Q. Can I take the first 1098-T on my tax return the second one goes to his tax return?
A. Yes, you can, but it's probably not best.
A 1098-T can go on both the parent and student's tax return, if needed.
You don't say how much tuition is on the first 1098-T. You only need $4000 to claim the American Opportunity Tuition Credit (AOTC). That means the rest of the tuition (on the first 1098-T) can be used by him to reduce how much of the scholarship is taxable. Yes, tuition from one school can be allocated to scholarship from a 2nd school, for tax purposes. If the 1st 1098-T has less than $4000 in box 1, you want to claim some of the tuition from the 2nd 1098-T for the AOTC, even if he has to pay a little more tax on the scholarship. The AOTC is 100% of the 1st $2000 and 25% of the 2nd $2000.
The TurboTax (TT) interview can handle this situation (2 1098-Ts split between two tax returns) but it can get tricky. Short cuts can be used. Reply back if you need detailed help.
