What Are Qualified Educational Expenses?

published 3 April 2008

What are considered qualified educational expenses for 529 college-savings plans and for the Hope and Lifetime Learning tax credits?

You can use money from a 529 plan tax free for tuition, fees, books, supplies and equipment required for enrollment at any accredited college, university or vocational school in the U.S. and at many foreign colleges.

You also can use the money for room and board, as long as the beneficiary is at least a half-time student. The full cost of room and board counts if the student's housing is owned or operated by the college. Off-campus housing costs can qualify, too, up to the allowance for room and board that the college includes in its cost of attendance for federal financial-aid purposes (your college financial-aid office can give you that figure).

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Ask Kim

As the "Ask Kim" columnist for Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Lankford receives hundreds of personal finance questions from readers every month. She is the author of Rescue Your Financial Life (McGraw-Hill, 2003), The Insurance Maze: How You Can Save Money on Insurance -- and Still Get the Coverage You Need (Kaplan, 2006), Kiplinger's Ask Kim for Money Smart Solutions (Kaplan, 2007) and The Kiplinger/BBB Personal Finance Guide for Military Families. She is frequently featured as a financial expert on television and radio, including NBC's Today Show, CNN, CNBC and National Public Radio.