IRS Form 1098-T is a Tuition Statement that educational institutions are required to provide to enrolled students who have reportable transactions. Information reported on Form 1098-T can assist taxpayers to determine their eligibility for education tax credits. Receiving a 1098-T form does not necessarily mean you are eligible for an education tax credit. To determine your eligibility, contact your tax advisor or visit the IRS website.
1098-T Tuition Statement forms are available by Jan. 31. Email notifications are sent to students when the form is available online through TAB Services. Forms are also mailed to students who do not opt out of receiving a hard copy.
How to Retrieve 1098-T
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Visit www.tsc1098T.com
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Username is your UC Merced student ID number
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The UC Merced Site ID is 11559
If you set up a password in a previous year, use that password. If this is your first time accessing the site, the temporary password is the last four digits of your SSN/ITIN. If this is your first time accessing the site and you do not have an SSN/ITIN, the temporary password is 0000. Submitting a temporary password in the login screen will initiate a reset process using your UC Merced email address.If you are an international student without an SSN/ITIN, or have otherwise not provided your SSN/ITIN to the UC Merced, the temporary password is 0000. Submitting a temporary password in the login screen will initiate a reset process using your UC Merced email address.
Once you log in to the website, you can access and print your 1098-T form by selecting “View/Print My 1098-T” from the menu on the left side of the screen.
What if my legal name or SSN/ITIN is incorrect on my form?
You can update this information contacting the UC Merced Registrar through the Students First Center.
After you have updated your information with the Registrar's Office, please contact us to have your form updated.
Reasons I may not receive a Form 1098-T
Not all students will receive Form 1098-T. Some possible reasons you did not receive a Form 1098-T:
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Student is enrolled in courses for which no academic credit is offered, even if the student is otherwise enrolled in a degree program. (Continuing education courses are a common example of noncredit classes.)
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Students whose qualified tuition and related expenses are entirely waived or paid entirely with scholarships.
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Students for whom no qualifying transactions were posted to their student account in the tax year.
What is reported on the Form 1098-T?
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Box 1 – indicates payments made by the student and received by the educational institution for qualified tuition and related expenses (see below) charged during the calendar year.
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Box 4 – indicates any reductions to eligible expenses reported for any prior year.
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Box 5 – indicates the amount of scholarships and grants processed for the calendar year. Scholarships and grants generally include all payments received from third parties (excluding loans and family members).
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Box 6 – indicates any reduction amount to scholarships or grants reported for any prior year.
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Box 7 – indicates payments received for qualified tuition and related expenses reported in the current year of the 1098-T relate to an academic period that begins in January through March of the subsequent year. (For example, payments received in calendar year 2018 for classes attended in January to March of 2019.)
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Box 8 – if checked, this indicates the student was at least half-time or greater for at least one academic period during the tax year.
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Box 9 – if checked, this indicates the student was a graduate student for at least one academic period of the tax year.
I believe information on my Form 1098-T is incorrect. Who do I contact?
You must contact us indicating your student student ID number and what you believe is incorrect.
What federal Education Tax Credits are available?
The American Opportunity Credit (AOTC) and Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) are the two education credits currently available to taxpayers who meet certain income limits and other eligibility criteria.
The AOTC is available for degree-seeking students who have not completed their first four years of higher education. The student must have an enrollment status of at least half-time in at least one academic period during the tax year. On Form 1098-T, schools will check box 8 to indicate a student was determined to be at least half-time during the tax year.
For the latest information about the AOTC including eligibility and income limits, please visit this IRS website: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/aotc
The Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) is available to all students enrolled at an eligible educational institution. The credit is open to undergraduate, graduate, and students enrolled in professional degree courses. There is no limit to how many years this credit can be claimed and you are not required to be enrolled at least half-time. The LLC can help offset any tax money that you may owe, but you will not receive any money back as part of a refund.
For the latest information about the LLC including eligibility and income limits, please visit this IRS website: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/llc
What expenses are considered qualified educational expenses?
For the American Opportunity Credit, qualified education expenses are tuition and certain related expenses required for enrollment or attendance at an eligible educational institution. See IRS Qualified educational expenses for more information about qualified expenses.
Expenses that do not qualify include:
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Food and Housing
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Health Insurance and medical expenses
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Parking
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Advance to Candidacy Fee
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Orientation Fee
For the Lifetime Learning Credit, qualified expenses include fees for a course that was part of a post-secondary degree program or to improve job skills. Fees related to books, supplies, equipment, and student activity fees are only qualified if they must be paid to the institution for enrollment.
For more information on qualified and non-qualified fees see IRS Publication 970 at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf
How do I claim a Federal Education Tax Credit?
Federal law requires a taxpayer to have received a Form 1098-T to be eligible for education tax credits. To claim an education tax credit, the eligible taxpayer will need to use IRS form 8863 and submit it along with form 1040.
Instructions for IRS form 8863: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i8863.pdf
You should use the information on Form 1098-T in conjunction with your own payment records to complete your individual tax return.
You can view supporting documentation for your Form 1098-T by doing the following:
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Log into the Connect portal and click on the My Student Record icon in the My Merced tab
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Click on the New Self-Service Dashboard link and then a new page will display
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Click on the Tax Notification (1098-T) link under Student Accounts and another page will display
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From the Select Tax Year drop-down, you can select the 2021 tax year or any other year you want to view
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Scroll down to the bottom of the page and under Supplemental Information, you can click on the various drop downs arrows for details
If you have questions about how to compute an education tax credit, consult your tax professional or refer to IRS Publication 970.
What if I have additional questions about Form 1098-T and education credits?
We are unable to provide tax advice. For guidance, you may want to consider IRS Publication 970 as a reference guide for information regarding rules and definitions related to the education credits in addition to choosing a tax professional.
You should also review IRS form 8863 instructions, especially if you believe what we reported on Form 1098-T is incorrect. Those instructions indicate:
You may receive Form 1098-T from the institution reporting payments received in box 1. However, the amount in box 1 of Form 1098-T may be different from the amount you paid (or are treated as having paid). In completing Form 8863, use only the amounts you actually paid (plus any amounts you're treated as having paid) in the tax year.
