The title compound, C(18)H(19)NO(5), is a product of the Hantzsch reaction of p-phthalaldehyde, methyl acetoacetate, and ammonium acetate. The 1,4-dihydro-pyridine ring of the mol-ecule adopts a flattened boat conformation. The benzene ring is almost perpendicular to the 1,4-dihydro-pyridine ring; the plane through the six C atoms of the benzene ring and the plane through the four C atoms that form the base of the boat-shaped 1,4-dihydro-pyridine ring (excluding the ring N atom and the opposite ring C atom) make a dihedral angle of 87.60 (3)°. Inter-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds result in the formation of extended chains along the a axis.