Frequently Asked Questions on Form 1098-T

IRS Form 1098-T (Tuition Statement) is an informational statement intended to serve as a guide for the taxpayer.  The university prepares the form for students with qualified tuition and related expenses with U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status during the reported tax year.

  • Please see below for the deadline for mailed-in payments during the university Winter Recess Closure between December 22, 2023 and January 1, 2024:
    • Mailed-in payments made towards Spring 2024 or prior semester's qualified tuition and related expenses will be posted and reported in Box 1 on Form 1098-T in 2023 if received before 3pm on December 21, 2023.
    • Mailed-in payments received after 3pm on December 21, 2023 will be reported in Box 1 on Form 1098-T in tax year 2024.
  • SIS online payments made will be credited to the account on the day the payment is made. 
    • Online payments made on or before December 31, 2023 will appear on the Form 1098-T in 2023 for Spring 2024 (for those enrolled) or prior semester's qualified tuition and related expenses.

For U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents, your 2023 IRS Form 1098-T is available online in SIS starting January 24, 2024. If you do not grant consent to have your 1098-T delivered electronically, you will receive a paper copy postmarked by January 31 mailed to your permanent address.

For Nonresident Aliens and those who have changed their residency status in SIS after January 4, 2024, your 2023 IRS Form 1098-T will be available within seven business days after you have submitted your request  An email notification will be sent to your Case e-mail address when your 1098-T is available to view or download in SIS. You must grant consent to have your 1098-T delivered electronically.

  • Box 1 amounts paid for qualified tuition and related expenses during calendar (tax) year 2023.
  • Box 2 reserved for future use
  • Box 3 reserved for future use
  • Box 4 represents reductions made for qualified tuition and related expenses that were reported on a prior year Form 1098-T.
  • Box 5 represents the total amount of all scholarships, grants or 3rd Party Sponsor Credits (excluding college savings plan through 3rd Party Sponsor Credits).
  • Box 6 represents the amount of reductions made to scholarships or grants that were reported for a prior year.
  • Box 7 is only checked if amounts in Box 1 include qualified tuition and fees for the upcoming spring term.
  • Box 8 is only checked if you have been at least a half-time student for a least one academic period that began during the calendar year.  A half-time student is a student enrolled for at least half the full-time academic workload for the course of study the student is pursuing.
  • Box 9 is checked if you were enrolled as a graduate student for at least one academic period during the calendar year for which reporting is required.

In previous tax years, educational institutions are given the option to report either payments received in Box 1 or total qualified tuition and expenses charges (billed) in Box 2. Case Western Reserve University had chosen to report charges, not payments received.  Starting with tax year 2018, the university began reporting in Box 1.

All eligible tuition and fees, including activity fees, and certain nursing & some dental fees. Tuition waivers are subtracted from eligible tuition and fee waivers are subtracted from eligible fees. 

IRS Form 1098-T instructions requires universities to exclude room, board (meal plan), insurance, transportation, or other personal expenses from qualified tuition and related expenses. 

In addition to tuition, below is a list of what CWRU considers as eligible or qualified fees for IRS Form 1098-T reporting purposes.  There may be other eligible or qualified fees not listed below.  Students may see these fees on their Statement of Account or Account Activity.

  • 1st day E-Book
  • ACEMAPP
  • Activity Fee Virtual Program
  • Clinical Fee
  • Dental Activity Fee
  • Dental Clinic Computer Lease
  • Dental Course Fee
  • Dental Instrument Leasing
  • Dental Kits - dental school
  • Dental Kits - Shein
  • Dental Lab Fee
  • Dental Multi-Media Package
  • EduRotation Fee
  • Exam Soft
  • Graduate Activity Fee
  • Graduate Student Council Fee
  • Law Activity Fee
  • Management Student Fee
  • Medical Activity Fee
  • Medical Equipment Fee
  • MSASS Activity Fee
  • Nursing Activity Fee
  • Nursing Lab Fee
  • PA Activity Fee
  • Undergraduate Activity Fee

Students, or those who can claim the student as a dependent, should refer to their own financial records when calculating the eligible amount that can be claimed for any educational related income tax credits or deductions.  The university provides students and financial authorized users the ability to generate a Statement of Account for semesters/terms that began during the calendar year to help in calculating the eligible amount that can be claimed.  Students and their financial authorized users also have the ability to view their Account Activity during the calendar year.

Payments are applied first to any prior term balances, then to qualified tuition and related expenses and then to nonqualified expenses such as room and board.  Payments include all sources (personal payments, scholarships, grants, and loans) and is reduced by any refunds processed during the calendar year.  

Students who are enrolled for the upcoming Spring term before December 31 will normally see Spring charges on their account in December.  Payments made for those Spring charges by the payment deadline will be included in Box 1 up to the qualified tuition and fees on their student account at December 31.  See the deadline for payments FAQ above.

The allocation of payments to specific charges in the SIS student account may differ depending on the payment source. 

SIS access is not removed when you leave the university. Please contact the University ITS Help Desk. You may need to reset your password or sign up for DUO for access.

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The 1098-T form will only display the last four digits of your social security number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). If the form is missing the last 4 digits of your SSN or ITIN, please securely submit your SSN/ITIN electronically using the Social Security/Tax Identification Number online form. 

Per Internal Revenue Service regulations, Case Western Reserve University is not required to complete a 1098-T Tax Form to non-resident alien students. However, the IRS does require the university to provide the tax form upon request by the student. To request a 1098-T form, please complete the Nonresident Alien 1098-T Request Form

The University does not give tax advice on how to use the form. If you have such questions, please contact your tax preparer, tax adviser or the IRS. The IRS has published information about the 1098-T tax form available online.