IRS Form 1098-T

Frequently asked questions regarding the 1098T Form.

How do I get my 1098T Form?

After February 1, statements can be viewed online here.  If you have any questions about the statement, please contact Financial Services at (920) 832-6547 or (920) 832-7164.

Who is Heartland ECSI?

Lawrence University has partnered with Heartland ECSI to distribute our 1098-T Forms to students. Online access to the 1098-T Form eliminates the risk of the statement getting lost, misdirected, or even delayed during delivery. Students who wish to receive their 1098-T Form electronically will need to provide Heartland ECSI with consent prior to December of the tax year. To receive your 1098-T electronically, visit the following site: https://heartland.ecsi.net/index.main.html#/access/eConsent. 

When do students receive the 1098T Forms?

Heartland ECSI sends 1098-T Forms to students by January 31 of each year. Forms are submitted by mail and are also available online.

Mail delivery:
A paper copy of the 1098-T Tuition Statement is completed and mailed on or before January 31st for students who did not opt for electronic delivery.  The 1098-T Tuition Statement is mailed to the student at their permanent home address listed on Voyager. 

Electronic delivery:
Students who have opted in to electronic receipt of the 1098-T Form with Heartland ECSI (recommended) before December of the previous year will receive an email notifying them when their 1098-T Tuition Statement is ready to view and print on the Heartland ECSI website.

What are students supposed to do with the 1098T Form when they receive it?

The dollar amounts reported on your 1098-T Tuition Statement may assist you in completing IRS Form 8863 – the form used for calculating the education tax credits that a taxpayer may claim as part of your tax return. (You can find detailed information about claiming education tax credits in IRS Publication 970, page 9.)

What if I did not get my 1098T Tuition Statement in the mail or I lost it?

To Access Your 1098-T form online please follow these instructions*:

1. Click on this link: https://heartland.ecsi.net/index.main.html#/access/lookup
2. Select “I need my 1098-T Tuition Tax Statement”
3. Type in “Lawrence University” in the search bar and click submit.
4. Sign into your existing profile, or register a new profile.
5. Once you register your new profile, sign in and select “Connect An Account”
6. Enter your “Heartland Key**”.

*Only Students and former students can create an account and access their 1098-T form online. If you are a parent or guardian please email student_accounts@lawrence.edu to request your student’s 1098-T form.

**If you opted in for eConsent, you will have been sent a Heartland Key. If you do not know your Heartland Key, you will need to call 1-866-428-1098 and ask for your Heartland key. Once you have your Heartland Key, you can connect your account and access your 1098-T forms from your entire time at Lawrence University.

Understanding your 1098T Statement

• Box 1 shows the payments that Lawrence University received for qualified tuition and related expenses during the noted calendar year. Payments include cash, check, credit card, ACH, wire, loans and scholarships and grants. The total payments reported is limited to the total amount of Qualified Tuition and Related Expenses (QTRE) billed during the calendar year.*
   
• Box 4 shows any adjustment made for any prior year for qualified tuition and related expenses that were reported on a prior year’s 1098-T Form. This amount could reduce any allowable education credit that you claimed for any prior year.
   
• Box 5 shows the total of all scholarships or grants processed and administered by Lawrence University during the noted calendar year.*** The amount of grants or scholarships for the calendar year (including those not reported by Lawrence University) could reduce the amount of the education credit you can claim for the year.
   
• Box 6 shows any adjustments to grants and scholarships for a prior year. This amount could reduce any allowable education credit that you claimed for any prior year.

*Please note: Payments for room and board are not qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) and therefore are not included in Box 1. Because Lawrence University bills for Winter Term in November of one calendar year and Winter Term starts in January of the following year, this could affect the amount reported in Box 1 due to the QTRE reporting requirements that are based on amounts billed and the actual timing of Winter Term QTRE payments.

**Please note: Scholarships and grants administered by Lawrence University for Winter Term are posted to the student’s account in January and will be reported in Box 5 in the calendar year they were posted. The timing difference from when the University bills for Winter Term (November of the previous year) may differ from when payments are received for Winter Term. 

For a student who first attends Lawrence University in the Fall Term and graduates in a future year in the Spring Term, their 1098-T Form for the first and final year will typically incur a timing difference in Box 1 and Box 5 related to Winter Term as described above. Typically, Box 5 will be greater than Box 1 in the student’s final year.  Therefore, amounts reported in Box 1 and Box 5 may not align with your records. However, a taxpayer is able to use their own financial records and/or detail from their student account billing statements to calculate the educational tax benefit and substantiate their claim. Please see IRS Publication 970 for additional information.

Nothing in the language above should be interpreted to be tax advice. If you have any questions regarding your particular tax situation, including what education-related deductions and/or credits for which you may be eligible, the university recommends you consult with a qualified tax professional.