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1098T FAQ

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Form 1098-T Frequently Asked Questions

 

WHAT IS FORM 1098-T ?

Form 1098-T is a tax form the University is required to file with the IRS and each student. The form provides information that assists the taxpayer in determining their eligibility for a tax benefit from either the American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit.

WHAT FORM DO I USE TO SUBMIT MY SSN(TIN) TO LEHIGH UNIVERSITY?  Click image to download form W9S

Students for whom we do not have a Taxpayer Identification Number (SSN or ITIN) on record will receive a DocuSign request from in1098T@lehigh.edu.  However, students have the option to use the W9S PDF to submit your Taxpayer Identification Number to Lehigh University.  

WILL I GET A FORM 1098-T FROM LEHIGH UNIVERSITY?

You should receive a 2024 form 1098-T if you were a student taking any course(s) for credit at Lehigh University during the semesters of Spring 2024, Summer 2024, Fall 2024 or Winter 2024, and you are a citizen or permanent resident of the United States of America. You will also receive a Form 1098-T if you were charged and paid for any Spring 2025 course(s) prior to December 31, 2024.

WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY FORM 1098-T ?

The University will provide Form 1098-T’s by January 31st.

If you consented to receive the form electronically while you are a student at Lehigh, you will receive an email notification when Form 1098-T is available in the eBill Suite.  Otherwise, the form will be mailed to you.

TO WHAT ADDRESS WILL MY FORM 1098-T BE MAILED?

For forms not delivered electronically, the University will mail Form 1098-T to the student at the student’s home address as listed in the University’s records as of the January date the forms are prepared.  

WHY DO YOU NEED MY HOME ADDRESS IF I'M RECEIVING MY 1098-T ELECTRONICALLY?

The information included on the 1098T form and in the data uploaded to the IRS includes student address and cannot be left blank.  Students are responsible for keeping Lehigh University records up to date with their current physical addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers. Current students can visit go.Lehigh.edu/updateaddress.  Alumni can update their records by  following the procedure at Alumni Help Desk (https://mylehigh.lehigh.edu/s/1127/interior-hybrid.aspx?sid=1127&gid=1&pgid=59&cid=211).  

WHAT HAPPENS IF AMOUNTS REPORTED ON A PRIOR YEAR’S  FORM 1098-T WERE ADJUSTED THIS YEAR?

In general, Form 1098-T will include amounts in Box 4 (prior year adjustments to amounts billed or payments received for qualified tuition and related expenses) and Box 6 (prior year adjustments to scholarships and grants) if you had a change for any prior year 1098-T reported amounts.    

WHY IS BOX 2 BLANK?

Prior to 2018, form 1098-T included a figure in Box 2 that represented the qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) Lehigh billed to a student account for the calendar (tax) year. Due to a change to institutional reporting requirements under federal law, beginning with tax year 2018, Lehigh will report in Box 1 the amount of QTRE you paid during the year.

WHERE CAN I GET ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE AMOUNTS LISTED ON MY FORM 1098-T ?

Students can obtain additional details about the calculation of amounts on your 1098-T by logging into Connect Lehigh (https://connect.lehigh.edu) and selecting the Student Dashboard from either the Student Self-Service or Alumni Self-Service tile.  Next, select 1098 Tax Info and choose the tax year from the drop down list.  The information available includes details of payments received, charges billed, and scholarships and grants. The Box 1 Payments Reportable sections shows how the Box 1 amount was determined.  For Proxy users wishing to view the 1098T data, your student must have granted you AR access. 

You can also review ALL activity on your student account in the eBill Suite.  Select Account Activity.  From here, you can view all semesters and download the details to excel or a PDF.  Keep in mind that all 1098-T calculations are based upon transactions that occur during the tax year (Jan 1 to Dec 31), regardless of the semester.  These transaction dates are included in the account activity detail.

WHY IS MY PAYMENT AMOUNT IN BOX 1 LESS THAN THE TOTAL PAYMENTS I MADE DURING THE TAX YEAR?

The amount of your payment reported in Box 1 is limited by the total amount of Qualified Tuition and Related Expenses billed during calendar year. For a more detailed explanation and examples,  please see Understanding Box 1 of the 1098T.  

WHAT IS INCLUDED AS PAYMENTS IN BOX 1? 

Payments in Box 1 include all your personal payments and educational loans, as well as most scholarships and grants, limited by the total amount of Qualified Tuition and Related Expenses billed during the calendar year.  For a more detailed explanation and examples,  please see Understanding Box 1 of the 1098T.  

An amount on my form is wrong.  How do I get it corrected? 

1098-T statements are generated by Banner, our student information system, in accordance with IRS guidelines, which takes into consideration all transactions recorded in the calendar year.  These tuition statements are not manually calculated and Lehigh is unable to manually adjust the amounts on your form. 

Before contacting us, please review Understanding Box 1 of the 1098T,  as well as your account details and the details of your 1098-T calculations

  • Students can obtain a full history of their account via the eBill Suite (Account Activity, can be exported to Excel) or Connect Lehigh (Student Services - Account Information). 
  • Students can obtain details about the calculation of amounts on your 1098-T by logging into Connect Lehigh (Student Services – 1098 Tax Info).  The information available includes details of payments received, charges billed, and scholarships and grants. The Box 1 Payments Reportable sections shows how the Box 1 amount was determined.

If you believe a payment or charge was included on your 1098T calculations that should not be included, or that there is a payment or charge not included and should have been, please provide details of the transaction (date, amount, description) and the category (Payments Received, Charges Billed or Scholarships/Grants) for which you believe the amount should be included/excluded.  Please email your detailed explanation to bursar@lehigh.edu so that we can research your account.

In the "Detail of Charges Billed", why is the amount included for Orientation or the Lehigh Launch Program Fee less than the original charge?

Qualified Tuition and Related Expenses do not include costs for housing, meals, or other personal expenses.  For these specific charges, the amount is prorated to include only those expenses that are allowable.  

 

WHERE CAN I GET ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT WHETHER I’M ELIGIBLE FOR ANY TAX BENEFITS?

As in all matters related to the tax implications of education expenses, Lehigh University will be unable to advise parents and students. Lehigh University cannot determine if you are eligible for either of the credits or the amount of credit for which you may qualify. We strongly encourage you to speak with a qualified tax advisor or the IRS. The IRS offers free forms, publications and other information at each local IRS office and through the following sources: