Is my whole scholarship considered income if I graduated spring 2018 and my school reported my payments in 2017?

danellea123 · ‎June 1, 2019

I graduated college in spring 2018. After reviewing my 1098-T form I found that my school recently changed how they do things to include payments for spring 2018 in my 2017 taxes (meaning I technically paid $0 in tuition for 2018 in the government's eyes). They still listed my $8000 scholarship on my 2018 1098T form making my whole scholarship income. This is making what I owe tremendously higher than it should.

How do I fix this??

KrisD · ‎June 1, 2019

Compare the 1098-T with your school account statement.

If the scholarship posted in 2018 to the school, (in which case it SHOULD be listed in Box 1), enter the 1098-T and click the "What if this is not what I paid?" link under box 1 and enter the amount of the scholarship that went to the school.

If the scholarship was used for the tuition billed in 2017, select "yes, part of the scholarship was allocated for a different year" and enter the amount in the interview following the 1098-T screen.

Be sure the scholarship was used for tuition (fees and/or books) and that the expenses the scholarship paid was not used towards an education credit on your 2017 tax year return.

Keep a copy of your student account statement with your tax file.

CLICK HERE for IRS Pub 970 Tax Benefits for Education