Q. I received a 1098-T for my son who is still in high school and has never gone to a collage course/class. Do I need to file this form since this looks to be a Grant?
A. Simple answer: No.
Grants are tax free if used for qualified educational expenses (tuition, fees and books). Typically if box 1 of the 1098-T is more than box 5, there is no taxable income.
The 1098-T is only an informational document. The numbers on it are not required to be entered onto your tax return. However receipt of a 1098-T frequently means you are either eligible for a tuition credit or possibly your student has taxable scholarship income.
If you claim the tuition credit, you do need to report that you got one or that you qualify for an exception (the TurboTax interview will handle this)
The ability of the parent of a high school student to claim the education credit is limited. If these courses are provided by an eligible college, this cost qualifies for the Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC). The school must have policy of granting college credit for that course, already taken, if the student ever enrolls there. In other words, it is a requirement that the course be a college credit course, even if the student isn't currently a college student. It’s not that the student is post-secondary, it’s that the course is post secondary. Books are not a qualifying expense, unless included in the course fee. You must have paid tuition to the college and not the high school in order to claim the expenses on your return.
https://www.taxact.com/support/22177/2023/education-credits-high-school-student-taking-college-class...
