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Borrowing Money to Finance an Education?

Borrowing Money to Finance an Education?

There are tax benefits that should be of particular interest to anybody currently contemplating taking out a loan to fund school — and that’s true whether it’s school for your kids, yourself, or your spouse.

The School Funding Options

Though your first thought may be to look into the various education loans that are available, if your equity is high enough, you may want to think about borrowing against your home. Doing so allows you to continue deducting your mortgage interest even if you borrow as much as $100,000 against your equity.  This is true for all taxpayers unless they are subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT), which precludes the deduction of equity debt, and even for those who are subject to the AMT the low interest rate on home loans may be a better option than other loans that carry heavier interest rates.

What is the above-the-line education interest deduction

Another option is to use an above-the-line education interest deduction, which is a possibility even for those who are subject to the AMT or who don’t itemize. Not everybody can use this deduction – it is limited to a maximum of $2,500 per year, and phases out for those whose Adjusted Gross income is between $65,000 and $80,000 (or for those filing jointly, between $135,000 and $165,000 during 2017). Other years had different thresholds, so if you believe you may be able to apply this deduction for another year, contact us for the specifics.

One important point about taking the above-the-line interest deduction is that only the taxpayer who has the legal obligation to make payments on the listed qualified educational loan is eligible to take the deduction. The payments on the interest are able to be made by somebody else – tax regulations allow those payments to be made as a gift to the taxpayer so that they can deduct the interest – but the loan has to be in that person’s name.

If you are taking this above-the-line deduction can be taken on interest for loans for education no matter what type of loan it is, including credit card interest, home equity loans, or government student loans, just as long as the money that has been borrowed is being used to pay for qualified educational expenses. You are not permitted to use the deduction if the loan is from a person who is related to the borrower, and there is an expectation that the money that is borrowed is used to pay for those qualified expenses within approximately 90 days of the money being loaned. In the case of a home equity line of credit, it is understood that the payments will be made when the educational expenses are to be remitted

Taking out a loan for education is something that makes good sense, especially if you can take a tax deduction on the interest that you pay.

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Gordon W. McNamee

Gordon W. McNamee

Gordon W. McNamee is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) based in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Gordon W. McNamee can assist you with your tax return preparation, payroll, accounting and tax planning needs. <br /> <br /> 2021 is Gordon W. McNamee, CPAs 38th year in the profession. As as a former IRS agent (1984 through 1987), Gordon has been in public accounting since 1987. Gordon specializes in individual, corporate, HOA, trust, estate and payroll taxes. He also prepares financial statements and provides accounting & bookkeeping services. He enjoys making his clients feel at ease while providing a personalized professional service.

GORDON W. MCNAMEE, CPA
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