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Form 1098-T is a tax form issued by a college or university that reports tuition payments and financial aid. Form 1098-E is a tax form issued by a loan servicer or lender that reports student loan interest paid. The 1098-T supports education tax credits; the 1098-E supports the student loan interest deduction. A student can receive both in the same year: one from their school, one from their loan servicer. Each form is used on a different part of a tax return.
What Is Form 1098-T?
Form 1098-T, the Tuition Statement, is issued by an eligible educational institution, such as a college, university, or vocational school. It reports qualified tuition and related expenses paid during the year, along with any scholarships or grants the school administered. Students use it to determine eligibility for the American Opportunity Credit or the Lifetime Learning Credit. There’s no dollar threshold for receiving one; schools must furnish it to enrolled students who paid qualified expenses, per the IRS’s instructions for the form.
What Is Form 1098-E?
Form 1098-E, the Student Loan Interest Statement, is issued by whoever holds or services a student loan, for example, a bank, the federal government, or a loan servicer. It reports interest paid on that loan during the year. It supports the student loan interest deduction. A lender only has to send one if a borrower paid $600 or more in interest during the year, though smaller amounts may still be deductible.
1098-T vs. 1098-E at a Glance
| Form 1098-T | Form 1098-E | |
| Full name | Tuition Statement | Student Loan Interest Statement |
| Who sends it | The college or university | The loan servicer or lender |
| What it reports | Qualified tuition and related expenses paid, plus scholarships/grants received | Interest paid on a qualified student loan |
| Dollar threshold to receive one | None | $600 or more in interest paid during the year |
| Used for | Education tax credits (American Opportunity Credit, Lifetime Learning Credit) | Student loan interest deduction |
| Typical deadline to recipients | January 31 | January 31 |
| Can you get both in the same year? | Yes | Yes |
Why Doesn’t a Student Always Get a 1098-T?
A school doesn’t have to send a 1098-T when tuition was covered entirely by a third-party agreement (such as the VA or Department of Defense), when the course offered no academic credit, or for some nonresident alien students, per the IRS’s stated exceptions. Receiving a 1098-T also doesn’t automatically mean a tax credit applies; eligibility still depends on income, filing status, and the other rules in IRS Publication 970.
Why Might Someone Get More Than One 1098-E?
If a loan was sold or transferred to a new servicer during the year, each servicer that held the loan during their portion of the year can issue its own 1098-E. The $600 reporting threshold applies separately to each lender relationship, so a borrower with loans at two different servicers could receive two forms — or none, if neither servicer received $600 in interest.
Why Do People Confuse the Two Forms?
- They arrive around the same time. Both are typically due to recipients by January 31, so a student paying tuition and repaying a loan can get both in the same week.
- They’re both “1098” forms. The base Form 1098 reports mortgage interest, and the T and E variants share the numbering and general layout.
- They serve two different tax benefits that people assume are related. An education credit and a loan interest deduction both relate to “paying for school,” but they apply to different expenses, different boxes, and different lines on a tax return.
What Should A Student Do If a Form Is Missing or Looks Wrong?
- No 1098-T, but tuition was paid: Check the student portal first: many schools deliver 1098-Ts electronically once a student consents. If it’s genuinely missing, contact the school’s bursar or student accounts office.
- No 1098-E, but loan interest was paid: If total interest paid to that lender was under $600, a form isn’t required; the servicer’s account statements can typically supply the number instead.
- Numbers look off: For a 1098-T, confirm whether the school is reporting current-year payments correctly. For a 1098-E, check the amount against the servicer’s own account history, especially if the loan changed hands mid-year.
- Neither form ever arrives: A tax preparer or the IRS’s own instructions for these forms can confirm whether one was actually required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a student get a 1098-T and a 1098-E in the same year? Yes. A student enrolled in school while repaying an existing student loan can receive a 1098-T from their school and a 1098-E from their loan servicer in the same tax year. They report different things and support different tax benefits.
Which form does a student need for a tax credit versus a deduction? Form 1098-T supports education tax credits (the American Opportunity Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit). Form 1098-E supports the student loan interest deduction. They are not interchangeable, and only one form applies to each benefit.
Do a student need a 1098-E if they paid less than $600 in student loan interest? Not necessarily. Lenders are only required to send a 1098-E if they received $600 or more in interest from a borrower during the year. The interest may still be deductible even without a form; the amount can usually be found through the loan servicer’s account statements.
Is Form 1098-T the same as Form 1098? No. Form 1098 is the base Mortgage Interest Statement. Form 1098-T and Form 1098-E are separate, related forms that share the numbering convention but report entirely different things: tuition and loan interest, not mortgage interest.
Why is the scholarship amount on a student’s 1098-T sometimes bigger than the tuition amount? Box 5 (scholarships and grants) and Box 1 (payments received for tuition) are reported independently on Form 1098-T. Box 5 is never subtracted from Box 1, so it’s normal for scholarships to exceed reported tuition payments when aid covers most or all of a student’s costs.
For Colleges and Universities
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