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@grumpy3267    Double-Check the pictures provided by NY to ensure you are using the right number. They all start with three letters (except the Learners Permit)   (and...It's not the DMV-ID number)   Sample Photo Documents | NY DMV ________________________________ Still a no-go?  Customer Support: How do I contact TurboTax?

Q. Can I reduce box 5 by $4k for AOTC? A. Yes. That's the easy way to do it.* But, the $4000 is taxable income to the student (because room & board is not a "qualified educational expense").  But, you want to go even further, to maximize the AOTC ($4K is not enough).  See full explanation below the line.    Q. Is altering the data on 1098T okay as long as we provide proof of the $4000 somewhere else? A. Yes. You don't need to provide any proof at the time you file. That comes later if you're "audited", and that's unlikely.    *The 1098-T is only an informational document. The numbers on it are not required to be entered onto your tax return. However receipt of a 1098-T frequently means you are either eligible for a tuition credit or possibly your student has taxable scholarship income.  If you claim the tuition credit, you do need to report that you got one or that you qualify for an exception (the TurboTax interview will handle this) You claim the tuition credit, or report scholarship income, based on your own financial records, not the 1098-T. In the 1098-T screen, click on the link "What if this is not what I paid the school" underneath box 1. You will then be able to enter the actual amounts paid. You will also reach a screen that allows you to adjust the scholarship or amounts used for room and board. . Or if you find it easier, just change the numbers in boxes 1& 5 to what your records show. The 1098-T that you enter in TT is not sent to the IRS.   _______________________________________________________________________________________________  There is a tax “loop hole” available to claim an education credit, for the parents of students on scholarship. 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 conditions of the grant are that it be used to pay for qualified expenses. Using your example: Student has $15,218 in box 5 of the 1098-T and $12,011 in box 1. At first glance he/she has $3207 of taxable income and nobody can claim the American opportunity credit. But if she reports $7207 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 $6207 of taxable scholarship income, instead of $7207.   If that is her only income, is not enough to even have to file a tax return. But you may want to do so, anyway, to document the reporting of the scholarship as taxable income. Scholarships are a hybrid between earned and unearned income. It is earned income for purposes of the $15,750 filing requirement (2025) and the dependent standard deduction calculation (earned income + $450).  It is not earned income for the kiddie tax and other purposes (e.g. EIC).        

EDUCATION EXPENSES Education expenses for grades K-12 are not deductible on your Federal return, whether for private, public, or home schooling, nor are the expenses for tutoring, after school lessons or after school activities, such as dance lessons, sports, etc.  Some states allow deductions/credits for K-12 education and/or home schooling expenses; if your state has these deductions available, you will be prompted to enter them when you prepare your state return.  (As far as I know, the states that offer any sort of K-12 deductions/credits are Arizona,  Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin)