About 1098-T's at USC

The 1098-T is a statement of qualified tuition and fees charged by USC that we provide to the student and to the IRS. Since the 1098-T is intended to assist you in calculating your eligibility for a Hope Scholarship or Lifetime Learning Credit, "qualified charges" for this purpose are defined more narrowly than they are for other programs, such as a 529 plan.

To assist you in supplementing your own records, we include a summary of all transactions posted to the student account during the calendar year. We cannot adjust your 1098-T qualified charges to include transactions specifically excluded by the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning credit programs such as room and board. We also cannot your qualified charges to include transactions that took place in other calendar years. You must use your own records of payments in addition to the information about qualified charges we provide to determine your eligibility for a tax credit in any given calendar year.

In general, qualified tuition and related expenses are tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance at an eligible educational institution. Student-activity fees and fees for course-related books, supplies, and equipment are included in qualified tuition and related expenses only if the fees must be paid to the institution as a condition of enrollment or attendance.

Qualified tuition and related expenses do not include:

• the cost of insurance,
• medical expenses (including student health fees),
• room and board,
• transportation or similar personal, living or family expenses, even if the fee must be paid to the institution as a condition of enrollment or attendance.

Qualified tuition and related expenses generally do not include:

• expenses that relate to any course of instruction or other education that involves sports, games, or hobbies, or
• any noncredit course.

However, if the course of instruction or other education is part of the student's degree program or, in the case of the lifetime learning credit, is taken by the student to acquire or improve job skills, these expenses can qualify.  If you have any questions about this, please contact ECSI at 866-428-1098, or go to ECSI's website via OASIS or by going to:  www.ecsi.net/1098t  and logging in.

IRS regulations require that all institutions assessing qualified charges provide a 1098-T to each student with qualified charges in the year just ended. USC must also file an information return with the IRS for each of these students. We have contracted with a vendor, ECSI,  to provide these reporting services for us.

Students: you can now view and print your 1098-T tax form via OASIS.  Once you've logged in to OASIS and are on the services page, click on 1098T (ESCI).  You'll find it in "Financial Information" services section, on the upper-right.   Clicking on this link will transfer you to the secure website of our 1098-T service provider, ECSI.  Click on "Tax Information" and you will see a list of the 1098-Ts USC has provided by calendar year.  Select the 1098-T you wish to view by clicking on the button to the left of the year (this will already be selected if there is only one year on record for you), and then clicking "View."  The 1098-T which you have selected will then be displayed and you may print a copy.

If you did not receive your 1098-T, please contact ECSI at 866-428-1098 to get your school code and pin number so that you can login online (these were mailed on your 1098-T).  Or, if you already have the school code and pin, you may go to ECSI's website at:  www.ecsi.net/1098t  and login (click on the words 'Login to My Account' in the gray box to go to the actual login page).

FAQ: Where was my 1098-T mailed?

The amount of each credit is determined by the amount paid for qualified tuition and related expenses for students and the amount of the taxpayer's modified adjusted gross income. Education credits are subtracted from your tax but they are nonrefundable. This means if the credits are more than your tax, the excess is not refunded.

The credits are based on qualified tuition and related expenses paid for yourself, your spouse, or a dependent for whom you claim an exemption on your tax return.

Information Reported

On the 1098-T, we report the name, SSN and address of the student, and indicate whether the student was a graduate student or at least half-time during the calendar year.

Institutions are required to report either the payments received for qualified charges or the amounts billed for qualified charges. Since USC does not identify payments on your student account with specific charges, it is not possible to accurately report amounts paid just for eligible charges, therefore we have elected to report amounts billed. If you qualify for an educational credit, you should use your personal records and student account statements to determine the amounts that you actually paid toward the charges reported on the 1098-T.

To assist you in calculating your credit, we provide you with information labelled "Transaction History" below the actual form.  This information is not sent to the IRS. All transactions posted during the calendar year are summarized by type and academic term.  If there is only one type of transaction in a category, you will see specific information.

Transactions for Spring 2008 posted to your student account before January 1, 2008 were included in your 2007 1098-T. These may qualify for a credit in 2008 if you paid them in 2008.

Transactions for Spring 2009 posted to your student account before January 1, 2009, are included in your 2008 1098-T. These may qualify for a credit in 2008 if you paid them in 2008, or in 2009 if you paid them in 2009.

We are required to report all qualified transactions in the actual calendar year during which they were posted to your account, regardless of when you pay them.

If you need more information than is available on your 1098-T form, you may request an account itemization for this purpose:

1. by accessing the USCe.pay system and reviewing your statements
2. by going in person to use the computer station set up in the lobby of PSB - Parking Structure B and printing out monthly statements
3. by using the 'Contact Us' webpage to submit an email request
4. by contacting the Cashier's Office via telephone: (213) 740-7471

<< Read more about the financial information reported on your 1098-T >>

No USC employee may give tax advice regarding these credits. If you are unsure about your eligibility or have any questions, please consult with a qualified tax preparer.

For information about eligibility and filing for the credits, please refer to IRS Publication 970, 'Tax Benefits for Higher Education.'

     Visit the IRS Forms and Publications website at http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/.

To calculate the tax credit, you must file IRS Form 8863 along with your federal income tax return. IRS Publication 970 explains which tuition and fee expenses and which payments qualify for the tax credits. It is your responsibility to determine if you qualify for either tax credit.

If you have received an email from "webmaster@ecsi.net", this is indeed a communication authorized by USC.  ECSI provides our 1098-T tax reporting service and your information will be available on their website.  To authorize electronic notification, log in to their SECURE website below using the given information:

• Step 1: Website:  https://www.ecsi.net/myacct
      School Code:  HT
      Account       :  (your social security number or USC ID#)
      Password     :  Provided by ECSI in their email to you
• Step 2: (Under Account Tools:)
      Click "Signup for Electronic Tax Documents"
• Step 3:
      Read information, check the consent box, verify your email address,
      and click the submit button.

If you have difficulty logging in, please contact ECSI directly at 866-428-1098.

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