Internal Revenue Service (IRS) · United States

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Form 8863, Education Credits (American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Credits)

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Quick answer

Form 8863 is the IRS form used to figure and claim education credits - the American Opportunity Tax Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit - based on qualified tuition and related expenses. It is filed by students or the parents who claim them as dependents and meet income limits. JustFill lets you fill the official 2025 Form 8863 PDF online for free, with AI detecting each line.

Form
Form 8863
Issued by
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Country
United States
Cost to fill
Free

What is Form 8863?

Form 8863, Education Credits (American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Credits), is the IRS form taxpayers attach to Form 1040 to claim two postsecondary education tax credits. The American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) is worth up to $2,500 per eligible student for the first four years of college and is up to 40% refundable, while the Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) is worth up to $2,000 per return for any postsecondary or job-skill courses and is nonrefundable. Credits are based on qualified tuition and related expenses paid to an eligible institution, generally supported by Form 1098-T, and both phase out at higher modified adjusted gross income. You can claim either credit for a given student in a year, but not both. JustFill opens the official 2025 Form 8863 PDF in your browser, uses AI to detect each field, and lets you type or dictate your answers - even on scanned copies - with no Adobe required.

Download the Form 8863 form PDF — free

The official 2025 Form 8863 PDF and its separate instructions are available free from the IRS at irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-8863; tax forms are never sold. Instead of downloading, printing, and scanning, open the same official PDF in JustFill - it loads in your browser, AI highlights every line and Part III student block, and you type or dictate your answers with no Adobe Acrobat required.

Get the official Form 8863 PDF from Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Who fills out Form 8863?

  • A parent claiming a dependent college student to take the American Opportunity Tax Credit on their joint return.
  • An undergraduate in their first four years of college claiming the AOTC on their own return when not claimed as a dependent.
  • A graduate student or part-time learner claiming the nonrefundable Lifetime Learning Credit for tuition.
  • A working adult taking job-skill or continuing-education courses at an eligible institution.
  • A tax preparer completing the form for a client using the student's Form 1098-T figures.

Field-by-field breakdown

What each section of Form 8863 asks for. JustFill’s AI will detect these fields automatically when you upload the PDF — review the breakdown below so you know what to enter.

Part I - Refundable American Opportunity Credit (Lines 1-8)

Totals the tentative AOTC from Part III, applies the income phase-out, and computes the refundable portion on line 8.

Line 1 - Total tentative AOTC

Sum of the adjusted qualified education expenses figured for all students in Part III, line 30.

Line 3 / Line 7 - Modified AGI and phase-out

Enters your MAGI and applies the income limits that reduce or eliminate the American Opportunity Credit.

Line 8 - Refundable American Opportunity Credit

The refundable amount (up to 40%) that carries to Form 1040; some taxpayers under age 24 cannot take the refundable portion.

Part II - Nonrefundable Education Credits (Lines 9-19)

Combines the nonrefundable share of the AOTC (line 9) with the Lifetime Learning Credit and applies the tax-liability limit.

Line 19 - Nonrefundable education credits

The final nonrefundable credit after the Credit Limit Worksheet, carried to Schedule 3 (Form 1040), line 3.

Part III - Student and Educational Institution Information (Lines 20-26)

Completed for each student: name, taxpayer ID, school details, and the AOTC eligibility questions (prior claims, enrollment, felony drug conviction).

Lines 27-31 - Per-student credit calculation

Lines 27-30 compute that student's American Opportunity Credit; line 31 computes Lifetime Learning Credit expenses for students not taking the AOTC.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • 1Claiming both the American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Credit for the same student in the same year - only one credit is allowed per student annually.
  • 2Taking the refundable AOTC on line 8 when the taxpayer is under 24 and meets the conditions that disallow it, which the form's checkboxes are meant to catch.
  • 3Entering total tuition instead of adjusted qualified expenses - amounts paid with tax-free scholarships, grants, or 529 distributions must be subtracted first.

How JustFill helps you complete Form 8863

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Frequently asked questions

Yes. The IRS provides Form 8863 free, and JustFill lets you fill the official PDF online for free with AI detecting each line.
Download the current 2025 PDF and instructions free from irs.gov. You can also skip the download and open the same form in JustFill to complete it on screen.
Yes. JustFill opens the official Form 8863 PDF in your browser and uses AI to detect every field, so you can type or dictate your answers without printing, then download the finished form.
It figures and claims the American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning education credits from your tuition expenses. JustFill makes filling the Part III student information and credit lines faster and clearer.
The American Opportunity Credit (up to $2,500, partly refundable) is for the first four years of college; the Lifetime Learning Credit (up to $2,000, nonrefundable) covers any postsecondary courses. JustFill detects the right lines in Parts I-III so you fill the credit you qualify for.
Usually yes - your school's 1098-T shows the qualified tuition you'll enter. JustFill lets you type or dictate those figures straight onto the official form without printing it first.

Official source: Form 8863 on Internal Revenue Service (IRS)’s website

JustFill is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or any government agency. Always verify your completed form on the official version before signing or submitting.