My daughter received a 1098-T. The scholarship amount does not exceed the tuition amount. Turbo Tax is not prompting me to enter the information on the 1098-T anywhere. On her return or on ours (we claim her as a dependent). Where does the information go???
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When claiming the student as your dependent the Form 1098-T is entered on your tax return.
To enter, edit or delete Education Expenses -
Click on Federal Taxes (Personal using Home and Business)
Click on Deductions and Credits
Click on I'll choose what I work on (if shown)
Scroll down to Education
On Expenses and Scholarships (Form 1098-T), click on the start or update button
Q. Where does the education information go?
A. On your tax return, since she is your dependent.
In TurboTax (TT), enter at:
Federal Taxes Tab (Personal for H&B version)
Deductions & Credits
-Scroll down to:
--Education
--Education Expenses and Scholarships (1098-T)
You say "the scholarship amount does not exceed the tuition amount". Your qualified expenses, including books and a computer, must exceed the scholarship by $4000 or more, to get the full American Opportunity Credit (AOTC). If it doesn't, see below for an option.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
There is a tax “loop hole” available to claim an education credit, for the parents of students on scholarship. The student reports all his scholarship, up to the amount needed to claim the American Opportunity Credit (AOC), as income on his return. That way, the parents (or himself, if he is not a dependent) can claim the tuition credit on their return. They can do this because that much tuition was no longer paid by "tax free" scholarship. You cannot do this if the school’s billing statement specifically shows the scholarships being applied to tuition or if the conditions of the grant are that it be used to pay for qualified expenses.
Using an example: Student has $10,000 in box 5 of the 1098-T and $8000 in box 1. At first glance he/she has $2000 of taxable income and nobody can claim the American opportunity credit. But if she reports $6000 as income on her return, the parents can claim $4000 of qualified expenses on their return.
Books and computers are also qualifying expenses for the AOC. So, extending the example, the student had another $1000 in expenses for those course materials, paid out of pocket, she would only need to report $5000 of taxable scholarship income, instead of $6000.
So basically the scholarship counts as taxable income? Even if it's being used to pay tuition? The scholarship amount isn't even scratching the surface for her tuition. Would it help if we said it was for room & board?
Q. So basically the scholarship counts as taxable income? Even if it's being used to pay tuition?
A. No! Scholarships that pay for qualified educational expenses (QEE - tuition, fees, books and other course materials) is tax free. Only the portion of scholarship amounts that exceed QEE is taxable income, on the student’s tax return.
Q. Would it help if we said it was for room & board?
A. No! Just the opposite. Doing that would make it taxable. Room & board are NOT qualified expenses for either a tuition credit or tax free scholarship.
Q. The scholarship amount does not exceed the tuition amount.
A. Then none of the scholarship is taxable, unless you choose to make it taxable.
Q. Why would you do that?
A. To re-allocate the expenses to other education tax breaks (tuition credit or 529 plan distributions).
Since, "The scholarship amount isn't even scratching the surface for her tuition", just enter the 1098-T, you will get the full $2500 AOTC (assuming you're otherwise eligible).
Thank you for walking me through it! I somehow missed where to enter her actual tuition so it was creating a taxable amount - it's been a long day in front of the computer:)
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