Your school sends the 1098-T to you and the IRS automatically

You do not request a 1098-T — your school generates and mails it to you. If you paid may have access to education expenses in 2024, your school's financial aid office will send Form 1098-T to your home address by January 31, 2025. The school also files a copy with the IRS under your Social Security number, so the IRS knows what expenses you reported.

The form arrives as a paper document in the mail, though some schools offer online access through your student portal. You need this form to claim education tax credits on your return, or to prove to the IRS that you paid the expenses if you are audited.

If you do not receive your 1098-T by early February, contact your school's financial aid office directly — they can reprint it or confirm whether one was issued in your name.

Key Takeaways

  • Your school mails the 1098-T automatically if you paid may have access to tuition and fees or student loan interest during the tax year.
  • The form arrives by January 31 and shows only expenses your school has a record of — not all education costs you paid.
  • Room and board, books, and supplies do not appear on the 1098-T unless your school includes them in its billing.
  • If your school did not issue a 1098-T, you can still claim education credits using receipts and billing statements as proof.
  • Contact your financial aid office if the form has errors or does not arrive within the first week of February.

What expenses appear on the 1098-T

The 1098-T reports only may have access to tuition and fees that your school billed you for during the tax year. This includes tuition itself and mandatory fees — such as lab fees, technology fees, or student health fees — that the school charges every student. The form does not include optional fees, parking, or course-specific materials you buy separately.

The form also does not include room and board, books, supplies, or equipment, even if you bought them for school. Some schools bundle these costs into your bill, but they still do not appear on the 1098-T. If you want to claim these expenses as part of the American Opportunity Credit, you will need to track receipts yourself.

The 1098-T shows the amount your school actually received or billed you, not what you paid out of pocket. If you received a scholarship or grant that your school applied to tuition, that amount reduces the may have access to expenses shown on the form.

Why your 1098-T might show a different amount than you paid

Schools report the expenses they billed during the calendar year, not the expenses you actually paid. If you paid tuition in December for a spring semester course, that expense appears on the following year's 1098-T, not the current year's.

Scholarships and grants also reduce the amount on the form. If your school received a $5,000 scholarship on your behalf and applied it to a $6,000 tuition bill, the 1098-T shows $1,000 in may have access to expenses. This is correct for tax purposes — you cannot claim a credit for expenses a scholarship already covered.

Refunds work the same way. If you paid $4,000 in tuition and received a $500 refund, the 1098-T shows $3,500. The school reports the net amount you actually owed after all adjustments.

When you do not receive a 1098-T but paid education expenses

Some students do not receive a 1098-T even though they paid education costs. This happens when you attended a school that does not issue the form, paid expenses that do not may have access to, or your school did not have your correct address on file.

You can still claim education credits without the form. Gather your receipts, billing statements, and proof of payment — credit card statements, cancelled checks, or loan disbursement records all work. The IRS accepts these documents as proof if you are audited, and you can report the expenses on your tax return.

If you attended a school that does not issue 1098-Ts — such as some vocational programs, online-only institutions, or international schools — contact the school's registrar or financial office to ask whether they file education expense information with the IRS under a different method. Some schools report through other channels.

Correcting errors on your 1098-T

If the form shows the wrong amount, the wrong student name, or the wrong Social Security number, contact your school's financial aid office when ready. They can issue a corrected form, called a Form 1098-T with a corrected box, which they will send to you and file with the IRS.

Do not ignore errors. If the IRS receives a 1098-T with your Social Security number but you report different expenses on your return, the IRS computer will flag the mismatch. A corrected form prevents this problem.

If you believe your school made an error in calculating may have access to expenses — for example, they included a non-may have access to fee or failed to account for a scholarship — ask the financial aid office to review the calculation. Bring documentation of the scholarship or proof that a fee should not have been included.

Using the 1098-T to claim education credits

The 1098-T itself does not claim a credit for you. You use the information on the form to fill out Form 8863, Education Credits, which you attach to your tax return. Form 8863 is where you actually calculate whether you may have access to for the American Opportunity Credit or the Lifetime Learning Credit.

The form shows the may have access to expenses your school reported, but you decide which credit to claim based on your income, enrollment status, and other factors. You can claim a credit only for expenses you or someone else paid — not for expenses a scholarship covered.

If you have questions about which credit you may have access to for or how much to report, a tax professional or the IRS Free File program can walk you through Form 8863 step by step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a 1098-T if I paid tuition but my school did not send one?

Yes. You can report education expenses on your tax return using receipts and billing statements as proof, even without the form. Keep copies of everything you submit to the IRS in case they ask for documentation later.

What if I paid tuition in December but the course starts in January?

The 1098-T reports expenses based on the calendar year you paid them, not when the course occurs. Tuition paid in December appears on that year's form, even if the class is in the spring.

Does the 1098-T include student loan interest?

No. Student loan interest appears on a separate form called the Form 1098-E, which your loan servicer sends. The 1098-T covers only tuition and may have access to fees billed by your school.

What if I received a 1098-T but did not actually attend the school that year?

Contact your school when ready. They may have issued the form in error, or there may be a record-keeping mistake. Ask them to file a corrected form showing zero expenses or to clarify what happened.

Can I claim education credits if the 1098-T shows zero may have access to expenses?

Only if you have other proof of may have access to expenses. A zero on the 1098-T usually means your school applied all scholarships and grants to your bill, or you paid expenses the school does not report. Gather receipts and contact a tax professional to determine what you can claim.