My financial aid didn't cover all of my tuition. Can I claim my out of pocket payments to my college? Where do I input that amount?

[MichaelMc · Accepted solution]

Yes, you can include amounts paid for qualified tuition and fees, even if they were not reported on Form 1098-T. Please follow these steps:

1. Enter your 2016 Form 1098-T exactly as you see it, even if you think it's wrong. Here are some important tips:

• If any boxes on your 1098-T are blank, leave them blank. Don't enter 0 (this may cause errors later).
• If boxes 1 or 2 on your 1098-T form are wrong, enter those amounts anyway. Then click What if this is not what I paid? right below box 2 and enter the correct amount of tuition paid. This is where you enter the total amount you actually paid in 2016, which would include any amounts billed in 2015, but not paid until 2016.
• Don't include grants not already listed in Box 5. We'll ask about those later.

2. Click Continue when you're done entering the information from your 1098-T. Answer any additional questions on the following screens.