Educational Tax Information

‌Provisions of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 enacted some new educational tax benefits. Students, or those who may claim a student as a dependent, may be eligible for an educational tax credit. Provided below are website and document links that may be helpful to determine your eligibility.

Higher education institutions are required to report student account activity for a calendar year on the IRS 1098-T Tuition Statement. Students are not necessarily eligible for the 1098-T every year that they attend college. Account activity and IRS reporting criteria determine whether a form is generated.

The 1098-T is informational and should be used along with your account statement (found on the TouchNet payment platform) and your other educational receipts when preparing tax filings. A sample of the form is below:

Sample 2020 1098-T Form (PDF 66kB)

Data reported to students on the 1098-T is also reported to the IRS. To ensure data is accurately reported to the IRS, students should:

Verify that their current mailing address is on their record. Address changes may be made in Self-Service Banner using the Student Menu, Personal Information option. Use the pencil icon to update your address.
Confirm that your correct taxpayer identification number (TIN)/social security (SSN) is on your record. If not, please complete SUNY ESC W-9S (PDF 149kB) and fax to the Office of the Registrar at 518-580-0105.
Update changes in your legal name or the TIN/SSN on file, by sending an email to the Office of the Registrar at registrarsoffice@sunyempire.edu.

The IRS warns that students may be subject to IRS penalties if their personal data is not reported accurately on the 1098-T.

For answers to questions about what is reported on the 1098-T, please visit our 1098-T webpage.

Students may obtain copies of past year documents at SUNY’s vendor, Heartland ECSI.

The IRS posts information about tax scams/consumer alerts as well as information regarding filing income tax returns on their main web page.