Even though your mom claims yo as a dependent, the scholarship income must go on your tax return.
Scholarships are a hybrid between earned and unearned income. It is earned income for purposes of the $12,950 filing requirement and the dependent standard deduction calculation (earned income + $400). It is not earned income for the kiddie tax other purposes (EIC. IRA contributions or additional child tax credit).
Since you only have scholarship and wage income, you will only pay tax if your total income exceeds $12,950 (the minimum amount to pay FIT). Your state may vary.
But wait, there's more.
There is a tax “loop hole” available. 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 $6200 in box 1. At first glance he/she has $3800 of taxable income and nobody can claim the American opportunity credit. But if she reports $7800 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 $6800 of taxable scholarship income, instead of $7800.
