I apologize for the confusion in advance.
I graduated from college in May 2019, and upon looking at my 1098-T, my scholarship of $49,877 (box 5) exceeds the payments received for qualified tuition and related expenses of $46,343 (box 1). However, there was an adjustment of $20,915 made to my scholarship for a prior year (box 4).
Upon looking at my Spring 2019 bills, I only owed $25,914 in tuition and fees, and I was only awarded $28,962 (thus roughly $3,000 went directly to me for room and board). So it seems like the information on my 1098-T is taking into account a scholarship from Fall 2018.
How do I answer the question "Was any of the scholarship income not designated to pay 2019 education expenses"? If my 1098-T says my school received $46,343 and I was awarded $49,877, it doesn't make sense to say that $20,915 was not designated for 2019 education expenses. What I was actually awarded in 2019 is not truly reflected on my 1098-T. I understand that if what I was awarded was $20,000 more than what was owed in 2019, I would say $20,000 was not used for 2019, but box 1 clearly shows that my school received most of what I was awarded. Can I assume all of what I was awarded was for 2019 education purposes?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
