Scholarships or portions of scholarships may be taxable. It all depends on how you use them.
If you use your scholarship to pay for any of these, it counts as income and the amount paid is taxable:
- Room and board
- Travel and incidental expenses
- Any fees, books, and supplies or equipment that aren't required for your courses
If you're getting a degree at an eligible school, your scholarship is tax-free when used for:
- Tuition and fees
- Fees, books, supplies or equipment required for your courses
- Any scholarship or fellowship for services received under the National Health Services Corps Scholarship Program or the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship and Financial Assistance Program
For example, if you used your scholarship to pay for tuition and room and board, you would be taxed on the room and board payment but not on tuition.
