What is a 1098-T form?
The 1098-T form is used by eligible educational institutions to report information about their student to the IRS as required by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. Eligible education institutions are required to submit general student enrollment information and financial data for the corresponding tax year. Information included is student name, address, social security number or tax identification number, enrollment status, academic status, amounts paid for qualified tuition, scholarship or grant amounts, and if applicable, adjustments to prior year qualified tuition and/or adjustments to prior year scholarships. Universities are required to issue a 1098-T form for the purpose of determining a student's eligibility for the Hope and Lifetime Learning education tax credit.
New IRS Reporting Requirement.
In previous years, form 1098-T included a dollar amount in Box 2 that represented the qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) the University billed to your student account for the calendar (tax) year. Due to a change to institutional reporting requirements under federal law, beginning with tax year 2018, the University must report in Box 1 the amount of QTRE you paid during the year.
How can I obtain a copy of my 1098-T form?
To obtain a copy of your 1098-T form, visit Heartland ECSI’s website. As of February 2024, students are now required to create a profile in ECSI to view/access their tax forms. If you need assistance creating a profile or accessing your tax documents, please visit Heartland ECSI's website for instructions or contact Heartland ECSI at 866-428-1098.
Can I get 1098-T copies for current and prior years?
Yes, you can obtain prior year 1098-T forms if you were eligible for a Form for that year. Please visit the Heartland ECSI website to retrieve 1098-T forms. Login required.
How is Box 1 being determined?
Box 1 reports payments received from all sources for qualified tuition and related expenses for the calendar year. Qualified expenses do not include charges for housing, meal plans, transportation, and personal expenses.
When can I expect to receive my 1098-T form?
1098-T forms will be mailed by January 31st. If you consented to receive electronic form, you will receive an email ECSI notifying you when 1098-T form is available for viewing/downloading by January 31st.
What am I supposed to do with this 1098-T form?
We are unable to provide tax advice. For guidance, you may want to consider IRS Publication 970 [PDF].
Why don't the numbers on the 1098-T form equal the amounts I paid to LMU during the year?
The amount in Box 1 only has amounts paid for qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) and does not include payments received for housing, meal plans, library fines, parking citations/permits, insurance, or health service fees as these fees are not considered related education expenses. Furthermore, 1098-T forms report amounts that the student paid in a particular 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 billed in November so a student may have paid tuition for the Spring semester in 2018 despite the fact that classes did not start until 2019. The best and most accurate source of information about the amounts that you paid for qualified tuition and related expenses will be your eBills located in the Student Account Center Portal.
Does the 1098-T include charges for books?
No, the University does not include amounts paid for books in Box 2 of Form 1098-T. You should consult with your tax advisor to determine if payments for books, equipment or fees should be considered when preparing your income tax returns and determining eligibility for education tax credits or deductions.
My address listed on 1098-T form has changed. Will this affect me?
No. The address shown on Form 1098-T is irrelevant for IRS income tax filing purposes. The single most important information on the form is your social security number or individual taxpayer identification number.
What semesters are included on my 1098-T form?
Charges are posted to your student account in November for Spring semester, May for Summer 1 semester, June for Summer 2 semester, and July for 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 account activity or eBill will show the dates payments were posted to your account. You can access your eBills in the Student Account Center Online Portal.
I graduated in May of the current year. Do I have a 1098-T form for the current year?
Some May graduates will not be issued a Form 1098-T for the current year because there is a possibility that payments for QTRE were made on or before December 31 of the previous year. The current Spring semester tuition charges are generally billed and posted in November of the previous year and, therefore, would have been included on the previous year's Form 1098-T, in Box 2. If a student paid for the current Spring semester and any other outstanding QTRE charges in the previous year, then the student would not receive a Form 1098-T for the current year.
NOTE: The University cannot advise you on your tax situation; only you and your Tax Professional can determine your eligibility for a credit. This website is informational only and should not be considered as tax opinion or advice. It serves to alert students that they may be eligible for federal income tax education credits.
Receipt of Form 1098-T does not indicate eligibility for the tax credit.
IMPORTANT: It is the responsibility of each taxpayer to determine eligibility for the credits and how to calculate them.
FOR MORE TAX INFORMATION: Consult your Tax Professional or refer to the following:
Internal Revenue Service website - Tax Information for Students
Telephone: 800.829.1040
TTY: 800.829.4059