General 1098-T Questions

In accordance with IRS regulations the 1098-T will be available no later than January 31. Your 1098-T will be mailed no later than January 31 only if you elect not to receive your form electronically, or if the current tax year was your first year of attendance at Columbus State University. You may elect to receive your 1098-T electronically, if you received a 1098-T from Columbus State University last year. This will allow you access to your 1098-T as soon as it is available. To sign up for electronic delivery, please visit https://heartland.ecsi.net/index.main.html#/access/eConsent and follow the instructions on the web form. You must submit consent for electronic delivery no later than January 1, 2020 and provide a valid email address for notification that your form is available. If consent for electronic delivery is made after January 1, 2020, the 1098-T will be mailed to the current address on file.

Columbus State University is unable to provide you with individual tax advice. For individual tax advice, please contact an informed tax advisor to determine if payments for books, equipment, or fees should be considered when preparing your income tax returns and determining eligibility for education tax credits or deductions.

The 1098-T is a tax form that Columbus State University provides to the student to file federal income taxes. It is used for the purpose of determining a student's eligibility for education tax credits.

Visit https://heartland.ecsi.net/index.main.html#/access/lookup and select Columbus State University. Key in your information and click Continue. The next screen should show your 1098-T form.

There are several possibilities:

• You are not eligible for a 1098-T
• if your financial aid (including scholarships and grants) was greater than your tuition and fee charges on your student account. 
• Your 1098-T was mailed to the wrong address
• Your 1098-T may have been mailed to an old address, if you did not have a current address on file with the University. Please contact the Bursar's office at (706) 507-8897 or email us at bursar@columbusstate.edu on how to receive a replacement form.
• You are looking for your 1098-T at the wrong address
• IRS regulations require mailing your 1098-T to your mailing address.
• You did not have a valid Social Security Number (SSN) on file.
• IRS regulations specify that the University is not required to issue a 1098-T if a students does not have a SSN. Students with a J-1 or F-1 visa do not have SSNs.

Due to a change to institutional reporting requirements under Federal Law, Columbus State University has started reporting QTRE (Qualified Tuition and Related Expenses) in Box 1 of the 1098-T for tax year 2018 moving forward. Box 1 only represents amounts paid for qualified tuition and related expenses. It does not include payments made for room and board, insurance, health fees, parking permits, and books.

The IRS no longer allows institutions to report in Box 2 (Tax Deductible Amounts Billed).

Box 4 (Adjustments made for a prior year) reflects any refunds of tuition and fees billed in a previous tax year that you may have received in the current tax year. The amount in Box 4 may reduce any allowable education credit you claimed for a prior year.

Box 5 (Scholarships or grants) reflects any scholarships or grants applied to your account during the calendar year.