A 1098-T is the IRS Tuition Statement that eligible colleges and universities send to report qualified tuition and related expenses you paid, along with any scholarships or grants. You use it to determine whether you can claim the American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit when filing your federal tax return.

Why do students get a 1098-T?

Eligible schools must file a 1098-T for each enrolled student with a reportable transaction and furnish a copy to the student. It's informational only — it alerts you and the IRS that you may qualify for an education tax credit or deduction. It doesn't mean you owe anything; it's a tool for claiming a potential tax break.

Does a 1098-T help or hurt your taxes?

It usually helps. The qualified tuition in Box 1 can support an education credit that lowers your tax or boosts your refund. It can hurt only when Box 5 scholarships and grants exceed your qualified expenses — that excess may be taxable income you must report, even if you claim no credit.

Do I have to report a 1098-T on my taxes?

You don't file the 1098-T itself, but you use its figures to claim education tax credits. Box 1 (payments) and Box 5 (scholarships) feed Form 8863. If scholarships in Box 5 exceed qualified expenses, the difference may be taxable income you must report, even without claiming a credit.

Who gets the 1098-T, the student or the parent?

The school issues the 1098-T in the student's name. If the student is claimed as a dependent, the parent claiming them uses the form to figure the education credit on their own return. Only one taxpayer can claim the credit for a given student in a given year.

What does Box 1 mean on a 1098-T?

Box 1 shows the total payments the school received for qualified tuition and related expenses during the calendar year, from all sources and not reduced by Box 5 scholarships. It's the figure used to calculate education tax credits. Because it reflects payments received, not amounts billed, it may not match a single semester's invoice.

Tax

Form 1098-T (Tuition Statement)

Form 1098-T, the Tuition Statement, is an IRS information return that eligible colleges and universities issue to report qualified tuition and related expenses paid during the year. It shows payments received (Box 1), scholarships or grants (Box 5), and enrollment status, helping students and parents claim education tax credits.

Eligible educational institutions must furnish Form 1098-T to the student by January 31 and file it with the IRS by February 28 (March 31 if filing electronically).

Source: IRS — Instructions for Forms 1098-E and 1098-T

Written & maintained by the Granite team · Last updated June 2026

Overview

Form 1098-T is a one-page IRS information return that documents how much a student paid in qualified tuition and related expenses, plus any scholarships or grants applied during the calendar year. It is the starting point for claiming the American Opportunity Credit or the Lifetime Learning Credit on a tax return.

It is issued by eligible educational institutions — accredited colleges, universities, and vocational schools — and furnished to the student (and filed with the IRS) by January 31. The student, or the parent claiming them as a dependent, is the recipient and uses the figures to calculate education-related tax benefits.

When you’ll get your Form 1098-T (Tuition Statement)

You or your dependent paid qualified tuition and related expenses to an eligible college or university
You enrolled in a degree program or took courses for academic credit during the tax year
You received scholarships, grants, or fellowship funding the school must report
You want to claim the American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit
You are a graduate or half-time student whose enrollment status the school reports to the IRS

What’s on your Form 1098-T (Tuition Statement)

These are the fields Granite reads and extracts automatically the moment you upload one.

Filer / School name (and TIN): The college or university that issued the form, plus its federal taxpayer identification number.
Student name and TIN: The student's name and Social Security number (often masked) — the person whose tuition is being reported.
Box 1 — Payments received: Total payments the school received for qualified tuition and related expenses during the year, from all sources and not reduced by Box 5 scholarships.
Box 4 — Prior-year adjustments: Reductions to qualified expenses that were reported on a previous year's 1098-T.
Box 5 — Scholarships or grants: Total scholarships and grants the school administered and processed — these reduce the expenses eligible for a credit.
Box 6 — Scholarship adjustments: Adjustments to scholarships or grants reported for a prior year.
Box 7 — Jan–Mar period: Checked when Box 1 includes amounts for an academic period beginning in January through March of the following year.
Boxes 8 & 9 — Enrollment status: Box 8 is checked if the student was at least half-time; Box 9 is checked if the student was a graduate student.

How long to keep it

At least 3 years, ideally 7

Keep each 1098-T for at least 3 years after filing the return that claimed an education credit — the IRS audit window for those credits. Hold it 7 years if scholarships, grants, or prior-year adjustments are involved, since those can ripple into later returns and require cross-year reconciliation.

How Granite handles your Form 1098-T (Tuition Statement)

Drop your 1098-T into Granite and it reads the form, extracts the school name, tax year, Box 1 payments, Box 5 scholarships, and enrollment boxes, then titles it "[School] [Year] 1098-T" and files it into that year's tax collection automatically. It links the document to your school as an entity, so every tuition statement, receipt, and aid letter from the same institution sits together — findable by school name, year, or "tuition statement" whenever you or your accountant need it.

FAQ

Form 1098-T (Tuition Statement): common questions

What is a 1098-T?: A 1098-T is the IRS Tuition Statement that eligible colleges and universities send to report qualified tuition and related expenses you paid, along with any scholarships or grants. You use it to determine whether you can claim the American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit when filing your federal tax return.
Why do students get a 1098-T?: Eligible schools must file a 1098-T for each enrolled student with a reportable transaction and furnish a copy to the student. It's informational only — it alerts you and the IRS that you may qualify for an education tax credit or deduction. It doesn't mean you owe anything; it's a tool for claiming a potential tax break.
Does a 1098-T help or hurt your taxes?: It usually helps. The qualified tuition in Box 1 can support an education credit that lowers your tax or boosts your refund. It can hurt only when Box 5 scholarships and grants exceed your qualified expenses — that excess may be taxable income you must report, even if you claim no credit.
Do I have to report a 1098-T on my taxes?: You don't file the 1098-T itself, but you use its figures to claim education tax credits. Box 1 (payments) and Box 5 (scholarships) feed Form 8863. If scholarships in Box 5 exceed qualified expenses, the difference may be taxable income you must report, even without claiming a credit.
Who gets the 1098-T, the student or the parent?: The school issues the 1098-T in the student's name. If the student is claimed as a dependent, the parent claiming them uses the form to figure the education credit on their own return. Only one taxpayer can claim the credit for a given student in a given year.
What does Box 1 mean on a 1098-T?: Box 1 shows the total payments the school received for qualified tuition and related expenses during the calendar year, from all sources and not reduced by Box 5 scholarships. It's the figure used to calculate education tax credits. Because it reflects payments received, not amounts billed, it may not match a single semester's invoice.

Sources

This page is checked against primary and authoritative sources:

Keep your Form 1098-T (Tuition Statement) in one place.

Drop it in once. Granite reads it, files it, and makes it findable forever — by you today, and by the people who'll need it later.

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