How tax preparers request a 1098-T from clients
By Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak · Published
In short
Ask each family with a student for the Form 1098-T from every college attended during the year, plus the student account statement and receipts for what was actually paid, including books bought elsewhere. Settle early who claims the student, because the education credit for that student goes on one return only.
Why tax preparers need a 1098-T
The 1098-T supports the American opportunity credit and the lifetime learning credit on Form 8863. Box 1 shows payments the school received for qualified tuition and related expenses, but the credit rests on what the family actually paid, and box 5 scholarships or grants reduce the eligible amount. A December payment for the spring term can land in a different year than the family expects, so the account history matters.
What exactly to ask for
The 1098-T for the tax year from each school, usually downloaded from the student’s online account, plus the account statement with payment dates. Ask for receipts for required books, supplies and equipment, which may qualify for the American opportunity credit, and for the 1099-Q of any 529 plan withdrawal, which has to be reconciled with the same expenses.
What to check when it arrives
- Box 1 payments agree with the student account statement, and box 5 scholarships are taken off.
- Box 7 is checked when amounts cover an academic period that starts in the first months of the next year.
- Expenses paid with a 529 withdrawal or a tax-free scholarship are not counted again for the credit.
Email to send your client
Replace the bracketed parts. The same text fits in the message of a DokuTrak request (up to 1,000 characters).
Subject: Your student’s 1098-T and tuition receipts
Hi [Client name],
For the education credit I need the Form 1098-T from your student’s school. It usually sits in the student’s online account under tax or billing documents, so you may need to ask them to download it.
Please also send the account statement showing what you paid and when, plus receipts for required books or supplies bought elsewhere. The form alone does not always match what you actually paid.
If you used a 529 plan for school costs, please add that form too. Could you send everything by [date]? Happy to help if the school site gives you trouble.
Thanks, [Your name]
Ask once. DokuTrak does the chasing.
- Your client uploads from one link, with no account and no password.
- Reminders go out on a schedule, by default 2, 5, 10 and 14 days after the request, until the file arrives.
- With AI review switched on in your workspace (it is off by default), each upload gets a first pass that flags a file that is not a 1098-T or an unreadable or blurry scan. It says so when it is not sure.
- You accept every file or mark it for re-upload, and your client gets the note by email. The AI never accepts a file.