1098T Tuition Tax Form
The Student Accounts Office provides a 1098-T Tuition Tax Form to all students enrolled for the previous calendar year on, or before, January 31st. Please be advised the Student Accounts Office staff can only assist with general questions regarding your 1098-T Tax Form and help with website access to your 1098-T form and are strictly prohibited by federal law from providing any tax advice. Should you have questions regarding the 1098-T Form or preparing your taxes, please seek the counsel of a professional tax preparer or adviser or contact the IRS directly or view the IRS 1098T Publication for additional information.
Access to you 1098-T form can be found in your Nelnet Student Portal under the 1098T section. Linfield University is partnered with Tab Services Company (TSC) to process your 1098-T Tuition Tax Form. In early November, the Student Accounts Office will upload files of all students who attended the previous tax year (1/1 - 12/31) to the Tab Services (TSC) system, which provides you the ability to securely log in and access your 1098-T Form immediately after it becomes available.
Please sign up for the electronic option online to help support our sustainability efforts of being a green campus. IRS federal regulations also state that students who wish to receive their 1098-T form electronically MUST provide his/her consent electronically. Once your electronic consent has been completed, you will not be mailed a paper copy of your 1098-T. The Student Accounts Office will send out emails to students once 1098-T Forms for the tax year are available, in early January. You will then be able to view, print or email a copy of your 1098-T Form. It will be important for students to pass this information on to a parent or guardian who handles your student account financials; as they may need this information when filing their annual tax return. Your consent will apply to all subsequent years.
For additional information or questions regarding the 1098-T Tuition Tax Form, please contact the Student Accounts Office via email at student.accounts@linfield.edu or by phone at 503-883-2241.
1098-T Frequently Asked Questions
Why Form 1098-T is important to you?
Publication 5197 (Rev. 12-2014) (irs.gov)
Why didn’t I receive a 1098-T Tax Form?
There were no qualified tuition or related expenses reportable in the tax year. Even if you made a payment in the new tax year, if there are not any Qualified Tuition or Related Expenses (QTRE) charged in the new tax year, there is nothing to report by the college; therefore, a 1098-T cannot be generated as instructed by federal regulations.
Why don’t the numbers on 1098-T equal the amounts I paid to Linfield University 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, insurance, health service fees, books, or parking which, though important, are not considered mandatory education expenses for tax purposes.
Secondly, the 1098-T reports amount that the student paid in a certain “tax” 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 December, so a student may have paid tuition for the January or Spring semester in 2018 even though classes did not start until 2019.
How are the box totals calculated?
Depending on your income (or your family’s income, if you are a dependent), whether you were considered full or half-time enrolled, and the amount of your qualified educational expenses for the year, you may be eligible for a federal education tax credit. (You can find detailed information about claiming education tax credits in IRS Publication 970, page 9.)
The dollar amounts reported on your Form 1098-T may assist you in completing IRS Form 8863 – the form used for calculating the education tax credits that a taxpayer may claim as part of your tax return. Additional information and assistance can be found in About 1098-T Form - IRS or by contacting a tax advisor.
Box 1: What is Qualified Tuition and Related Expenses?
Qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) that should be reported by the institution include:
- Tuition and fees required for enrollment
- Books and supplies charges, if required to be paid to the institution
Expenses NOT included:
- Personal Expenses (room, board, insurance, medical, travel, fines, etc.)
- Expenses for courses involving sports, games, or hobbies (unless part of a degree program)
How can the tax credit be calculated if Linfield University does not provide amount?
IRS Form 8863 is a worksheet designed to walk the taxpayer through the calculation process. The tax filer can use the student's electronic account activity in their Nelnet Student Account Portal in combination with the worksheet to establish if they are eligible and, if they are, the amount of credit they are eligible to receive.
What period does this tax credit cover?
1098-T forms, which are mailed each year on or before January 31, are for the immediately preceding calendar year. A tax year is determined from 1/1 - 12/31 by the IRS Reporting guidelines.
Is Linfield University an eligible institution?
Yes. Linfield University is an eligible institution of Higher Education recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the IRS.