How to Access a 1098T:

For Current Students or Former Students that still have their Portal login information:

• UNA Portal – Student Account/Meal Plan then Tax Information1098T’s are available through Portal only for 2022 and beyond.

• Any previous year, they will need to go through the ECSI Website, heartland.ecsi.net (link below). They will need our school code which is R1

   

  For Parents and Former Students that does not have access to their Portal Information:

• Through the ECSI Website, heartland.ecsi.net (link below). They will need our school code which is R1 and several other personal information items.

Click here for instructions on how to access the 1098-T form through ECSI

Click here to view and print 1098T form

ECSI 1098T Information Desk: 1-866-428-1098 or Heartland.ecsi.net for additional questions.

Contact ECSI Contact Center at (866) 428-1098 for your Heartland Code.

Understanding the 1098T

• The IRS Form 1098-T is an information form filed with the Internal Revenue Service.
• The IRS Form 1098-T that you received reports amounts paid for qualified tuition and related expenses, as well as other related information.
• You, or the person who may claim you as a dependent, may be able to take either the tuition and fees deduction or claim an education credit on Form 1040 or 1040A for the qualified tuition and related expenses that were actually paid during the calendar year.
• There is no IRS requirement that you must claim the tuition and fees deduction or an education credit. Claiming education tax benefits is a voluntary decision for those who may qualify.
• All information and assistance that UNA can provide to you is contained in this notice.

Amounts Paid for Qualified Tuition and Related Expenses

Box 1 of Form 1098-T reports the qualified tuition and related expenses paid during the calendar year. Qualified tuition and related expenses are sometimes referred to as qualified education expenses, although the terms are not always interchangeable.  The amount paid will not always equal Box 1.  There are potentially many reasons for this discrepancy. First, the amount in Box 1 only represents amounts paid for qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) and does not include payments made for room and board. Secondly, Form 1098-T reports amounts that the student paid in a certain year, and the pay date does not necessarily correspond to the dates that the classes were attended. For example, tuition for the Spring semester is typically billed in November so a student may have paid tuition for the Spring semester in 2020 despite the fact that classes didn’t start until 2021. Amounts reported in Box 1 will typically not be more than the amount billed within the calendar year for QTRE. 

Adjustments Made For a Prior Year

Box 4 of Form 1098-T reports adjustments made to qualified tuition and related expenses reported on a prior year Form 1098-T in Box 1. The amount reported in Box 4 represents a reduction in tuition paid during a prior calendar year. For example, if you paid Spring semester classes in December and withdrew from classes in January which resulted in a refund, Box 4 reports the decrease in paid tuition due to the withdrawal. The amount reported in Box 4 for adjustments to qualified tuition and related expenses may reduce any allowable education credit you may claim for the prior year. See IRS Form 8863 or IRS Publication 970 for more information.

Scholarships or Grants

Box 5 of Form 1098-T reports the total of scholarships or grants administered and processed by the UNA Financial Aid and Student Accounts during the calendar year.

Beginning with the 2011 tax year, Veterans Education Benefit amounts received (Post 9/11 GI Bill) will now be included in Box 5.  For additional information on Veterans Education Benefits, please visit either the IRS  or the Department of Veterans Affairs  website.

Adjustments to Scholarships or Grants For a Prior Year

Box 6 of Form 1098-T reports adjustments made to scholarships or grants reported on a prior year Form 1098-T in Box 5. The amount reported in Box 6 represents a reduction in scholarships or grants reported for a prior calendar year. The amount reported in Box 6 for adjustments to scholarships or grants may affect the amount of any allowable tuition and fees deduction or education credit you may claim for the prior year. See IRS Form 8863 for how to report these amounts.

Additional Information Reported

There are three additional information boxes that may have a check mark in them.

Box 7 indicates, if checked, that Box 1 includes amounts for an academic period beginning in the next calendar year. For example, if you registered and paid for the upcoming Spring semester during November or December, this box will be marked.

Box 8 shows whether you are considered to be carrying at least one-half the normal full-time workload for your course of study at UNA for at least one academic period during the calendar year. If this box is marked, you meet one of the requirements for the Hope tax credit. You do not have to meet the workload requirement to qualify for the tuition and fee deduction or the lifetime learning credit.

Box 9 shows whether you are considered to be enrolled in a program leading to a graduate degree, graduate-level certificate, or other recognized graduate-level educational credential. If you are enrolled in a graduate program, you are not eligible for the American Opportunity credit, but you may qualify for the tuition and fee deduction or the lifetime learning credit.

https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1098-t

Required IRS Information

The University of North Alabama is required by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to obtain a Social Security Number (SSN) or a Tax Identification number (TIN) in order to file 1098-T Tuition Statement with the IRS.   For students, this will typically be your SSN.  UNA will report a student’s 1098-T Tuition Statement to the IRS with or without an SSN/TIN.   A hold will be placed on accounts with missing SSN's.  This hold will prevent a student from registering or receiving a transcript until this requirement has been fulfilled.  In addition, according to IRS section 6723, a penalty may apply to any individual who is required (but fails) to furnish an accurate SSN/TIN to an institution or insurer.