Who enters the 1098-T on their return my son or me (parent)?

[Truth]

So if my daughter, whom is a dependent that I am both claiming and providing more than 50% of her expenses in the last tax year, filed her personal taxes and added the 1098-t form on her filling, does that mean I can't fill it in? Or does it not count it on hers when she marks that someone claims her as a dependent and I can fill it out on my taxes as well as her? Biggest concern:  Will it be a problem if we both fill out the 1098-T information when we file? She has filed her taxes already and said when prompted to fill in the information from her 1098-T she did, but she also marked the box that someone else could claim her as a dependent. Does this mean we can not enter the information also, or because she did file as a dependent it is ok for us also to fill in the information from her 1098-T? 

[AnnetteB6]

As long as it shows on her return that she will be claimed as a dependent, then she will not receive any education tax credits from entering the Form 1098-T on her return and there would be no conflict on your return by including the Form 1098-T as well.

Go ahead and include the Form 1098-T information on your return and claim your daughter as a dependent.  If for some reason, her return was filed without it showing that she is being claimed as a dependent, then your return will probably be rejected by the IRS.  If that happens, then her return will need to be amended before you can complete your filing (unless you want to mail your return along with her amended return so that they can be processed together).

@Truth

[mcrisp11]

Jeez, just when I thought I had this figured out I read the last post!

My dependent daughter's 1098-T shows a greater amount in Box 5 than Box 1, so based on the other replies I thought the answer was to report the 1098-T on her taxes and not mine, but the last post seems to indicate that it doesn't matter if we both report it.  Which is correct??  Thanks!

[JamesG1]

If your dependent daughter is claiming these qualified education expenses against her scholarship income, you will not be reporting the 1098-T.

Your dependent daughter has tentative scholarship income because box 5 exceeds box 1 or the 1098-T.  She may be able to report additional qualified education expenses to offset the scholarship income if those expenses exist.

Hopefully, your daughter will not fall under the filing requirement for a dependent and not have to pay taxes on the scholarship income.

For a dependent, a return must be filed if any of the following apply:

• Unearned income was more than $1,100.
• Earned income was more than $12,200
• Gross income was more than the larger of
•     $1,100, or
•      Earned income plus $350.

[mcrisp11]

Thank you so much. 

Her Box 5 is around $10k and Box 1 is around $5k.  Would the $5k difference be considered unearned income, therefore requiring her to file?  She doesn’t have any other off-setting qualified expenses. 

Interestingly, as I was working on my taxes I originally included the 1098-T and TT indicated that she would need to declare around $10k in taxable income (which is the amount of scholarship dollars used for room and board).  

I’m still not sure how to handle this. Thanks again!!

[Carl]

If it's true that box 5 of the 1098-T is about double or more the amount in box 1, then the parents don't need to bother reporting the 1098-T or *any* of the education stuff on the parents' tax return. The parent's will not qualify for any education tax breaks anyway.  But the parent's will still claim the student as their dependent, and that's it.

If the student's earned income, when added to the taxable portion of the scholarship income is less than $12,300, then there is no requirement for the student to even file a tax return at all. However, if the student had any taxes withheld from their W-2 income, then the only reason to file a tax return with less than $12,300 of income, would be for the student to get those withheld taxes reported in box 2 of their W-2, refunded back to them.

[ThomasM125]

The scholarship income is treated as wages, not unearned income.So, if that income plus her wages and other income, if any, is less than her standard deduction of $12,200, then she has no taxable income, so does not normally need to file a federal tax return.

You as a parent cannot receive a benefit from the education expenses, since they were reimbursed by the scholarship income. So, there is no reason for you to enter the form 1098-T into TurboTax.

[courtl1284]

I'm a dependant and can't claim my 1098-T as indicated by turbo tax earlier in my filing. However, then I came to my State Deductions portion where they asked for my Student Information Summary. My return increases if I enter in my schooling so, I wanted to make sure - should I leave it blank or should I be entering in my info? I was told that I couldn't file my 1098-T but now they want this so i'm unsure.

[KrisD15]

Which state? 

[courtl1284]

Arkansas

[KrisD15]

The credit is for the Taxpayer. 

If you are claimed on your parent's return, they are the Taxpayer, you are the Dependent. 

You do not apply for the credit. 

[bicgator]

i need to file 2017 taxes

[DoninGA]

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@bicgator wrote:

i need to file 2017 taxes

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Go to this TurboTax website for prior year, 2016 thru 2018, desktop software - https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/past-years-products/

[MayaD]

To file your 2017 return, you need to purchase and download the 2017 software.

[sonnyzadeh]

Hello. My wife is in a graduate program, is not claimed as a dependent or eligible to be (we file jointly as a married couple), but her father pays her tuition. Do we enter the 1098-T info or does he?