Information about IRS Form 1098-T

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1098-T is an informational form which enables the tax payer to determine eligibility for one or more education tax credits or deductions. Eligibility for any tax benefit depends upon your individual facts and circumstances. Montgomery College (MC) is required to provide a completed IRS Form 1098-T to enrolled students earning credit hours, for whom the College received payments towards qualified tuition and fees within the calendar year (January 1 through December 31).

Please note:

• The College cannot provide tax advice, please seek professional tax counseling as deemed appropriate for your facts and circumstances.
• You will NOT be eligible to receive the IRS Form 1098-T if the following apply to you:
  • Students enrolled in courses for which no academic credit is offered, even if the student is otherwise enrolled in a degree program; (tuition charges and fees for WDCE courses fall under this exception).
  • Nonresident alien students, unless requested by student;
  • Students whose qualified tuition and related expenses are exceeded by scholarships, grants, and/or other formal billing arrangement between an institution and the student's employer, government entity, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense.

  Resources:

  • Student Guide to Viewing 1098-T Statements in MyMC (PDF, )
  • Frequently Asked Questions about the 1098-T (PDF, )

  For further information regarding the 1098-T, please refer to IRS publication 970 new window and Tax Benefits for Education: Information Center new window , or consult your tax advisor.

  Montgomery College must have your Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) to issue your IRS 1098-T Form. If you have not provided your SSN or TIN to the College, please go to our 1098-T processor new window ESCI and complete a w9-S form. You must register/set up an account if it is your first time using the ECSI site. If you have used the ECSI site previously, sign in to your ECSI account and submit/complete your W9-S form.

  To have a 1098-T form created for you, Montgomery College must have a valid mailing address on record.

  • Please ensure your address is up to date. If changes are needed, contact the Records and Registration office.
  • Students with a missing or invalid SSN, or address, must complete a W9-S form to have a 1098-T form created for you once forms have been created for a tax year.

  Please note: If you are eligible for a 1098-T form, we are required to issue your IRS 1098-T Form even with a blank SSN or ITIN field.

  Heartland ECSI is Montgomery College’s third party provider for IRS Form 1098-T. To receive an electronic 1098-T instead of by mail, please consent to the paperless 1098-T option in the Pay My Bill area in MyMC new window . For directions, refer to: Consent to a Paperless 1098-T (PDF, ) . An electronic version of your 1098-T form will be available in your MyMC account between the end of January and mid-February. See the Student Guide to Viewing 1098-T Statements in MyMC (PDF, ) . Montgomery College and Heartland ECSI will not mail duplicate copies of IRS 1098-T form. You may access your 1098-T form electronically through MyMC or Heartland, which you may download at your convenience. For assistance regarding the 1098-T form, please contact Heartland ECSI at 1-866-428-1098 or go to the Heartland ECSI website new window and click on the live chat button to chat with an agent online.

  For further information, please refer to IRS publication 970 new window and Tax Benefits for Education: Information Center new window for further information regarding the 1098-T, or consult your tax advisor.

  Changes to the IRS Form 1098-T Beginning in 2018

  In previous years, your 1098-T included a figure in Box 2 that represented the qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) we 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, we will report in Box 1 the amount of QTRE you paid during the year.

  

  Depending on your income (or your family’s income, if you are a dependent), whether you were considered full or half-time enrolled, and the amount of your qualified educational expenses for the year, you may be eligible for a federal education tax credit. (You can find detailed information about claiming education tax credits in IRS Publication 970 (PDF, ) , page 9.)

  The dollar amounts reported on your Form 1098-T may assist you in completing IRS Form 8863 – the form used for calculating the education tax credits that a taxpayer may claim as part of your tax return.

  Montgomery College is unable to provide you with individual tax advice. If you have questions, you should seek the counsel of an informed tax preparer or adviser.

  Below is a blank sample of the 2018 Form 1098-T, that you will receive in late January 2019, for your general reference. Visit the IRS website for more information about Form 1098-T new window .