1098-T Frequently Asked Questions

ASC contracts with Heartland ECSI to produce the 1098-T form electronically and by mail. If you provide consent to receive your 1098-T electronically, you will receive an email as soon as the 1098-T form is available. Students who do not provide the electronic consent will receive the 1098-T form in the mail. The form will be mailed by January 31 after the completion of the tax year. You may also access the information via the Heartland ECSI website. Either login to your account using your login from prior years or select 'First Time Students' to create an account.

The IRS mandates that 1098-T tax forms be mailed to your address that we have on file. If you have not previously provided your address or if it is no longer valid, you must update your address through my.AlfredState.edu/registration by selecting the "Update Personal Information" icon. Please note that an invalid address will cause a delay in delivering the information to you.

If we do not have your social security number on file, it will not be included on your 1098-T tax form. When we do not have your social security number on file, we are required by the IRS to attempt to obtain it from you. A Request for Student’s Taxpayer Identification Number (Substitute Form W-9S) was mailed to your address on record between October and November during the tax year. If a response is not received by December 31 of the tax year, your 1098-T form will not contain a social security number.

Failure to furnish correct SSN or ITIN

Per IRS instruction on page two of the W-9S form located under the heading "Penalties", if you fail to furnish your correct SSN or ITIN to the requester you are subject to a penalty of $50 unless your failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect.

We are not required to report to the IRS or to furnish a 1098-T form to you, if:

• You were enrolled in courses for which no academic credit was offered, even if you were otherwise enrolled in a degree program.
• You were a non-resident alien (unless you specifically requested a 1098-T).

Below is a brief explanation of the form contents:

• Box 1: Shows the total payments received for qualified tuition and expenses by ASC during the tax year. This number is capped at the total of qualified tuition and expenses billed during the tax year.
• Box 2: This box is blank.
• Box 3: This box is blank.
• Box 4: This box will show an adjusted amount if you dropped classes or your schedule was adjusted during the tax year resulting in a reduction in qualified tuition and related expenses affecting amounts reported in a previous reporting year after 2002. This amount is reported as a positive number per IRS requirements. However, it is actually a decrease to the amount that was reported on a prior year 1098-T.
• Box 5: This box contains the total amount of any scholarships, grants, third party payments, or tuition and/or fee waivers you were eligible for that were paid toward your costs of attendance. If you received additional plans during the tax year for previous reporting periods, those amounts will be included in this box.
• Box 6: If there were any grant and/or scholarship reductions on your account during the tax affecting amounts reported in a prior reporting year after 2002, those adjustments will show in this box. This amount is reported as a positive number per IRS requirements. However, it is actually a decrease to the amount that was reported on a prior year 1098-T.
• Box 7: This box is checked if the amount in box 1 includes amounts for an academic period that begins in January through March following the tax year.
• Box 8: This box is checked if you were at least a half-time student (6 credits) during any academic period that began during the tax year.
• Box 9 and 10: These boxes do not apply to ASC or ASC current/former students.

A detailed breakdown is available online. To view the information, log into my.AlfredState.edu/finances and select "View Account Detail" under the 1098T Tax Information section. 

It is the responsibility of the student or the person claiming a tax credit to retain financial records needed for tax preparation. You may follow the steps below to access your Student Account details.

• Log into my.AlfredState.edu/finances
• Select "Pay Bill/Sign up for e-Refund"

Alfred State College bills by term, but the 1098-T capture amounts billed or paid during a specific calendar year.

If you have additional questions about your 1098-T tax form, call the Student Records and Financial Services Office at 607-587-4253 or 1-800-425-3733 or you can contact us by email at: sfs@alfredstate.edu.

Yes. We are required to submit an electronic version of your 1098-T information to the IRS by March 31.

You should consult your tax professional for assistance with tax return preparation and claiming an educational tax credit/benefit.

• IRS Website
• IRS Telephone Assistance Hotline: 1-800-829-1040