How interest paid on a student loan can reduce taxable income, who can take the deduction, and where to find the amount you paid.
2 min read
Filing your taxes without paying for software
Two IRS options and a volunteer service that let many students file a federal return at no charge, and how to avoid surprise fees.
2 min read
Who claims you on their tax return
How the IRS decides whether a parent can claim a college student as a dependent, and why it changes who takes the education credits.
2 min read
Choosing a first bank account
What to compare between banks and credit unions, the fees that cost students most, and how a school refund fits in.
2 min read
Building credit carefully in college
How a credit history starts, the steady habits that build it, and the free tools for checking your reports and protecting them.
2 min read
Budgeting one term at a time
Plan money by semester or quarter, since aid arrives in lumps and costs do not, with a simple way to stretch a refund across the weeks.
2 min read
What to do with a refund from your school
Why a credit balance refund appears, how and when the school pays it, and how to decide whether to keep, budget or return it.