1098-T Tax Form Information

The Form 1098-T is a tuition statement that colleges and universities are required to issue to most students who paid for “qualified educational expenses” in the preceding calendar year.  Qualified educational expenses include tuition and mandatory course-related fees. However, the University is not required to prepare Form 1098-T for every student even if they paid for qualified educational expenses.  Please refer to the section below entitled “Why You May Not Receive a Form 1098-T” for more information.

If you are eligible to receive Form 1098-T, then your form 1098-T will be available by January 31.

For questions regarding Form 1098-T that are not answered under “Frequently Asked Questions”, please email businessoffice@clarksummitu.edu.

How to Access Your Form 1098-T

To Retrieve your Form 1098-T Electronically

By completing the consent to electronic viewing form, you have agreed to receive Form 1098-T electronically. To view and download a copy of your form 1098-T, use the following credentials to log into the TSC 1098-T website at tsc1098t.com. Once logged in click “View/Print my 1098-T”

• Site ID: 11657
• Username: Student ID Number
• Password: Last 4 digits of your SSN (if first time logging in)
  If you have already logged in and changed your password, please use your new password. If you have forgotten your password, please use the “forgot password” link.

Students who receive Form 1098-T electronically will be generally able to access their forms sooner than those students who receive their forms by mail.

To Receive Your Form 1098-T by Mail

If you have not completed the consent to electronic viewing form your Form 1098-T will be mailed to the address in the CSU system. You may still access your 1098-T electronically using the steps above. You will be prompted to complete the consent form.

NOTE

Please note that we are unable to email or fax the form to anyone. Students may choose to print or email their form from the TSC site.

Why You May Not Receive a Form 1098-T

Eligible educational institutions are required by the IRS to prepare Form 1098-T for most students who paid for “qualified educational expenses” in the preceding year.  Consistent with IRS Regulations, CSU is not required to provide form 1098-T to a student in the following instances:

• The student’s qualified tuition and related expenses posting in the reporting year were entirely waived or paid entirely with scholarships posting in the reporting year (noting that payments for the spring semester frequently post in the previous reporting year, and are thus reflected in the prior year’s form 1098-T, and while charges and payments for the spring semester are frequently posted in the previous year, scholarships and grants for the spring semester are frequently posted in the next tax year and would be reported as covering charges in that year). Payments and aid for the spring semester are not always counted as covering charges for the spring semester on the 1098-T due to this timing.
• CSU does not maintain a separate financial account for the student whose qualified tuition and related expenses are covered by a formal billing arrangement between CSU and the student’s employer or a government entity, such as the Department of Veteran Affairs.
• The student took courses for which no academic credit is offered or earned, even if the student is otherwise enrolled in a degree program.
• The student is a nonresident alien, i.e., not a tax resident of the United States. (Note: The University’s general practice has been to provide nonresident aliens with a form 1098-T when a Tax ID has been supplied via form W-9, even though it’s not legally required to do so. Please visit the IRS website to obtain form W-9.

If you fall under one of these exceptions, you will not receive a form 1098-T from the University.

Understanding Form 1098-T

If you receive form 1098-T, then the amount in Box 1 of the form will show the amount that you paid towards qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) in the preceding year.  Qualified educational expenses include tuition and mandatory course-related fees, but it does NOT include room and board, athletic gear, book charges, or fines.

Please be advised that amounts paid do not represent amounts billed by the University during the calendar year. The amount in Box 1 represents amounts paid and posted (including student loans) to your student account during the appropriate calendar year.

Box 5 of Form 1098-T shows the amount of scholarships or grants (including tuition remission) you received during the year.

Please note that when claiming educational credits and deductions on your income tax return, you will need to report amounts paid and your billing statements will be the best and most helpful resources for purposes of determining your allowable education tax credits or deductions.   You can access your semester billing statements through Nelnet Campus Commerce: https://online.campuscommerce.com/signin/4NZ1J or by clicking the link at the bottom of your most recent bill notification email sent from Nelnet.

Other Important Information and Resources

Taxable scholarships/fellowships

Please keep in mind that form 1098-T does not indicate whether you received a taxable scholarship or fellowship.  It is the sole responsibility of the student to report and pay taxes on the taxable portion of any scholarship, fellowship or grant that he/she receives.  This is not the responsibility of the University.  For example, you may have to report taxable income if the total amount of your grants or scholarships received during the year exceeded the amount you paid for qualified education expenses in that year. For more information, please refer to IRS Publication 970.

Section 529 Plans

If you took a distribution from a Section 529 Plan in the preceding year, you will likely receive a Form 1099-Q from the financial institution that administers the plan. This form shows the gross distribution amount, the amount of the distribution that represents earnings on the initial investment, and the amount of your initial investment or cash contribution. We cannot answer any questions related to your Section 529 plan or the taxability of any distributions taken during the year. Please refer to IRS Publication 970- Tax Benefits for Education.pdf and IRS 529 Plans: Questions and Answers.

Eligibility for Education Tax Credits & Deductions

For a summary of the education tax credits and deductions that you might be eligible for, please refer to IRS Publication 970- Tax Benefits for Education.pdf.

Helpful Links

• Publication 970- Tax Benefits of Education.pdf
• IRS Form 1098-T Instructions.pdf
• IRS 529 Plans: Questions and Answers
• Choosing a Tax Professional
• Nelnet Campus Commerce – Access to your student billing statement

Form 1098-T Frequently Asked Questions

What is IRS Form 1098-T?

Form 1098-T is a statement that colleges and universities are required to issue to certain students. It provides the total dollar amount paid by the student for what is referred to as qualified tuition and related expenses (or “QTRE”) in a single tax year.

When will I receive my Form 1098-T?

Form 1098-T’s will be available to students electronically on or before January 31 through the TSC 1098-T website: www.tsc1098t.com.

Why don’t the numbers on my 1098-T match the amounts I paid to CSU during the year?

There are potentially many reasons for this discrepancy. First, the amount in Box 1 only represents amounts paid for qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) and does not include payments made for room and board, athletic gear, or book charges, which, though important, are not considered mandatory education expenses for tax purposes. Secondly, form 1098-T reports amounts that the student paid in a certain calendar year, and the pay date does not necessarily correspond to the dates that the classes were attended. For example, tuition for the spring semester is typically billed in the prior year so a student may have paid tuition for the spring semester in November even though classes don’t start until January. The best and most accurate source of information about the amounts that you paid for qualified tuition and related expenses will be your billing statement.

Does the 1098-T include charges for books?

No, the University does not include amounts paid for books in Form 1098-T. You should consult with your tax advisor to determine if payments for books, supplies and equipment including computer or peripheral equipment, computer software and internet access equipment or fees should be considered when preparing your income tax returns and determining eligibility for education tax credits or deductions.

What semesters are included in my form 1098-T?

Typically, charges are posted to your student account in November for the spring semester and in June for the fall semester. Box 1 of Form 1098-T reflects payments made during the calendar year for qualified tuition and related expenses and it is not based on when the classes were attended or billed to the student account. Your billing statement will show the dates payments were posted to your account and are a valuable resource for determining the semesters that are included in your Form 1098-T. You can access your billing statement through Nelnet Campus Commerce: https://online.campuscommerce.com/signin/4NZ1J or by clicking the link at the bottom of your most recent bill notification email sent from Nelnet.

I graduated in May; do I have a Form 1098-T?

Some May graduates will not be issued a Form 1098-T because there is a possibility that payments for QTRE for Spring were made on or before December 31 of the preceding calendar year. If a student paid for the Spring semester and any other outstanding QTRE charges in the preceding calendar year, then the student would not receive a Form 1098-T.

How do I prepare my tax return without a Form 1098-T?

Form 1098-T reports payments received from the student for qualified tuition and related expenses (Box 1) during the preceding calendar year.  However, if the student receives scholarships, grants and/or fellowships in the preceding year in excess of the amounts they paid in QTRE, the University is not required to issue a Form 1098-T to the student. When determining your eligibility for education-related tax credits and deductions, you will need to report the amount you paid for qualified education and related expenses. Therefore, your billing statement will be the best and most accurate source of information for amounts paid for qualified education and related expenses. This is true regardless of whether you receive Form 1098-T or not.

My tax preparer says that University must provide me with a Form 1098-T.

The University in not required, by the IRS, to furnish a Form 1098-T in the following instances:

• If payments are for courses for which no academic credit is offered, even if the student is otherwise enrolled in a degree program.
• If the enrolled student is a nonresident alien, unless requested by the student.
• Students whose qualified tuition and related expenses are entirely waived or paid entirely with grants/scholarships.
• Students for whom you do not maintain a separate financial account and whose qualified tuition and related expenses are covered by a formal billing arrangement between an institution and the student’s employer or a governmental entity, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense.

I can’t access my Form 1098-T because the site says my login information is incorrect.

If you have previously logged into the site (perhaps you have and don’t remember!), then you were required at that time to change your password. If this is the case, then your password is NOT the last 4 digits of your SSN. If you have forgotten your password, please use the blue “Forgot Password” link to the right of the password box on the site login page.

I don’t understand what I am supposed to do with Form 1098-T! Help!

We are unable to provide tax advice. For guidance, you may want to consider IRS Publication 970 in addition to the IRS’s guide to Choosing a Tax Professional.

Need Help?

Questions about your statement? Email businessoffice@ClarksSummitU.edu or call 570.585.9211.

Questions on Nelnet website? Call 800.609.8056.