Proof of what payment?

The program would have given you EIC automatically if you qualified.

Is it related to this?  A nondependent cannot qualify you for EIC.
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That I paid the school tuition?  I don't normally have to provide proof of payment when I EITC.  Do I get proof of payment from the school?  A cancelled check?

You can an account statement from the school that would show the tuition payments.

But that in itself would not qualify you for EIC, since you said he was NOT your dependent.

It sounds like you are confusing two issues.

If the IRS is asking for proof of payment of education expenses, that has nothing to do with EIC.  There are some cases where the college sends a 1098-T showing "amount billed" instead of "amount paid" so the IRS wants to know how much you actually paid with your own funds or a loan in your name.

Separately, they might or might not be looking at your EIC claim.  But your question seems to be missing some important details.

Ooops - I was using EIC by mistake; ran out of room to ask the original question and used incorrect acronym.  This has to do with Education Tax Credits.  I submitted the 1098-T.  In reply IRS asked for Proof of Payment.  When I asked what would suffice they did not reply.  So I am left guessing.  Cancelled Check?  A notarized statement from me indicating that I paid the amount.  Hoping the latter as I closed the account from which I wrote the check and no longer have any accounts with that bank.

You can get an itemized tuition payment statement from the school and along with your cancelled check should suffice for proof of payment.

Thank you all...