1098-T FAQ

The information listed below is offered as a guide for students and IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL TAX ADVICE.  If you have questions or need further assistance, you may wish to contact your tax advisor or the Internal Revenue Service.  Free tax help is available for eligible students through the EITC Coalition, part of the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program at www.refundohio.org.

 

The 1098T form is informational only, and should not be considered as tax advice.  The responsibility for individual tax circumsances rests with the taxpayer alone, and Cleveland State University cannot take any responsibility for your interpretation of this form.  There is no IRS requirement that you must claim the tuition and fees deduction, or an education credit.  

The amount of qualified tuition and related expenses reported on Form 1098T may not reflect the total amount of qualified tuition and related expenses paid during the year for which you may claim an education credit.  You may include qualified tuition and related expenses that are not reported on Form 1098T when claiming one of these education benefits, if you can substantiate payment of these expenses (IRS Instructions for Form 8863, 2018).

 

 

1098-T Frequently Asked Questions

Q:       What is an IRS Form 1098-T?

• The IRS Form 1098-T is used by eligible educational institutions to report information about their students to the IRS as required by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997.
• Information reported includes payments received for qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE), as well as scholarships and/or grants, taxable or not, for a single tax year.
• Also included are student demographic information, including individual student names, addresses, individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) or Social Security Number (SSN), enrollment and academic status.

Beginning in tax year 2003, an IRS Form 1098-T must also be provided to each eligible student.

Q:       When will my 1098-T be available?

• For Tax Year 2018, IRS Form 1098-T will be available online through your CampusNet account beginning January 31, 2019.  After January 31^st, if you are unable to print one online for tax year 2018, or a previous tax year please contact the Bursar's Office at bursar@csuohio.edu.

Q:       How do I access my 1098-T?

• Your 1098-T will be available through your CampusNet portal (click on the Account tab, then the 1098-T tab).  If you need assistance resetting your CampusNet password, please contact the Help Desk at 216-687-5050.  All current and former students will be able to access their 1098-T in this manner.

Q:       Did you send a copy of my 1098-T to the IRS?

• Yes.  Section §1.6050S-1 of the Internal Revenue Code, as enacted by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 requires institutions to file an information return with the IRS as well as provide a statement to each reported on individual.  This information is available to determine eligibility for any tuition deduction and/or Hope and Lifetime Learning education tax credit.

Q:       What educational expenses are considered Qualified Tuition and Related Expenses (QTRE)?

• QTRE includes tuition and required fees (including lab fees, course materials, the athletic fee, career services fee, admission and graduation fees, and the enrollment fee) paid for a course taken for academic credit.
• QTRE does NOT include room and board, student activities, athletics (unless the course is part of the degree program), insurance, equipment, transportation, or other similar personal, living or family expenses.

Q:       How is the amount in Box 1 determined?

• The Box 1 amount is calculated by identifying payments received by Cleveland State from all sources during tax year 2018 that were applied towards eligible fees (any amounts for Spring 2018 that were reported in Box 2 of the 2017 form will be deducted from Box 1).  Tax year 2018 includes January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018.
• Please note that the amount in Box 1 is NOT based on the date of the academic semester, but rather when the actual payment was posted to your student account.  Example:  A payment made in December 2018 for the Spring 2019 semester will be included in your 2018 1098-T.

Q:       I am a graduate student and received payments for my assistantship or fellowship.  Where are these payment reported on my 1098-T?

• For 1098-T purposes, fellowships and GA payments are considered aid and are reported in Box 5.

Q:       I don’t want to provide my Social Security Number to anyone and I don’t need a 1098-T Form, is my information still reported to the IRS?

• Yes.  The University is required to file a 1098-T for all students for whom we have reportable transactions during the year, even if the student has not provided an identification number (either SSN or ITIN).

A student who does not provide a valid SSN or ITIN upon request by the University can be subject to a $100.00 fine imposed by the IRS.

Q:       Why don’t the numbers on the 1098-T equal the amounts I paid during the year?

• There are potentially many reasons for this discrepancy.  First, QTRE does not include payments for charges such as library fines, parking, late fees or room and board, which, though important, are not considered mandatory education expenses for many tax purposes.

Q:       I don’t understand what to do with the information reported on the 1098-T form.  Help!

• The Code of Federal Regulations §1.6050S-1(c)(1)(iii)(F) states that “taxpayers should refer to relevant IRS forms and publications, and should not refer to the institution for explanations relating to the eligibility requirements for, and calculation of, any allowable education tax credit.  Cleveland State is therefore, unable to provide tax advice.  For guidance, you may want to consider reviewing IRS Publication 970 in addition to consulting a tax professional.

Q:       How do I claim a tax credit and am I required to do this?

• University staff cannot determine if you qualify for a tax credit or respond to tax questions.  Please contact the IRS for more information at www.irs.gov or at 1-800-829-1040 or consult your tax preparer.

Q:       Whom do I contact if I have questions about the content of my 1098-T form?

• Please contact the Office of the University Bursar at bursar@csuohio.edu.

 

Special Information for Students Enrolled Prior to (and including) Spring 2018

In 2018, the Internal Revenue Service changed the requirements universities must follow for reporting billing and payment information on IRS Form 1098-T.  Under the old rules (prior to 2018), universities had an option for filing:

Box 1 Method – Reporting payments received during the calendar year for qualified tuition and related expenses. 

OR

Box 2 Method – Reporting amounts billed during the calendar year for qualified tuition and related expenses.

Prior to 2018, Cleveland State University has always reported using the Box 2 Method.  Now beginning in tax year 2018, all universities must use the Box 1 Method and report the aggregate amount of payments received during the calendar year for qualified tuition and related expenses.  Box 2 reporting is not an option for the 2018 1098-T Form.

How will this affect you?

Students retrieving a prior year 1098-T form:

• 1098-T forms for years prior to 2018 will continue to be available, exactly as they were previously issued.  The change in reporting method does not affect information previously reported.

Student who DID NOT receive a 2017 1098-T form but will receive a 2018 1098-T:

• Since 2018 is the first year you are receiving a 1098-T from Cleveland State, you will not notice a “change” in the reporting method.  The data that will be reported in Box 1 on your 1098-T form for tax year 2018 will contain the aggregate amount of payments from all sources received by CSU during the calendar year for qualified tuition and related expenses.

Students who DID receive a 1098-T form for 2017 and will also receive one for the 2018 tax year:

• You need to be aware of the change in reporting methods between the 2017 and 2018 tax (calendar) years. 
• If you attended the Spring 2018 term and registered for that term during the 2017 calendar year, the qualified tuition and related expenses billed for Spring 2018 were reported on your 2017 1098-T.  As a result, any payments you made in 2018 for the expenses billed in 2017 will not be included in the payments reported on the 2018 1098-T form.
• If you attended the Spring 2018 term and registered for that term on January 1, 2018 or later, payments for your qualified tuition and related expenses will be included on your 2018 1098-T form.