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It is a form to provide students with information that will assist them with filing for education tax benefits and tax credits such as the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit, Hope Scholarship Tax Credit, American Opportunity Tax Credit and the Above-the-Line Tax Deduction for Qualified Higher Education Expenses. For more information on these credits, see IRS Publication 970 at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf, or consult your personal tax advisor.
Form 1098-T is available electronically at www.1098-t.com in late January for the previous calendar year. All students who sign up for electronic delivery will receive an email letting them know that their form is available on the web site. Once made available, you may print your 1098-T at any time. Students who do not sign up for electronic delivery at the TCRS website will receive a paper copy in the mail. This will be postmarked by January 31st. We encourage electronic delivery to promote sustainability, and because students are able to access the forms quicker than by mail.
For those who do not request electronic delivery, the form will be mailed to the student’s permanent address as maintained by Western Michigan University. If WMU has no permanent address for the student, then the form will be mailed to the local address on file.
Following are several reasons why Form 1098-T may not be available:
-Form 1098-T is not issued to nonresident aliens, as they do not qualify for the U.S. education tax credits. Please contact the IRS or your personal tax advisor for more information.
-If the University does not have either a Social Security number (SSN), or an International Tax Identification Number (ITIN) on record for the student, then the form is not automatically released. You can update your records at the registrar’s office in Seibert Administration Building. Be sure to bring your social security or ITIN card.
-If WMU has no valid address for you, the form is not automatically released. You can update your address information on GoWMU.
-Form 1098-T is not generated for employees whose total scholarships (including discount) received for the year exceeds the amount of qualifying tuition and fees billed for the year.
Students classified as nonresident aliens in the Western Michigan University student records system will not be issued a 1098-T form as they do not qualify for the U.S. education tax credits. Please contact the IRS or your personal tax preparer for assistance. If you are a resident alien, see the following question.
Yes. Resident aliens are taxed the same as U.S. citizens and qualify for the U.S. education tax credits. However, as our current system only tracks U.S. citizenship, we have no records to indicate this status. If you have resident alien status (see below FAQ), complete a Report of Resident Alien Status form, found at http://www.wmich.edu/accounting-services/docs/ar_resident_alien_status.pdf, attach required documentation and deliver to Bronco Express or fax all to the Corporate Reporting and Taxation Department at 269-387-4297.
You are a resident alien of the U.S. for tax purposes if you meet either the green card test or the substantial presence test for the calendar year being measured. See IRS Publication 519 for more information. A student in the U.S. on an F-1 or J-1 visa most likely meets the substantial presence test in the 6th year of presence. For more information, see IRS Publication 519 on the IRS website (www.irs.gov).
Undocumented students who pass the substantial presence test are taxed as resident aliens. Please note that you need to provide us with your International Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) in order to receive Form 1098-T. Also, see FAQs for undocumented students below.
An undocumented student who qualifies as a RESIDENT ALIEN is taxed the same as a U.S. citizen and is eligible to claim any allowable tuition credits or deductions.
Under the tax laws of the U.S., a RESIDENT ALIEN can be defined as:
a) a green card holder
b) a person meeting the substantial presence test
No. Any individual U.S. tax return filed without either a social security number or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) will be rejected by the IRS.
An ITIN is a taxpayer identification number assigned to nonresident aliens and others who do not qualify to obtain a social security number. It is used for U.S. tax purposes only. It is obtained by filing Form W-7 with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Please note the instructions require certain attachments to be filed with Form W-7, such as a certified copy of your foreign birth certificate and a photo ID. You can find Form W-7 and instructions on the IRS website at: www.irs.gov.
Our records contain information on whether or not a student is a U.S. citizen, but does not track whether you are a resident alien or nonresident alien. Accordingly, if WMU records indicate that you are not a U.S. citizen, or, if you have not given us your social security or ITIN number, a Form 1098-T will not be automatically generated for you. If you are a resident alien with an ITIN, please contact the corporate reporting and taxation office at (269) 387-2981. You need to complete a Form W-9S stating your ITIN number if you are filing for tuition tax credit, and a Report of Resident Alien Status form so we identify you as a resident alien. These can be submitted to Bronco Express, or emailed to Julie Carroll, Corporate Reporting and Taxation, at Julie.Carroll@wmich.edu.
The Report of Resident Alien Status form is at http://www.wmich.edu/accounting-services/docs/ar_resident_alien_status.pdf
Form W-9S and instructions can be found on the IRS website at: www.irs.gov.
Questions on the above can be emailed to Julie.Carroll@wmich.edu.
Please note that tax law is extremely complex and constantly changing. Accordingly, staff members are advised NOT to give tax advice to students. Instead, students are advised to seek professional assistance from their personal tax advisor.