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1098-T Tax Center

Shenandoah University’s 1098-T Tax Form Resource Center

  1. Click here to sign-up for electronic delivery of your 1098-T tax form.  The sign-up deadline for the 2020 tax year is December 31st, 2020.
  2. For tax years 2007 through 2020, 1098-T forms may be printed by visiting ECSI (heartland.ecsi.net).  See FAQ’s for instructions on how to retrieve your tax form(s) for the current and/or prior years if need be.
  3. After reading the information above, you may contact us by e-mail or phone with questions about the information on your tax form. Please provide us with your student ID#, which is located in the last box on the left of the 1098-T tax form. We will attempt to contact you within 2 business days.

1098-T Contact Information:

Phone: (540) 665-5588
E-mail: 1098t@su.edu

 

What’s New for 2020 and Frequently Asked Questions & Answers about the 1098-T tax form

Q: What is a 1098-T tax form?

A: A 1098-T tax form is filed by Shenandoah University for each student who in enrolled for academic credit during the calendar year and for whom a reportable transaction is made during the calendar year. This form is to be used by students and/or parents in determining if they qualify for the education deductions and/or tax credits offered by the IRS on their federal income tax returns. 

 

Q: What is qualified tuition and related expenses?

A: Qualified tuition and related expenses are tuition and fees a student must pay to be enrolled at or attend an eligible educational institution. Shenandoah University’s qualified tuition and related expenses include tuition charges, applied music lesson fees, lab fees, mandatory technology fees, activity fees (condition of enrollment), studio recording fees, and distance education fees. Qualified expenses do not include: Room and board charges, late registration fees, insurance, books, equipment, transportation, and similar personal, living, or family expenses.

 

Q: What do the amount boxes on the 1098-T tax form represent?

A: Box 1: The amount reported is the total amount of payments received less any reimbursements or refunds made during the calendar year that relate to the payments received for qualified tuition and related to the payments received for qualified tuition and related expenses during the same calendar year.  This amount is limited by the amount of qualified tuition and fees posted within the calendar year, plus any unused carryover charges from the prior year (if applicable).

Box 4: Reimbursements or refunds of qualified tuition and related expenses made in 2020 that relate to payments received that were reported for a prior year after 2002.

Box 5: Total amount of scholarships or grants that Shenandoah University administered and processed during the calendar year for the payment of the student’s cost of attendance.

Box 6: Reductions to the amount of scholarships or grants that were reported in a prior year.

Box 7: Amounts in box 1 include amounts applicable to an academic period in the next calendar year

Box 8: Whether or not you were enrolled at for at least ½ time or more during any semester during the calendar year.

Box 9: If you were considered a graduate-level student during the year.

 

Q: Were all students issued a 1098-T tax form?

A: No, 1098-T tax forms were not issued to students who took courses for which no academic credit was offered or to nonresident aliens. These are the exceptions granted to educational institutions by the IRS.

  1. If you are a nonresident alien, you must request a 1098-T tax form prior to the cutoff date, March 23rd, by sending an email to 1098t@su.edu.  After the cutoff, SU will not be able to file a 1098-T tax form for you.

 

Q: Why did I receive a 1098-T tax form if I was not enrolled at Shenandoah University during the calendar year?

A: Students who had prior year adjustments to their qualified tuition and related expenses and/or scholarships and grants or future year charges for qualified tuition and related expenses and/or scholarships and grants during the calendar year were issued a 1098-T to reflect these transactions.

Examples:

  1. A student enrolled in 2019 or prior and had qualified tuition and related expenses or financial awards reversed in 2020 received a 1098-T tax form with the reductions reported in Box 4 and/or Box 6 of the 1098-T tax form.
  2. A new student who enrolled in 2020 for the spring term beginning in January 2021 and had qualified tuition and related expense payments and/or financial aid awards on his/her student account during 2020 received a 1098-T tax form with the amounts reported in Box 1 and/or Box 5 of the 1098-T tax form. In addition to the amounts being reported on the tax form, an “X” is marked in Box 7 of the tax form to indicate that the amount in Box 1 includes amounts for the academic period beginning in January 2021.

Q: I am a US Citizen and I was enrolled for academic credit at Shenandoah University during the calendar year but did not receive a 1098-T tax form?

A: This would apply to students who were only enrolled at Shenandoah University for the Spring term of the calendar year and who had no qualified tuition and related expense payments and/or financial aid awards transactions on their student account during the year, i.e. May 2020 graduates who were billed for their Spring term in November or December 2019. These students were issued a 1098-T tax form in 2019. Since there were no reportable transactions in 2020, a 1098-T tax form is not required to be filed.

 

Q: I did not pay Shenandoah University any money during the calendar year, why was I issued a 1098-T tax form?

A: The 1098-T tax form is issued to students who had qualified tuition and related expenses and/or financial aid awards during the year. Your tuition may have been paid by your employer, student loan, outside scholarship, etc. The tax form filing is not based on cash paid to Shenandoah University by the taxpayer. It is based on qualified tuition and related expenses in which payments were made on your student account during the year. You will need to contact your tax advisor to determine your eligibility for taking the tax credits/deductions on your federal income tax return.

 

Q: How do I download my 1098-T from the ECSI website for year(s) 2020 and prior?

A: Please visit https://heartland.ecsi.net/. 

  1. Click on “Access Your 1098 Tax Documents” in the middle of the bottom
  2. Click on “Want to look up your 1098-T or 1098-E tax form?  Click here to start your search” on the far-left side
  3. Click on “I need my 1098-T Tuition tax statement.” On the left side
  4. Start typing in the school name “Shenandoah University” and it should auto-populate.  Choose it and click on Submit at the bottom
  5. Enter your name, social security number, the last legal zip-code we have on file, and click on the check box “I’m not a robot”
  6. On the 1098-T statement line where it says “Status: Delivered” click on “View Details>>”

B: PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SIGN UP FOR E-CONSENT IN ORDER TO VIEW YOUR STATEMENT ELECTRONICALLY.  You may view it electronically at any time.

 

Q: Can I sign up for paperless statements or electronic delivery?

A: Yes!  We have partnered with Heartland ECSI, offering you the opportunity to receive your 1098-T Tuition Statement electronically this year. If you would like to receive your 1098-T form electronically, please give your consent by following the link provided below and following the step by step instructions.

  1. The benefits to receiving electronic notification are:
  1. Online delivery provides access to the form 1098-T earlier than the traditional mailing process.
  2. Online delivery eliminates the chance that the 1098-T will get lost, misdirected or delayed during delivery, or misplaced once the student receives it.
  3. Signing up for online delivery is easy and secure.
  4. Students can receive their 1098-T form even while traveling or on assignment away from their home address.
  1. To give consent to receive your 1098-T form electronically, click on the link below and follow the simple instructions to sign up!
  1. Visit https://heartland.ecsi.net/index.main.html#/access/eConsent
  2. Sign up for Electronic Statements by entering your School, First Name, Last Name, Social Security Number, School Student ID, and Email Address (with the option to include an alternate email address). Heartland ECSI’s website is a secure website and Heartland ECSI will not share your private information with anyone. This notification is strictly sent to gather your consent for receiving an electronic 1098-T Form.
  3. Check the box and click submit.
  1. The deadline to sign up for electronic delivery for the current tax year is December 31st, 2020.  If you sign up after the deadline, you will still receive a paper statement via U.S. Postal Mail, and the following tax year you will receive the electronic copy.  However, you may still view it electronically at any time by visiting heartland.ecsi.net and following the instructions listed earlier in the FAQ’s.  By signing up for electronic delivery, it merely lets you know when it is ready to be viewed.  Otherwise, you may still view your statement at any time.