Do I need to provide my SSN for a 1098-T form? My university says it's required but I'm confused

This is absolutely legitimate and not optional. The 1098-T is a tax form that educational institutions are required by law to prepare for eligible students. It shows the amount of qualified educational expenses you paid and any scholarships or grants you received during the tax year. Your school needs your SSN because they're legally required to report this information to the IRS and provide you with a copy. The form is important because it helps determine if you're eligible for education-related tax benefits like the American Opportunity Credit or the Lifetime Learning Credit. Even though you have a scholarship, you still need this form. In fact, it's even more important because you need to report scholarship amounts that exceed qualified educational expenses as taxable income. As a graduate TA, any stipend you receive as compensation for teaching is typically considered taxable income too. The $50 penalty they mentioned is real - the IRS can penalize you for not providing your SSN. You should definitely provide your SSN before their January deadline.

I went through this exact same confusion last year and discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which was super helpful for figuring out all these education tax forms. I uploaded my 1098-T and it explained exactly what qualified for tax credits even with my teaching stipend and scholarship. The thing about the 1098-T is that it's crazy complicated when you have scholarships AND you're getting paid as a TA. The tool broke down exactly what parts of my scholarship were taxable vs. what qualified for education credits. Saved me from making a mistake that would have cost me like $1,500 in credits I almost missed.

Just wanted to update - I reluctantly tried taxr.ai after my earlier skepticism and wow, it actually worked great. I uploaded my 1098-T and my W-2 from my TA position, and it immediately identified that I was eligible for the Lifetime Learning Credit even with my scholarship. The tool explained exactly which expenses qualified and how my scholarship affected the calculation. Ended up getting a $1,830 tax credit I would have completely missed otherwise. It even explained how to handle the portion of my scholarship that was taxable income (the amount covering room and board). Definitely worth checking out if you're confused about education tax forms.

If you're struggling to get answers from your university's financial aid office, try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in the same boat last year with 1098-T questions that my school wouldn't answer, so they kept telling me to "call the IRS" which was impossible - I literally waited on hold for 3+ hours multiple times. Claimyr got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes who explained exactly how to handle my 1098-T with my specific scholarship/TA situation. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they use technology to wait on hold for you then call when an agent is ready. Changed my whole perspective on dealing with tax questions.

I have to eat my words. After complaining about Claimyr in my earlier comment, I tried it this morning out of desperation because I needed to figure out if my TA stipend affects my education credits. It actually worked. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes (not 15, but still WAY better than my previous attempts). The agent confirmed exactly how to handle my 1098-T with my scholarship situation and explained which expenses qualify for the Lifetime Learning Credit even when receiving a scholarship. Turns out I was confused about Box 1 vs Box 5 on the 1098-T and would have massively messed up my taxes. Sorry for being so negative before - just wanted to update after actually trying it.

One thing nobody has mentioned yet - make absolutely sure you're responding to a legitimate email from your university! Scammers LOVE to send fake emails requesting SSNs that look like they're from universities. Check that the email came from an official .edu address, and even better, log into your student portal directly (not through any link in the email) and see if there's a secure way to provide your SSN there instead of responding to the email.

Quick question - is anyone else's 1098-T always wrong? Mine shows less tuition than I actually paid because of when the payments posted. Do I use the numbers on the form or what I actually paid? My tax software always flags it as a discrepancy.

I'm a tax preparer and see this confusion every year. The 1098-T is definitely legitimate and required - your university has to file this with the IRS whether you provide your SSN or not, but without it, you'll face that $50 penalty. Here's what's important for your situation: as a graduate TA with a scholarship, you actually have THREE different tax considerations: 1. Your TA income (reported on W-2) - fully taxable as wages 2. Scholarship amount covering tuition/fees - generally not taxable 3. Any scholarship amount covering room/board/living expenses - this IS taxable income The 1098-T helps sort this out. Box 5 shows your total scholarships/grants, and you'll need to determine how much of that exceeded your qualified education expenses (tuition, mandatory fees, required books/supplies). Even with a full scholarship, you might still qualify for education credits if you paid for books, supplies, or equipment out of pocket. The American Opportunity Credit can be worth up to $2,500, and the Lifetime Learning Credit up to $2,000. Don't miss that January 21 deadline - provide your SSN through your student portal's secure system, not email. You'll need this form to file your taxes correctly.