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

You do not request a 1098-T — your school is required by law to send it to you. If you paid may have access to education expenses in 2024, your school's financial aid office will mail Form 1098-T to your home address by January 31, 2025. The IRS receives a copy at the same time. You will need this form to claim education tax credits on your federal return, so keep it with your tax documents.

The form arrives in the mail because the school has your address on file from enrollment or financial aid paperwork. If you have moved since you last updated your school records, the form may go to an old address. This is the most common reason people think they did not receive one.

Key Takeaways

  • Your school mails the 1098-T automatically by January 31 if you paid may have access to tuition and fees or student loan interest during the tax year.
  • Check your school's student portal or financial aid website first — many schools post the form there before mailing it.
  • If you do not receive it by early February, contact your school's financial aid office with your student ID and current address.
  • The form shows what the school reported to the IRS, so you need it to match your tax return if you claim education credits.
  • If your school closed or you attended multiple schools, you may receive multiple 1098-T forms or need to contact a school's successor institution.

Check your school's online portal first

Most colleges and universities now post the 1098-T in your student account or financial aid portal before mailing the paper copy. Log into your school's website using your student ID and password, then look for a section labeled "Tax Documents," "1098-T," "Tax Forms," or "Financial Aid Documents." The form is usually a PDF you can read and print.

This is often faster than waiting for the mail. If your school posts it online, you can read it when ready after January 31 and use it to file your return right away. Some schools also allow you to request that they email it to you instead of mailing it.

Contact your school's financial aid office if you do not have it

If you do not see the form in your student portal and have not received it by early February, call or email your school's financial aid office. Have your student ID number and current mailing address ready. Tell them you are looking for your 1098-T for the tax year you attended.

The financial aid office will check whether they have your correct address on file. If your address changed and the form was mailed to an old one, they can remail it or email a copy. If you never received one because you did not meet the reporting threshold (usually because you paid less than $1 in may have access to expenses that year), they will tell you that too.

Response times vary. Some schools answer within a few business days; others take a week or two. If you need the form urgently to file your return, ask if they can email it while the mailed copy is in transit.

What to do if your school closed or you transferred

If the school you attended has closed, the institution that acquired its records (often called the "successor institution") is responsible for sending the 1098-T. Search the school's name plus "successor" or contact your state's higher education agency to find out which school now holds your records.

If you attended multiple schools in the same tax year, you will receive a separate 1098-T from each one. When you file your return, you will report the total may have access to expenses from all forms. The IRS will have received copies from each school, so your return must match the combined total.

Understanding what the 1098-T shows

The 1098-T reports may have access to education expenses your school recorded for you in that tax year. may have access to expenses include tuition, fees, and course materials required by the school. They do not include room and board, transportation, or personal expenses, even if you paid them as part of your total college costs.

Box 1 shows may have access to tuition and fees. Box 2 shows scholarships or grants your school paid on your behalf. The form also includes your school's name and federal ID number, your name and Social Security number, and the tax year it covers. The IRS uses this information to verify that you reported the same expenses on your return.

If the amounts on the form do not match what you paid or what you expected, contact your school's financial aid office before you file. The form reflects what the school reported, so if there is an error, the school must correct it and send an amended form to you and the IRS.

How the 1098-T connects to your tax return

You use the 1098-T to claim either the American Opportunity Tax Credit or the Lifetime Learning Credit on your federal return. These credits reduce your tax bill based on may have access to education expenses you paid. You cannot claim a credit for expenses that were covered by a scholarship or grant (those are shown in Box 2 of the form), and you cannot claim a credit for the same expenses twice across multiple years.

The form itself does not file your return — you enter the information from the 1098-T into your tax software or give it to a tax preparer. The IRS matches what you report against the copy your school sent them. If the numbers do not match, the IRS will contact you to clarify.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I paid education expenses but my school did not send me a 1098-T?

Schools are only required to send a 1098-T if you paid at least $1 in may have access to tuition and fees. If you paid less than that, or if all your expenses were covered by scholarships or grants, you will not receive a form. You can still claim education credits if you paid out of pocket, but you will need to document those expenses yourself on your return.

Can I file my taxes before I receive the 1098-T?

You can file without it if you have the information from your school's website or financial aid office. However, if the IRS later finds a discrepancy between what you reported and what the school reported, you may have to amend your return. It is safer to wait for the form or read it from your school's portal first.

Do I need to send the 1098-T with my tax return?

No. You keep the 1098-T for your records. You enter the information from it into your tax return, but you do not attach the form itself to your federal return. The IRS already has a copy from your school.

What if I lost my 1098-T?

Contact your school's financial aid office and ask them to send you a duplicate. They can remail the original or email a copy. Keep the duplicate with your tax documents in case the IRS asks about your education credits later.

Why does my 1098-T show less than I actually paid?

The form reports only may have access to expenses: tuition, fees, and required course materials. It does not include room and board, books you bought outside the school bookstore, transportation, or personal expenses. If you paid for items the school does not consider may have access to, they will not appear on the form, even though you paid them.