Student Accounts

More Information

• Information on Education Tax Credits

  In an effort to make college more affordable, Congress passed the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (TRA97) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) establishing the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit and the American Opportunity Credit. Both of these credits are limited by taxpayer income. If students are eligible, they will need the information reported on Form 1098-T to help compute these credits.

  The American Opportunity Credit provides a tax credit to taxpayers who pay qualified tuition and related expenses (including books) for attending an eligible institution for at least one term on at least a half-time basis. This credit is designed to offset tuition costs incurred during the first four years of college. The individual tax filer can use it for only four years for each eligible student. This credit is computed on qualified tuition and related expenses (including books) paid during the calendar year minus certain grants, scholarships, and other tax-free educational assistance. The maximum tax credit is $2,500 per student and 40% of this credit is refundable for most taxpayers. This means you can get money back even if you owe no taxes. If you qualify, this credit can be claimed on your federal tax return.

  In addition, like the Hope Scholarship Credit, the Lifetime Learning Credit provides a tax credit to taxpayers who pay qualified tuition and related expenses to an eligible institution. It differs from the Hope Scholarship: the student is not required to attend at least half time. A family may claim a credit of up to $2,000 per tax year. The Lifetime Learning tax credit is available for tuition and related expenses paid during the calendar year minus certain grants, scholarships, and other tax-free educational assistance.

   

• What fees are included in qualified education expenses?

  The following fees are included:

  • Tuition (Resident or Non-Resident)
  • Mandatory Fees:
    
    • Service & Activities Fee
    • Wellness Fee
    • Athletic Fee
    • Rec Center Fee
    • Student Union Fee
    • Central Transit Fee
    • Basic Needs Fee
    • Student Green Fund
    • Telehelth, Medical & Counseling
    • Student Lobby Fee
    • Tutoring Center Fee
    • Technology Fee
    • Library Fee
    • Multimodal Fee

  • Inclusive Access (Digital Books/Materials)
  • Course Fees related to your degree program
• What fees are not included in qualified educational expenses?

  The following fees and/or categories of expenses are not included in qualified expenses:

  • Housing and Dining
  • Other Fees
    
    • Parking
    • Health Services Fee
    • Administrative fees, late fees, fines
    • User fees such as for musical instruments and theater arts equipment use
    • Transcripts
  • Miscellaneous course fees not related to your degree program
• I disagree with your classification of qualified and/or nonqualified fees. What should I do?

  We recommend consulting your tax preparer.

• 1098-T Boxes Explained

  Box 1: Payments received up to the total amount charged for Qualified Tuition and Related Expenses (QTRE). This includes the total amount of ALL payments received for QTRE from all sources during the calendar year including scholarships and grants

  Box 2 is intentionally blank. Since 2018, federal regulations require that institutions report amounts paid (Box 1) versus amounts billed (Box 2). 

  Box 3 is no longer used.

  Boxes 4, 5, 6: Adjustments and Scholarships

  • Box 4 shows any adjustments the school has made to qualified expenses reported on a previous year's 1098-T. If it turns out a previous year's expenses were lower than initially reported, the student may be responsible for additional tax for that year. 
  • Box 5 shows the amount of scholarships and grants that were paid directly to the school for the student's expenses. Scholarships and grants may reduce the amount of qualified expenses the student can use when calculating a credit.
  • Box 6 shows any adjustments the school has made to scholarships and grants reported on a previous year's 1098-T. These adjustments may affect the student's tax liability for the previous year, so the student may have to file an amended return.

  Other information

  Schools check Box 7 if the amount in Box 1 or 2 includes expenses for an academic term that begins in the first three months of the year following the year covered by the 1098-T.

  A check mark in Box 8 indicates that the student is enrolled at least half-time.

  A check mark in Box 9 indicates that the student is enrolled in a graduate program.

  Tuition insurance reimbursements

  Box 10 of the form comes into play only in cases in which students have had expenses reimbursed under a "tuition insurance" policy. Such policies reimburse students when they are forced to withdraw from school—for medical reasons or family emergencies, for example—after paying nonrefundable tuition.

  • When an insurer reimburses a student's expenses, it provides that student with a copy of the 1098-T.
  • Box 10 is used to show the amount reimbursed.
  • The amount of expenses used to calculate credits generally are reduced by any reimbursement reported here.

  
  

   

• Can I claim payments made in the current tax year towards qualified tuition and expenses for classes starting early in the next tax year?

  YES. The prepayment regulation explains if tuition is paid during one tax year for an academic period that begins during the first three months of the following tax year, taxpayers may claim the credit for the year in which the payment is made. However, this information will not appear on the 1098-T form.

  As we are not tax professionals, CWU cannot provide individual tax advice regarding these prepayments.

• I attended classes but did no receive a 1098-T Statement

  Central Washington University is not required to file a 1098-T Statement for:

  • Students taking courses that do not offer credit towards a post-secondary degree on an academic transcript
  • Students who are non-resident aliens
  • Student fees paid by a Third Party Sponsor
  • Students for whom you do not maintain a separate financial account and whose qualified tuition and related expenses are covered by a formal billing arrangement between an institution and the student's employer or a governmental entity, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense.

  Should your record have an incorrect mailing address, an invalid social security number, or if you were not enrolled during the current tax year, you may not receive a 1098-T form in the mail.

  If you do not have a valid social security number you will need to bring in your SSN or iTIN information to Student Accounts in Bouillon Hall 110 or upload a copy securly through your MyCWU. DO NOT EMAIL YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.

  If you have an incorrect address, you can retrieve your 1098-T form and print it by logging into your MyCWU account.

  If you do not find your 1098-T form on MyCWU and think you had qualified expenses or received financial aid during the tax year, call the Office of Student Accounts at (509) 963-3546.

• I lost my 1098-T form. How do I get another?

  You may log in to your MyCWU account and print any 1098-T form on file. Be sure to consent to view your 1098-T online.

• I can’t get access to my 1098-T form because I have graduated and have forgotten my access information.

  Please contact the CWU Service Desk at (509) 963-2001 to have your MyCWU password reset in order to access to your student account. You can also reset your MyCWU password through self-service.

• Whom do I contact if my Social Security Number/Name/Information is incorrect?

  You should contact the Office of Student Accounts at (509) 963-3546.
  Please note, we are not tax professionals, so we cannot provide individual tax advice.