Student Business Services

What is the 1098-T?
The 1098-T is made electronically available or mailed to the student by Heartland ECSI on behalf of Texas A&M University-San Antonio to assist you, the taxpayer, in determining if you are eligible to claim tax credits such as the American Opportunity Credit or the Lifetime Learning Credit for educational expenses. 

What are the American Opportunity Tax Credit and the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit?
To review information about these two Tax Credit options as a result of the Tax Relief Act of 1997, you may access IRS Publication 970, "Tax Benefits for Education".

Why is there nothing represented in Box 2 on my 1098-T?
Effective with 2018 reporting, institutions of higher education are required to report payments received (Box 1) to the IRS.  Box 2 is no longer reported.

What payments are included in Box 1 on my 1098-T?
Box 1 shows the total payments received by an eligible educational institution during the calendar year from any source for qualified tuition and related expenses less any reimbursements or refunds made during the calendar year that relate to those payments received during that calendar year.

What charges are considered "qualified" or "eligible" charges?
Eligible or qualified charges are any in-state or out-of-state tuition charges and most mandatory fee charges.

What charges are considered "non-qualified" charges?
Examples of non-qualified charges include the following: books, housing, meal plan, health fee, insurance, or any transportation fees or costs.

What is the timeline for the 1098-T?
Texas A&M University-San Antonio will report all eligible payments to the account within the calendar year (Jan. 1st-Dec. 31st).

Why do my Spring semester charges not appear on my 1098-T?
Student accounts are charged by registering for classes. If you registered during early spring registration (typically November or December), tuition and fees were charged to your account at that time, making those charges eligible to claim the previous year, provided there were also payments during that time, and may have reflected as payments on the previous year's 1098-T.  Please note that if a student receives a scholarship or grant for spring, those will apply to the account in January for the spring semester.  So while the student's other payments may appear on the previous year's 1098-T, the scholarship or grant will appear on the current 1098-T.

I did not receive my 1098T in the mail. How do I obtain a copy?
If the University did not have a valid address for you at the time of preparation, a 1098-T would not have been prepared for you. Also, if the total of scholarships or grants exceeded eligible payment amounts, a 1098-T form may not have been prepared for you.  To obtain your 1098T information, you may access it through JagWire: 

Once there, log in and click:
 
       Paying for College
       Print Tax Notification (1098T)
       Select Tax Year

From here, enter the desired tax year and your 1098T will be displayed, along with supplemental information of the eligible payment amounts followed by any grants or scholarships and any adjustments to prior year grants or scholarships. 

Why was my 1098-T mailed to the wrong address?
1098-T forms are mailed to the student's permanent residence listed in JagWire. If your 1098-T was mailed to the wrong address, please make sure all information in JagWire is currently up-to-date.  You may update your address through JagWire or you may contact the Welcome Center (210) 784-1300 for assistance.

Do I actually submit the 1098-T with my tax return?
There is no requirement for the 1098-T to be attached along with your tax return. This document may be kept for your personal records.

How are VA Benefits reported on my 1098T form?
Beginning in 2012, VA Benefits received under the Post 9/11 GI Bill are now reported as scholarships on the 1098-T form in Box 5. They are also included in Box 1. Although VA benefits are not considered a resource when need is calculated, the IRS has defined Box 5 to include payments received from governmental entities. The definition of Box 5 is:

The total amount of any scholarships or grants administered and processed during the calendar year for the payment of the student's costs of attendance. Scholarships and grants generally include all payments received from 3rd parties (excluding family members and loan proceeds). This includes payments received from governmental and private entities such as the Department of Defense, civic, and religious organizations, and nonprofit entities.

For more information you may access http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1098et.pdf.

I still have questions. Who can I contact?
Texas A&M University-San Antonio will be glad to answer questions about your eligible payment amounts and assist you with any corrections of address or social security number. 

For payment questions you may contact Student Business Services at (210) 784-2035.  For address or social security number corrections you may contact the Welcome Center at (210) 784-1300.

You may also want to consider viewing the following Web sites for more detailed information:

• http://www.irs.gov (type 1098-T in search box)
• www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5197.pdf
• IRS Publication 970, "Tax Benefits for Education"

* Texas A&M University-San Antonio is not authorized to offer any personal tax advice. Please address all questions and concerns regarding personal tax matters to a tax consultant/advisor or the IRS directly @ 1-800-829-1040.