Filing Taxes with the 1098-T Form

Kennesaw State University provides the 1098-T form each year to students who have paid qualified tuition and related expenses. The 1098-T form can assist you with filing federal education tax credits for which you may be eligible. You can find detailed information about claiming the American Opportunity Credit and other education tax credits in IRS Publication 970. 

Kennesaw State University has contracted with Tab Service Company, a 1098-T provider. If you wish to retrieve your 2019 1098-T online, please go to www.tsc1098t.com and follow the attached instructions found here. 

Form 1098-T Tuition Statement

The University cannot provide tax advice concerning income taxes or the applicability of Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 to individual situations. Questions concerning income tax matters should be directed at a tax professional or the IRS. You may also find the FAQs below helpful. 

1098-T Instructions For Student

You, or the person who can claim you as a dependent, may be able to claim an education credit on Form 1040. This statement has been furnished to you by an eligible educational institution in which you are enrolled, or by an insurer who makes reimbursements or refunds of qualified tuition and related expenses to you. This statement is required to support any claim for an education credit. Retain this statement for your records. To see if you qualify for a credit, and for help in calculating the amount of your credit, see Pub. 970, Form 8863, and the Form 1040 instructions. 

Your institution must include its name, address, and information contact telephone number on this statement. It may also include contact information for a service provider. Although the filer or the service provider may be able to answer certain questions about the statement, do not contact the filer or the service provider for explanations of the requirements for (and how to figure) any education credit that you may claim. 
Student's taxpayer identification number (TIN). For your protection, this form may show only the last four digits of your TIN (SSN, ITIN, ATIN, or EIN). However, the issuer has reported your complete TIN to the IRS. Caution: If your TIN is not shown in this box, your school was not able to provide it. Contact your school if you have questions. 
Account number. May show an account or other unique number the filer assigned to distinguish your account. 

  • Shows the total payments received by an eligible educational institution in 2019 from any source for qualified tuition and related expenses less any reimbursements or refunds made during 2019 that relate to those payments received during 2019.
  • Reserved.

  • Shows the total of all scholarships or grants administered and processed by the eligible educational institution. The amount of scholarships or grants for the calendar year (including those not reported by the institution) may reduce the amount of the education credit you claim for the year.

    TIP: You may be able to increase the combined value of an education credit and certain educational assistance (including Pell Grants) if the student includes some or all of the educational assistance in income in the year it is received. For details, see Pub. 970.

  • Shows whether the amount in box 1 includes amounts for an academic period beginning January–March 2020. See Pub. 970 for how to report these amounts.
  • Shows whether you are considered to be enrolled in a program leading to a graduate degree, graduate-level certificate, or other recognized graduate-level educational credential.
  • Reserved.
  • Shows any adjustment made by an eligible educational institution for a prior year for qualified tuition and related expenses that were reported on a prior year Form 1098-T. This amount may reduce any allowable education credit that you claimed for the prior year (may result in an increase in tax liability for the year of the refund). See “recapture” in the index to Pub. 970 to report a reduction in your education credit or tuition and fees deduction.
  • Shows adjustments to scholarships or grants for a prior year. This amount may affect the amount of any allowable tuition and fees deduction or education credit that you claimed for the prior year. You may have to file an amended income tax return (Form 1040X) for the prior year.
  • Shows whether you are considered to be carrying at least one-half the normal full-time workload for your course of study at the reporting institution.
  • Shows the total amount of reimbursements or refunds of qualified tuition and related expenses made by an insurer. The amount of reimbursements or refunds for the calendar year may reduce the amount of any education credit you can claim for the year (may result in an increase in tax liability for the year of the refund).
Future developments. For the latest information about developments related to Form 1098-T and its instructions, such as legislation enacted after they were published, go to www.irs.gov/Form1098T.

General Frequently Asked Questions

  • This is a tax document that is used to report qualified tuition and related expenses in a given tax year and is provided as a guide in the preparation of your taxes. Its purpose is to assist you in determining your eligibility for an education tax credit on your federal income tax return. The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 allows certain taxpayers who pay qualified tuition and related expenses to an eligible educational institution to claim an American Opportunity Credit or a Lifetime Learning Credit against their federal income tax liability.

    View a blank Form 1098-T on the Internal Revenue Service's website.

  • Kennesaw State releases 1098-T forms to students by January 31st, as federally required. 

  • The 1098-T is available online through a third-party provider. If you wish to retrieve your 2019 1098-T online, please go to www.tsc1098t.com and follow these instructions: 

    • Enter the site ID: 11458 
    • Enter your Username: Your KSU Student ID (include all nine digits, i.e., 000xxxxxx) 
    • Enter Password: Last four digits of your Social Security Number 
      • For security purposes, you will be asked to change your password. 
      • The new password must be eight characters, at least one upper case letter, at least one numeral and at least one special character. 
    • Agree to Online Consent. 
      • Please read the Online Consent Form for the requirements and specifications. 
      • We will email you when your 1098-T is available online. Your consent will apply to 2018 and subsequent years. 
    • Once you consent, you will NOT be mailed a 1098-T and must return to the site to view or print a copy of your 2019 Form 1098-T. 

    If you have any questions, please contact the Bursars Office at 470-578-6419 or bursars@kennesaw.edu.  

  • There are potentially many reasons for this discrepancy. First, the amount in Box 1 only represents amounts paid for qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) and does not include payments made for room and board, insurance, health service fees, or parking, though important, are not considered mandatory education expenses for tax purposes. Secondly, Form 1098-T reports amounts that the student paid in a certain 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 typically billed in November so a student may have paid tuition for the Spring semester in 2019 even though classes did not start until 2020. The best and most accurate source of information about the amounts that you paid for qualified tuition and related expenses will be your student account in Owl Express.  
  • No, the University does not include amounts paid for books on 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. 

  • Typically, charges are posted to your student account beginning in November for the Spring semester and in March for the Fall semester. Box one 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 student account in Owl Express will show the dates payments were posted to your account and are a valuable resource for determining the semesters that are included in your Form 1098-T.

    Access your student account in Owl Express.

  • For Form 1098-T purposes, fellowships are considered financial aid and will be reported in Box 5 as a (scholarships, grants, fellowships) as well as Box 1 for the amount paid towards the qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) during the same calendar year.  
  • Since insurance is not considered to be a qualified tuition and related expense, this expense is not reported on your Form 1098-T. However, if the University subsidizes the cost of your insurance, then the University subsidy is reported in Box 5 of the Form 1098-T. 
  • Some May 2019 graduates will not be issued a 2019 Form 1098-T because there is a possibility that payments for QTRE for Spring 2019 were made on or before December 31, 2018.  
  • Form 1098-T reports payments received from the student for qualified tuition and related expenses (Box 1) during the preceding calendar year. However, if the student receives scholarships, grants, and/or fellowships in the preceding year more than the amounts they paid in QTRE, the University is not required to issue a Form 1098-T to the student. When determining your eligibility for education related tax credits and deductions, you will need to report the amount you paid for qualified education and related expenses. Therefore, your student account in Owl Express will be the best and most accurate source of information for the amounts paid for qualified education and related expenses. This is true regardless of whether you receive a Form 1098-T or not. 

  • The University is not required, by the IRS, to furnish a Form 1098-T in the following instances: 

    • Payments for courses for which no academic credit is offered, even if the student is otherwise enrolled in a degree program. 
    • An enrolled student is a nonresident alien, unless requested by the student. 
    • Students whose qualified tuition and related expenses are entirely waived or paid entirely with grants/scholarships. 
    •  Students for whom you do not maintain a separate financial account and whose qualified tuition and related expenses are covered by a formal billing arrangement between an institution and the student's employer or a governmental entity, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. 
  • 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. 

  • If your SSN is incorrect, you MUST initiate the change in person in the Office of the Registrar. A photo ID and your Social Security card are required for the Registrar’s Office to input your correct SSN then submit a request to bursars@kennesaw.edu to have a new 1098-T generated. 

  • 1098-T forms are not automatically generated for international students in the United States on a temporary visa. If you wish to receive a 1098-T form for the 2019 tax year, you MUST have a valid SSN and initiate the change in person in the Office of the Registrar. A photo ID and your Social Security card are required for the Registrar’s Office to input your correct SSN then submit a request to bursars@kennesaw.edu to have a 1098-T generated. 

    If you have received a 1042-S form, you do not need to call the Bursar's Office. Instead, see 1042-S Form (Nonresident International Employee Tax Statement) on the Employee Services website. 

  • Form 1098-T is available for previous years at www.tsc1098t.com. 

  • Students are required by federal law (Section 6109 of the Internal Revenue Code) to provide a Social Security number (SSN) or Taxpayer Identification number (TIN) to the University for tax purposes. If we do not have a U.S. SSN or TIN for you, you MUST initiate the change in person in the Office of the Registrar. A photo ID and your Social Security card are required for the Registrar’s Office to input your correct SSN. 

    Do not email SSN/TIN information as email is not secure. 

  • Kennesaw State cannot provide individual tax advice and shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with this information. Accordingly, you should consult your tax advisor about your specific circumstances.